1.8 Major Organizations

To make set-top boxes available in retail stores and enable component sharing, the industry is gradually moving towards standards-based implementations . Several standard bodies are involved in this trend, including MPEG [MPEG], SMPTE [SMPTE], European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) [ETSI], Advance Television Systems Committee (ATSC) [ATSC], and Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) [SCTE] in the U.S., and the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) in Japan. Two key consortiums working with those standard bodies are DVB [MHP] and CableLabs [TELETEXT].

1.8.1 MPEG

MPEG is an International Standards Organization (ISO) group that has developed many of the standards that are used today in iTV technologies. It is a family of standards used for coding audio-visual information (e.g., movies, video, music) in a compressed digital format. The advantage of MPEG is the delivery of audio and video in a compressed streaming format that is reliable in noisy environments.

1.8.2 SMPTE

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers is an organization concerned with standardization of technologies used to support production and the life cycle of audio, video, and iTV content. SMPTE standards include content exchange formats, communication protocols and connectors, and techniques for assembly and archiving of content. SMPTE standards include the SMPTE 308M "Television-MPEG-2, 4:2:2 profile at high levels," Recommended Practice; PR113-1996 Supervisory protocol for digital control interface; or SMPTE time code, providing a general mechanism heavily in video and audio editing for keeping devices synchronized with a common time frame.

1.8.3 ETSI

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to produce telecommunications standards. ETSI plays a major role in developing a wide range of standards and other technical documentation as Europe's contribution to world wide standardization in telecommunications, broadcasting, and information technology. ETSI's prime objective is to support global harmonization by providing a forum in which all key players can contribute actively. ETSI is officially recognized by the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) secretariat.

1.8.4 ATSC

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is an international, nonprofit membership organization developing voluntary standards for advanced television systems. Specifically, ATSC is working to coordinate television standards among different communications media focusing on digital television, interactive systems, and broadband multimedia communications. ATSC's standards focus on the transport layer, namely the broadcast of audio, video, and recently, data. ATSC is also developing digital television implementation strategies and presenting educational seminars on the ATSC standards.

1.8.5 ARIB

The Association of Radio Industries and Businesses in Japan was chartered by the Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts, and Telecommunications as a public service corporation on May 15, 1995 [ARIB]. Its activities include those previously performed by the Research and Development Center for Radio Systems (RCR) and Broadcasting Technology Association (BTA) in Japan.

ARIB's goal is to rapidly advance the use of radio technology for the benefit of Japanese society. It promotes integration of knowledge and experience in various fields of radio use such as broadcasting and telecommunications, and research and development in radio technology, and serves as a standards development organization for radio technology.

1.8.6 SCTE

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) is a nonprofit professional organization providing training, certification, and standards. Since 1969, SCTE has continually expanded its resources and services to meet the changing needs of its members in a rapidly evolving industry. It is the only cable telecommunications organization accredited by the American National Standards Institution (ANSI) to develop technical standards and provides a neutral forum for professionals to collaborate on standards that lead the way to global compatibility.

1.8.7 DVB

The Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB ) Project is an industry-led consortium of more than 300 broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software developers, regulatory bodies, and others in more than 35 countries committed to designing global MPEG-based standards for the delivery of digital television and data services. DVB operates through consensus in the working groups, much like a standards organization. Members of the groups are drawn from the general assembly of the project. Once standards have been published through ETSI, they are publicly available at a nominal cost worldwide.

1.8.7.1 DBV-MHP

The DVB Multimedia Home Platform (MHP ) was a DVB work item, initiated in 1997. Its aim was to standardize elements of the home platform that would be key to the success of interactive multimedia applications in the future. At the time, it was seen as a natural progression from the pure broadcast work of DVB into the interactive TV applications that are beginning to dominate the transition from analog to digital TV. The work covers not only the Application Programming Interface (API), but also addressed issues such as the in-home digital network.

1.8.8 CableLabs

The Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs ) is a nonprofit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and helping its cable operator members integrate those technical advancements into their business objectives.

1.8.8.1 OCAP

The OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) initiative, within CableLabs , managed by the Advanced Platforms and Services group at CableLabs, was begun in 1997 with a goal of helping the cable industry deploy interactive services over cable [OCAP]. Like several other CableLabs projects, including Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) and PacketCable, OpenCable provides a set of industry standards with three key objectives: 1) define the next -generation digital consumer device, 2) encourage supplier competition, and 3) create a retail hardware platform. As such, the OpenCable project has two key components : a hardware specification and a software specification. The hardware specification, which has been completed, allows a receiver that can be sold at retail to provide interoperability. The software specification of the OpenCable project, called OCAP, solves the problem of proprietary operating system software by creating a common platform on which interactive services can be deployed.

1.8.9 ATVEF

The Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) is a cross-industry alliance of companies representing the broadcast and cable networks, television transports, consumer electronics, and PC industries. This alliance of companies has defined protocols for HTML-based enhanced television, that allow content authors to deliver enhanced programming over various forms of transport (analog, digital, cable, and satellite). The capability of networks for one-way or two-way communication drives the definition of two models of transport: Transport A is designated for data broadcasts when a return channel is available. Transport B is designed for situations when a return channel is not available.

1.8.10 W3C

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding. It was created in October 1994 in collaboration with European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), where the Web originated, with support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the European Commission. It was chartered to develop common protocols that promote the evolution of the Web while ensuring its interoperability. W3C has about 500 Member organizations from all over the world and has earned international recognition for its contributions to the growth of the Web.