scte PRESENTS
today’s HLS/DASH, so R&D is betting on multiple horses.
The BBC’s Phil Layton set out R&D’s brief: make the Internet better than broadcast while preserving universality. That means
very difficult to see how to build a good product around DVB-I,” explained Layton.
When it comes to 5G broadcast, the BBC sees limited UK merit versus 5G media streaming; with many device types to serve, Internet-native approaches better fit a universal mission. Turning to business and timelines for a new digital switchover, more themes emerged. Gupta said the oft-cited 2034 end-date for DTT is “aggressive”; the trick is to attract most viewers across well before any hard switch by offering something better. The tail then needs help: low-cost devices, minimum broadband and support schemes – reminiscent of last switchover set-top subsidies – but more complex given today’s fragmented device landscape. Niche and genre DTT channels increasingly resemble FAST channels; for many, IP distribution already makes more sense. Standards like DVB-I can help with service discovery, but implementations must be nuanced and product-driven. “From a BBC perspective, certainly in terms of a hybrid device, which is the most popular at the moment, it was
Among the Codecs: AV1 is spreading; VVC (next gen) is emerging. However, any gains are often soaked up by quality ambitions (UHD/HDR), so aggregate bitrates don’t fall magically. Software decode headroom helps, but long-lived STBs slow uniform adoption. Latency vs experience: an approximate 8s target feels right for mass live; buffering kills faster than delay. In-home desynchronisation across devices still irritates, and social spoilers push some fans towards piracy if friction mounts. Looking ahead, Gupta suggested bandwidth may be swallowed less by 8K than by immersive, addressable, interactive uses (gaming/AR/VR, “screens
scale, resilience and reliability from production-to-player – and sharing what works through open standards. BBC R&D helped develop HLG HDR for live UHD and adopted by Sky, the BBC now runs its own CDN carrying approximately 40% of traffic alongside commercial CDNs. The team is currently running low- latency streaming trials (CMAF, chunked transfer, “seek to live edge”, controlled speed-ups), targeting glass-to-glass delays comparable to broadcast (about 8 seconds from playout to screen). Early results are promising, but devices are often the weak link. Beyond pure delivery, Layton highlighted inclusivity and hyper-personalisation as reasons to go IP: it’s not only about replicating linear but improving it (e.g. richer accessibility than static subs/AD). Layton said there was genuine interest in multicast over QUIC (MoQ) and other new stacks: interest is real, but the BBC expects the 2030s mix to differ from
everywhere”), before the industry optimises again. Siemens expects
renewed value in aggregation: today’s brand-centric silos leave people behind; a unified, familiar experience with multiple navigation modes (numbers, zap, mini- guide, EPG, search) is overdue. Oprescu agreed: make it ergonomic and delightful; if users notice the plumbing, we’ve failed.
Sponsor Presentation: Nokia Advanced IP Broadcasting Technology
Keith Chow, Senior Product Manager, Network Infrastructure – IP Networks, Nokia took time to explain Nokia’s advanced IP broadcasting technology. Developed over 20 years in Bell Labs, it focuses on delivering linear TV over the internet with broadcast- grade reliability and resilience. The technology addresses challenges like latency, packet loss and scalability by using innovative techniques such as route multicast, predictive and adaptive streaming, and deep reinforcement learning.
By employing methods like multicast-to-unicast conversion and intelligent network sensing, Nokia’s solution can maintain stream quality under challenging network conditions, supporting up to 40- 60% random packet loss. The technology has been deployed with tier-one customers and can work across various networks including Wi-Fi, 5G, satellite and high-altitude platforms, offering a unified approach to HD and Ultra HD content delivery.
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DECEMBER 2025 Volume 47 No.4
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