ETSI begins work on next-generation TV device standardisation

Technical specification group ETSI’s new Industry Specification Group on intelligent Compound Content Management (CCM) has met for a kick-off meeting at ETSI’s facility in Sophia Antipolis, France to begin work on the a standardised solution to define a “scalable and flexible” decoding system for consumer electronics devices from UltraHD televisions to smartphones. 

This decoding specification being worked on is designed to meet the needs of existing and next generation receivers and set-top boxes. The founding members of the group are BT Group Plc, Dolby Laboratories Inc, STMicroelectronics and Telefonica S.A.

“With this new standardization work, ETSI will offer consumer equipment manufacturers a single and global decoder for all devices, without compromising image quality. This will save time and money for content distribution and consumers will benefit from the latest innovative technologies,” said David Holliday, chairman of ETSI CCM ISG.

Market drivers for the next generation of Ultra-HD displays and equipment include the addition of HDR, a technique used to reproduce both darker and brighter, more life-like images, and Wider Colour Gamut, extending the colour range being displayed on a device.

Legacy receivers, including tablets, will comprise the majority of the receiver installed base. To ensure a smooth transition between today’s TV standards and future ones, a new transmission system should offer backwards compatibility with today’s standards whilst also providing the full quality for the next generation HDR/WCG TVs, according to ETSI.