PRESS
RELEASE
New Migration Plan for NorDig Interactive Digital TV
NorDig has announced a new migration plan for the transition to
DVB-MHP, an open system for interactive digital TV. The plan, approved
by the NorDig Board October 16, 2002, supersedes a plan put forward
in March 2001. The 2001 decision included a provision for amendment
or replacement of the plan in the event of "fundamental changes"
in the policy landscape.
The combined effect of two factors constitutes such a "fundamental
change" in the judgment of the NorDig Board; these are (1)
the delay in the launching of MHP, and (2) the introduction of Directive
2002/21/EC on a Common Regulatory Framework for Electronic Networks
and Services, which is to be implemented by Member States by July
2003. The Directive urges Member States to encourage the use of
open systems (API) for interactivity. DVB-MHP is one such standard.
The Commission intends to review the situation on European markets
in mid-2004. If interoperability has not been achieved by then,
compulsory legislation may be put on the table. For now, the regulatory
framework relies on a "Memorandum of Understanding" between
the principal players on national markets as a tool to bring about
the migration to new, open APIs.
NorDig´s new plan is in line with the EU recommendations.
It envisages a gradual transition to use of DVB-MHP through joint
measures on the part of program companies and platform operators
and allows for continued use of current API systems for some forms
of interactivity during the period of transition.
The migration plan will be operationalized in bilateral agreements
between, inter alia, program companies and platform operators. NorDig´s
plan is a statement of intention, not a legally binding document.
In coming months NorDig intends to design a testing procedure to
verify that digital receivers offered on the market comply with
the functional specifications that program companies and operators
have formulated. These requirements, set out in the specification
for set top- boxes agreed by NorDig, cover a broad spectrum of hardware,
ranging from the simplest converters of digital to analogue signals
to more sophisticated devices that accommodate interactive applications
and two-way links (interactivity) via modems. The specifications
with regard to interactivity correspond entirely to DVB-MHP. In
principle, specifications pertaining to other aspects comply with
DVB, as well.
NorDig
Migration Plan (October 16, 2002)
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