Completing the move to digital delivery means switching the analogue signal off. With the UK's target for completion little more than six years away, John Ive, former director of strategic planning for Sony Europe questions if we are yet heading in the right direction
The decision to complete analogue switch off by 2012 is heralded as a remarkable step, but switching off is just a means to an end. More focus is needed with an aggressive timescale to
make new services available to consumers.
The UK can still claim to produce the world's most creative programming but no longer has the best delivery mechanism. Several countries have well-established HD services delivering stunning imagery of worldwide events direct to consumer homes.
The UK is far behind with its hard earned reputation for leading technologies, quality programming and skilled practitioners seriously under threat.
How far behind are we? Japan's NHK started HD broadcasting in the early 1990s: according to one NHK executive "High definition has almost become standard definition in Japan". The USA started HD broadcasting in 1998 with the major channels now producing most primetime viewing in HD. Other countries including Korea, China, Canada and Australia have started HD services.
One of the hottest consumer products is the large screen flat panel display (FPD), the majority of which are "HD ready", complying with industry agreed specifications. Consumers today are buying HDV camcorders producing picture quality beyond broadcast television. 2006 will see the launch of games consoles with HD graphics and optical disk players designed specifically to replay HD movies. 2012 (more than 20 years after the start of HD in Japan) the UK will be just completing the rollout of standard definition digital television! This is bad news for UK technology and bad news for consumers obliged to look elsewhere for
HD programming. Organisations such as the BBC have a rich library of HD content but no public service route to deliver this to consumers.
The new generation of FPDs is capable of displaying fine detail and producing stunning images with HD input. Unfortunately this same precision brutally exposes DTT transmission quality problems. Data compression artefacts barely visible on a low resolution 28" display become very annoying on a full resolution FPD. Consequently consumers will be critical of DTT rather than the killer application it could look like a rather tired digital version of 50 year old analogue technology!
The 2004 Athens Olympics was shot and beamed around the world in HD, bringing to life this fantastic spectacle. Yet in Europe we could not see the HD version. In the UK the Olympics (and several other sports) are Group A listed, that is to say guaranteed free to air full live coverage protected but, currently there are no plans to broadcast these events free to air in HD. Consumers will miss the 2006 World Cup, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and embarrassingly the UK 2012 Olympics unless pay W broadcasters carry the signals at a premium.
In conclusion by 2012 not only will analogue switch-off be complete but we must be well advanced with public service high definition broadcasting. UK consumers have a right to see listed events such as the London Olympic Games at the same quality as other viewers around the world. Achieving this requires proactive planning now to ensure the infrastructure is in place with respect to frequency planning and access to bandwidth in the home. Missing this important deadline would be a national scandal and a lost opportunity to keep talented programme makers and engineers at the leading edge of an important worldwide industry.
