PRESS RELEASE

NorDig releases a basic PVR specification for digital TV

The NorDig PVR specification is an Addendum to the NorDig Unified Requirements for Integrated Receiver Decoders for use in cable, satellite, terrestrial and IP-based networks.

The PVR (Personal Video Recorder) Addendum specifies the requirements for reception, re-cording and handling of HDTV and SDTV signals that target NorDig compliant receivers. This specification includes predominantly new requirements but some modifications have been made to the underlying NorDig Unified Specification (version 2.0) regarding Remote Control (additional PVR features), SI (new descriptors added for PVRs) and ESG (additional support for an 8 day ESG based on EIT schedule).

The NorDig PVR solution is based on open standards (from DVB and a subset of a TV Anytime) and the following basic requirements: specification for broadcast services, independent of video and audio formats, and distribution of metadata via DVB-SI, independent of API in the IRD (MHP and other).

The NorDig PVR solution is independent of Conditional Access and DRM systems and capable of operating in free-to-air and Pay TV modes; however, there may be additional security requirements as specified by the relevant network/CA-operator.

To facilitate and accelerate market implementation, NorDig has aimed to specify the PVR re-quirements close to the DTG (Digital TV Group) PVR specification for U.K. The NorDig PVR specification has been developed to meet the most important and basic user requirements for a broadcast PVR solution in the Nordic market. These include:

• Accurate Recording (Accuracy of recording - control of the starting and stopping of recordings based on EIT)
• Series recording (when the viewer chooses to record a program that is an episode in a series, the PVR offers the option of recording the remaining episodes in that series)
• Split recordings, (to record all the constituent parts of a programme as a whole, even if the programme is split - e.g. a film interrupted by a news programme in the middle)
• Recommended events, (When a program has another program associated with it, the recorder will also offer to record the associated program).

NorDig intends to draft PVR specifications for more advanced PVR services as Push Video On Demand and Network PVR.

For further information: Chairman for Nordig PVR group: Peter Mølsted, DR, peml@dr.dk