Focused on the development of the 5G-MAG Reference Tools, two papers will be presented at the upcoming NAB Show in Las Vegas.
NAB show is the largest show for media, entertainment and technology attracting more than 100,000 attendees annually.
Two papers containing contributions to 5G-MAG Reference Tools have been accepted for presentation in the upcoming NAB Show.
The first paper sets the scope of the current development in the Reference Tools focused on 3GPP Release 16 Media Streaming and 5G Broadcast with insights into the first enabled use cases.
The second paper identifies opportunities to experiment with DVB-I over 5G broadcast, potential synergies with ATSC3.0 A/331 and the possibilities for the Brazilian TV3.0 project.
Learn more about the 5G-MAG Reference Tools: https://www.5g-mag.com/reference-tools
5G-MAG Reference Tools - Putting 5G in Action for Media
Presenter: Thomas Stockhammer (Qualcomm)
Authors: Daniel Silhavy (Fraunhofer FOKUS), Klaus Kuehnhammer (bitstem), Johann Mika (ORS), Thomas Stockhammer (Qualcomm) and Jordi J. Gimenez (5G-MAG)
WHEN: Monday 25th April 2022 @ 9:35 - 9:55 AM PDT
WHERE: W307-W309
More information here: https://nab22.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=146&
Abstract:
The internet is now fully accessible to the media industry, and this creates tremendous opportunities for new user service propositions, more personalized experiences, and a fast lane for innovation for service providers and content creators. Within this developing ecosystem the combination of fixed and wireless networks, as well as the global 5G introduction enables media content providers to have access to a universal, ubiquitous and future-proof distribution platform allowing them to reach users everywhere, anytime and on any device - in particular the Gen-Z for which the smartphone is the primary device for communication and entertainment. The Ericsson Mobility Reports forecasts that by 2027 5G networks will carry 62 percent of the world's smartphone traffic. Specifically, the delivery of video content is expected to account for 79 percent of the mobile data traffic in 2027.
To support media and content providers to get access to the powerful, but complex 5G distribution platform, simplifications, support, and abstraction to the workflows of media providers are needed. In the dynamic world of apps, software-centric solutions and agile developments, access to open-source tools to support prototyping, trials and possibly even deployments is of utmost relevance. 5G-MAG has taken on the duty and mandate to fill the role to bring together the media and the 5G world to support deployment of media services on 5G systems.
As a particular effort to respond to the need of software, the 5G-MAG Reference Tools project has recently been established. Since its start in late 2021, a steadily growing developer community is committed to create common open-source reference tools to support implementation and interoperability of 5G Media technologies.
The initial focus of the project was the development of Rel-16 5G Media Streaming and 5G Broadcast client components, server/headend and corresponding 5G unicast and broadcast radio emulators. The overall target is to provide an end-to-end platform enabling the implementation of media players on top of the clients; service layers and the testing of applications developed by other media-related organizations; hybrid scenarios and integration of third-party functions in the network.
In this paper, we present the current architecture of the 5G-MAG Reference Tools and demonstrate the first use-case: “broadband-broadcast seamless switching”. With seamless switching, universal service coverage can be provided by the complementarity of different networks and delivery mechanisms. In cases in which certain users are out of 5G broadcast coverage, the media playback is not disrupted, and the service continues to operate with unicast fall-back from the 5G broadband network. In this way, quality of service conditions can be maintained at an exceptionally high level, and the user experience can be improved according to the needs of users and/or operators.
By combining broadcast coverage and unicast connectivity, the seamless-switching use-case can also be used for other scenarios, like regional and local content insertions, content replacement, and on-demand or targeted advertising. While the developed tools focus on 5G-based distribution, they also may serve as a reference or integration platform for traditional broadcast networks and services. As an example, the integration of a DVB-I service layer is an ongoing effort. In addition, the developed tools closely align with the service layer of ATSC3.0.
In further development steps, the addition of Rel-16 5G Media Streaming functionalities will enable interaction between 5G broadcast and unicast together with overlaying services. As a result, the 5G-MAG Reference Tools further enhance the 5G media ecosystem and serve as foundation for validation, verification, demonstration, trials, and even commercial services. Moreover, the current Linux-based implementation of the 5G-MAG Reference Tools will be extended to support a multitude of devices such as smartphones, set-top boxes, car entertainment systems, wearables, and other Android-based platforms.
ATSC 3.0, DVB-I and TV3.0 Services via 5G Broadcast - System Design and Reference Tools
Presenter: Mickael Raulet (ATEME)
Authors: Christophe Burdinat (ATEME), Romain Bouqueau (MotionSpell, GPAC), Thomas Stockhammer (Qualcomm) and Mickaël Raulet (ATEME)
WHEN: Monday 25th April 2022 @ 9:55 - 10:15 AM PDT
WHERE: W307-W309
More information here: https://nab22.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=147&
Abstract:
5G broadcast brings the promise of an independent or complementary linear TV experience, which can reuse existing terrestrial broadcast infrastructure to serve HD or 4K live contents to mobile devices, possibly independent of a mobile subscription. Designed in Release-14 and 16 by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 5G broadcast, targeting the 5G terrestrial broadcast requirements, has been profiled at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). With the coming enhancements from 3GPP, the UHF spectrum allocated for broadcast system could be directly used for 5G broadcast, making possible a smooth transition in the near future. To benefit fully from this new capability, the design of a service layer is essential, including service discovery procedures and the delivery protocols over IP multicast. The Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) Project is specifying, under the umbrella term DVB-I, a set of Internet-centric standards to bring the delivery of linear TV over IP networks up to the user experience level for the traditional broadcast. Being access agnostic, DVB-I can be used on any network providing IP connectivity, and will allow offering advanced multi-network services. The delivery of DVB-I service over 5G is now one of the main areas of work at DVB.
DVB multicast ABR (DVB-MABR) specifies how DVB-I services can be delivered over multicast, possibly over an unidirectional network. DVB-MABR reuses directly the ROUTE protocol from ATSC3.0. It is in particular used by the DVB TM-NIP working group for delivery of linear content over satellite and will be leverage as well for 5G-Broadcast. The design of 5G Broadcast permits operating different broadcast service layers, possibly targeted to different regions, ecosystems or regulatory requirements. Combining the specifications and tools from different ecosystems is a major effort. In order to support media service providers, a full ecosystem of tools is now emerging from the converging activities from DVB, 3GPP and cross industry associations. Hence 5G Media Action Group (5G-MAG) is developing a Software Defined Radio client for 5G Broadcast. A joint work with DVB is launched to integrate it with a DVB-I reference client. In parallel, delivery of linear TV services over 5G Broadcast can already be experimented by making use of LTE-Broadcast, as a subset of 5G broadcast, and leveraging the GPAC open source solution, providing the DVB-MABR functions.
In this paper, we will introduce the consolidated work from 3GPP and 5G-MAG to make this vision a reality, in terms of standardization and development of reference tools. We will detail how DVB-I over 5G broadcast can now be experimented with commodity tools and commercial devices. We will also identify the potential synergies with ATSC3.0 A/331 and the possibilities for the Brazil’s TV3.0 project, for which ROUTE/DASH is the transport layer of choice and 5G Broadcast is a candidate for the physical layer.
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