AMSTERDAM: Transmission of video over the shortwave radio topology is being demonstrated at IBC by Fraunhofer. The company rolled out “Diveemo,” a system delivers video via Digital Radio Mondiale, the MPEG-4-based broadcasting technology used in the AM radio band. It was demonstrated today at the convention with BBC content displayed on a NewStar DRM receiver, Fraunhofer said.
Operating at just 8 frames per second, Diveemo transmissions are not designed to compete with even standard analog television; instead, Diveemo is being positioned for large-area distribution of education and news programs where the video supplements an existing audio program.
Fraunhofer notes that shortwave transmission can reach from “100 to well over 5 million square kilometers depending on conditions and broadcast parameters. The service opens the door to a large range of unprecedented information and education services and is an ideal platform to reach audiences worldwide with a single DRM transmitter or an even more cost-efficient DRM single frequency network. Diveemo offers free-of-charge reception and is independent of gatekeeper and third-party providers like satellite and cable networks.”
The system is being demonstrated by Fraunhofer and Thomson Broadcast on their respective stands at IBC2010. Fraunhofer and Thomson, along with Chengdu NewStar Electronics, developed Diveemo. The service is being presented for standardization by ETSI, and can be implemented by any broadcaster using DRM30 or DRM+.
Video files are added to the Fraunhofer DRM ContentServer where they are converted to MPEG-4 and prepared for transmission. DRM+ is capable of devoting a larger amount of data to the video than DRM30, allowing for better video quality with DRM+. Diveemo complements existing data services within DRM30 and DRM+, including MOT Slideshow for still images and Journaline for text-based data services.-- With Radio World
