Akin to an implementation arm of the DVB Project, DigiTAG has been the market’s watchdog of DTT as it has moved from
DVB-T to T2. Explaining that the latest mission is about minimising the differences between the various launches of DTT, steering group secretary Peter MacAvock said: “This latest phase is about trying to understand the roadmap in each one of the markets as they move to the launch of DVB-T2 HD and perhaps even UHD.
“We must understand how individual markets are going to develop, and for our members show it is going to work,” he added. “We will bring all the information together so we can produce a cohesive road map.”
If the DVB operates in a pre-competitive phase, DigiTAG is about “when the boys come out to play the game. If the DVB is all about defining what the rules are, we are concerned with getting warmed up, making sure everybody has the same number of players in the team, and that they are going to abide by the rules. We then go out and play the game,” said MacAvock.
“People are aware what is going on elsewhere but one of the unique things about DTT is that it is typically focused on a national regulatory scheme,” he added. “Sometimes they ignore the fact that there are similar problems elsewhere. The issue is getting the timing right.
“If you are a small country like Ireland, there is no point in launching UHD with DVB-T2 now,” he continued. “The Irish need to latch onto the larger markets around them, probably the UK, and focus on following the UK’s roadmap. But understanding the details of that roadmap are critically important.”
