April 2013www.tvbeurope.com


TVBEurope 19 TVBEurope 1993-2013


Europe’s technology journey


April 1993 saw the launch of TVBEuropeunder editor Fergal Ringrose. Yes, it really is 20 years! With this issue we celebrate 20 years of publication as editorial director Ringrose takes a trip down memory lane to those burning issues occupying the European television technology business two decades ago. We’re very proud to have been writing about European TV technology for two decades — and this special commemorative section marks a celebration of our first industry coverage. Enjoy the journey!


An open letter to


Martin Bangemann Dear Commissioner Bangemann, TVBEuropewarmly welcomes your appointment as EC Commissioner of Trade and Industry, and applauds your recent comments on HDTV which have opened a fresh and urgent new debate in both Europe and the US on this complex subject. In light of the very public failure to ratify the EC Action Plan on


HDTV last December, I am sure the European broadcast industry would support your call for the Danish presidency to organise a meeting of Community telecommunications ministers to discuss the issue as a matter of urgency. It is necessary for Europe to leave the Edinburgh debacle behind it and move forward, recognising that the key to HDTV is constant innovation.


But in the propaganda war that is also a constant feature of HDTV your comments have been interpreted by some to suggest that Europe has thrown in the towel, enabling the US digital terrestrial HDTV standard under development to become a global standard. In a 19 February article The New York Times said, “The European Community has decided to abandon development of its technology for a new generation of televisions, acknowledging that more advanced systems under consideration in the United States will almost certainly become the worldwide standard.”


In the great roller coaster of world HDTV, we believe it’s Europe’s turn to move up to the summit. Far from ‘abandoning development’ we must grab our new opportunity. There must be put in place a system for the future which is ‘scalable, interoperable and extensible’, enabling Europe to conquer the challenges of widescreen and digital television — and overcome the entrenched vested interests that have proved counterproductive in the past. Respectfully yours,


Fergal Ringrose, editor HDVS, Vision 1250 battle for hearts


and minds of European producers By Fergal Ringrose


Sony’s High Definition


IN MOVES designed to win over producers and broadcasters to their respective 1125/60 and 1250/50 production camps, Sony has announced advanced technology to convert productions on HDVS to PAL, while EC-supported Vision 1250 is taking its equipment and programmes roadshow to European destinations and beyond.


Facility Europe (SHDFE) in Basingstoke has announced a service to transfer 1125/60 High Definition using a motion compensated converter, down to 625/50 PAL. Picture quality is achieved using interpolation algorithms based on the Block Matching method, which provides frame conversion from the 30fps of HDVS to the 25fps of PAL, free of motion artefacts, according to Sony.


A number of aspect ratio


conversion modes are employed to handle the transfer from HDVS 16:9 to the 4:3 aspect ratio of PAL. A choice of Letter Box and Edge Crop is offered, and a variable zoom facility combined with horizontal and vertical repositioning gives a pan- and-scan mode. Sony says the converter can also provide widescreen video output suitable for transmission via D2-MAC and PAL Plus.


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