DVB Update: Service Information

1
DVB Update Service Information

• Martin Gold
• NDS

2
DVB SI Update Overview

• What is Service Information?
• Features of DVB Service Information
• Specification Status and Developments

3
DVB SI Update What is SI?

• Operates in conjunction with PSI (defined by
  MPEG)
• SI data provides information for
• Automatic tuning to transport stream
• User Information for Service, Event, and
  Component selection
• PSI data provides information for
• Configuration of decoder for selected Service
• DVB extensions for non-MPEG components

4
DVB SI Features

• Data structured as several Tables
• Structures use fixed format for essential data,
  and descriptors for optional or variable-length
  data (similar to PSI)
• Efficient data transmission
• Extensible while maintaining compatibility
• Support for private extensions
• Can provide standard EPG data-stream
• Look and Feel determined by receiver software
• Resident or Downloaded

5
DVB SI Model
6
SI Features NIT

• Network Information Table
• Identification of transmission as a member of a
  group of multiplexes - Network
• Network Name
• Tuning parameters with support for various
  delivery media
• List of additional frequencies for terrestrial
  transmission
• Designed for simple transcoding of transport
  streams

7
SI Features SDT BAT

• Service Description Table
• Identifies Service names and Service types
• Linked Services
• Pointer to MPEG Program in PSI
• Service_id MPEG Program Number
• Bouquet Association Table (Optional)
• Groupings of Services
• May convey logical channel number

8
SI Features EIT

• Present/Following
• Information on current and next events
• Schedule (optional)
• Up to 64 days ahead - ordered by service and time
• Event Information
• Title, short description
• Start time duration
• Content classification parental rating
• Longer text description
• Information on components

9
SI Features TDT,TOT, RST

• Time and Date Table
• Transmission of current time for automatic
  setting of receiver clock
• Time Offset Table (optional)
• Transmission of time offset by zone - both
  current, and next offset values, with date at
  which next occurs
• Running Status Table (optional)
• Mechanism for signalling status transitions with
  greater timing precision

10
Example EPG using DVB SI
11
DVB SI Specification Status

• October 95 Edition 1 ETS 300 468
• January 97 Edition 2 ETS 300 468, added
• Time Offset Table
• Multilingual and Unicode Support
• Extension to content description
• Support for DVB Subtitling
• Incorporated from SI Guidelines
• Private Data Specifier Mechanism
• Service Move
• Service bit-rate signalling

12
DVB SI Specification Status (2)

• January 98 V1.3.1 EN 300 468, added
• Support for Terrestrial transmission
• SI for recorded partial bitstreams
• Support for Data Broadcasting
• Agreed additions for next edition (V1.4.1)
• HD Video component description
• Support for AC-3 audio
• Use of Transport Stream Description Table
• PSI descriptor for Data Broadcasting
• Support for 6MHz terrestrial channels
• Support for VBI data extensions