Digital UK has contracted DTG Testing to create a product test suite for receivers for the next generation of Freeview as a connected TV service. The test suite is designed to ensure that trademark licensees meet the technical specifications of the platform and deliver an ‘enhanced viewing experience’.
The Product Test Suite will cover regionalisation, the correct use of broadcast and IP metadata, and correct handling of broadcast signalling. It will ensure device compliance, alongside test materials to demonstrate the correct co-existence of broadcast applications and a metadata test bed to simulate the real-world broadcasting and playout environment.
Richard Carlton, associate director of DTG Testing, said: “DTG Testing is delighted to build on our long-lasting relationship with Digital UK which has underpinned the technical reliability of the Freeview brand, as it develops this new offering to ensure the continued relevance of the digital terrestrial platform.”
DTG Testing expects to deploy the test suite to support the launch of the platform, the date for which has yet to be announced.
The new test suite will not cover mainstream browser environment testing or physical branding. DTG Testing, the not-for-profit subsidiary of the DTG, provides the product conformance regime which enables manufacturers to obtain trademarks for the Freeview and Freesat digital TV platforms in the UK, as well as international platforms in Scandinavia, Ghana and New Zealand.
