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World's first prototype systems at IBC:
SAVANT and GMF4iTV @EBU-Village present Rich Media Interactive
TV broadcasting
World's first prototype systems represent important milestone
towards integrated broadcast and Internet architecture for
synchronous delivery of broadcast and broadband content, scalable
multimedia services and direct interactivity with moving objects
on the TV-screen enabling Rich Media interactive TV, based
on open standards
At the International Broadcast Conference in Amsterdam (EBU-Village
in hall 10, stand 10.411), IRT and its partners in the two
European IST projects SAVANT* and GMF4iTV**) showed today
the two world's first Rich Media interactive TV prototype
systems of an integrated broadcast and Internet concept for
synchronous delivery of scalable multimedia services via broadcast
and broadband and direct interactivity with moving objects
on the TV-screen. Both systems are based on open standards,
such as MPEG, DVB-MHP, TV-Anytime, IETF and W3C.
The EU-funded project SAVANT (Synchronised and Scalable Audio
Visual content Across NeTworks) project is a European research
project developing integrated broadcast and Internet technologies
that allow end users to access and retrieve synchronised multimedia
content in an intelligent and transparent manner on a range
of devices (e.g. television, personal computer and personal
digital assistant) under varying network conditions. The project
also aims to provide more interactivity with broadcast content
and personalisation of the services.
The second EU-funded project GMF4iTV (General-Media-Framework-for-interactive-TV),
which is presented at the EBU-Village as well, is focusing
on new concepts for interaction with moving objects in normal
TV programs extending features of DVB-MHP. Based on direct
interaction with certain objects, the viewer can retrieve
rich media content about objects of his choice. The interaction
is based on tracking certain objects in an MPEG-2 video and
dynamic metadata in the MPEG-7 format, which is broadcasted
in sync with the MPEG-2 video and which describes the actual
position and shape of the objects. MHP is using this metadata
to highlight the objects by graphical rendering.
SAVANT is demonstrating scalable Rich-Media TV services,
which can be transmitted synchronously over broadcast and
broadband networks. SAVANT has developed integrated broadcast
and Internet technologies that allow end-users to transparently
access multimedia content over such networks no matter which
receiving device they use. In addition, the content can be
delivered synchronously over both networks even under varying
network conditions. These technologies are implemented within
a studio production system, a content delivery platform and
a content access system serving those different devices.
This means that SAVANT enables broadcasters to offer additional
content to small interest groups on a cost-effective way.
Formerly from a cost perspective, via DVB networks only content
was distributed that did interest the majority of the audience.
But by using widely adopted broadband networks like DSL, in
addition to DVB, SAVANT can bring extra content to relative
small interest groups. This extra content can be, second camera
views in sport matches, additional audio languages for minority
groups and background media material.
The system allows service scalability that caters for device
heterogeneity by supplying different service elements not
only over differing networks (DVB or Internet), but also for
differing devices such as TV-sets, TabletPCs or PDAs with
their varying display or processing capabilities; and all
this according to different user preferences and behaviour.
At the EBU village SAVANT demonstrates an end-to-end system
using two scenarios: one based on an enhanced news service
and the other based on an enhanced sports broadcast. For both
scenarios pre-produced service elements will be enriched with
supplemental multimedia content. These service elements will
be smartly routed over the different networks. Furthermore,
synchronous delivery of main (over DVB) and supplemental content
(over Internet) is shown. The service elements are then offered
to end-users as an interactive and personalized service. More
details about the SAVANT project can be found at http://www.savant.tv.
GMF4iTV is demonstrating a Rich-Media Interactive TV-system
with the focus on new concepts for interaction with moving
objects in normal TV programmes extending features of DVB-MHP.
Based on direct interaction with certain objects, the viewer
can retrieve rich media content about objects of his choice.
The interaction is based on tracking certain objects in an
MPEG-2 video and generating dynamic metadata in the MPEG-7
format, describing the actual position and shape of the objects,
and broadcasted in sync with the MPEG-2 video. MHP uses these
metadata to highlight the objects by graphical rendering.
Now the user decides about the type of interaction with the
objects on the TV-screen. He may use a normal remote control
to select the object by pressing the colour button, which
matches this object. Alternatively he can use a PDA as an
advanced remote control, to select by touching the highlighted
object.
Then he can retrieve additional information, which may consist
of MPEG-4 A/V-clips, MHP-applications, pictures and HTML pages.
This additional content can also be presented to the viewer
in personalised form, based on metadata and user profiles.
The complete system, including the tracking tool, authoring
suite, playout control and multimedia DVB-MHP STB is demonstrated
at the EBU-village. More details about the project can be
found under www.gmf4itv.org
Both, the SAVANT as well as the GMF4iTV demos at the EBU-Village
provide an insight into future service scenarios, which will
be enabled by new interactive systems, toward deeper user-participation
through local and remote interactivity and understanding of
user's preferences. Altogether, five scenarios have been selected
for the demos at IBC'2004, which have been produced by the
content providers in the two projects, e.g. RBB (Germany),
AZ-Media (Germany) and DUVIDEO (Portugal). Among those are
Interactive Rich Media News, Tour de France, Soccer, Jazz
and Fashion-show.
*) SAVANT is an IST project sponsored by the European Union.
Partners are Brunel University (UK), EXPWAY (France), FhG-IPSI
(Germany), IRT (Germany), NOB (The Netherlands), Queen Mary
University London (UK), RBB (Germany), Siemens (Germany),
STT (Spain), Telenor (Norway) and TNO (The Netherlands).
**) GMF4iTV is an IST project sponsored by the European Union
as well. Partners are AZ-Media (Germany), CRL (UK), Deuromedia
(Romania), DUVIDEO (Portugal), EURECOM (France), IRT (Germany),
Joanneum Research (Austria), OPTIBASE (Israel), PT Inovação
(Portugal) and Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain).
About IRT:
The Institut für Rundfunktechnik GmbH (IRT) is the research
and development center of the public service broadcasters
in Germany (ARD, ZDF, DLR), in Austria (ORF) and in Switzerland
(SRG/SSR). The IRT, which was founded in 1956, is a non-profit
company and employs about 200 persons. The R&D work is
managed within five business areas: audio Broadcasting, television,
broadcasting coverage, collaborative research, and R&D
services. For further information, see www.irt.de
Contact Information
Gerhard Stoll
E-Mail: 
Tel: +49 89 32399 347
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