Innovating in Broadcasting Media
`
`From the Web to Digital Television
`
`White Paper
`April 1997
`
`
`
`For more information, contact:
` David Britton
` Microsoft Corp.
` (206) 882-8080
`
`SAMSUNG 1023
`
`1
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`Contents
`
`THE NEW ERA OF DIGITAL BROADCASTING ....................................................................................... 1
`BETTER PCS, BETTER TVS ......................................................................................................................... 1
`ENRICHING THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCE .................................................................................................... 2
`Better Pictures ....................................................................................................................................... 2
`Enhanced Programming ....................................................................................................................... 2
`New Services ......................................................................................................................................... 2
`CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE INDUSTRY ........................................................................................... 3
`THE NEW DIGITAL BROADCASTING INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................................................. 4
`MICROSOFT PRODUCTS FOR DIGITAL BROADCASTING ................................................................. 5
`WINDOWS NT WORKSTATION AND TOOLS PRODUCTS ................................................................................. 5
`MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER 4.0 AND CHANNELS ................................................................................ 5
`NETSHOW 2.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 6
`NetShow 2.0 Features........................................................................................................................... 7
`NETSHOW AND WINDOWS NT SERVER ........................................................................................................ 8
`MICROSOFT WINDOWS ................................................................................................................................ 8
`WINDOWS CE ............................................................................................................................................ 10
`DirectX Media ...................................................................................................................................... 12
`DIRECTX FOUNDATION .............................................................................................................................. 12
`MOVING TO DIGITAL TV .......................................................................................................................... 13
`LAYERED PROGRESSIVE SCAN .................................................................................................................. 13
`Production ............................................................................................................................................ 14
`Broadcasting ........................................................................................................................................ 14
`Viewing ................................................................................................................................................. 14
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`The New Era of Digital Broadcasting
`
`Digital broadcasting — the transmission of digital media from one point to many points over diverse
`digital networks — is the new common ground of broadcasting, television and computers.
`
`Digital broadcasting offers consumers an enriched experience via better pictures, enhanced programming
`and new services.
`
`Digital broadcasting brings with it new opportunities for content producers, broadcasters and advertisers
`in the areas of new markets, new distribution channels and new audiences. For businesses, this means
`new and more cost-efficient means of communicating with customers and employees. For equipment
`makers, this means a new upgrade path for consumer electronics and computing devices.
`
`The digital broadcasting infrastructure — multiuse, multinetwork and multiresolution — is evolving
`quickly from existing platforms, technologies and tools. And the key word is “evolving.” The new
`digital broadcasting infrastructure will be capable of carrying both traditional television video and newly
`popular, dynamic and timely Web-based data.
`
`Several trends underlie the emergence of this new digital-broadcasting infrastructure, such as
`digital-video compression and transmission, the “Broadcast Web” (channels, media streaming and
`multicasting) and the parallel evolution of TVs and PCs. But the net of these trends is clear: The
`digital broadcasting era is here and offers the prospect of vast new possibilities for consumers and the
`industry.
`
`
`Better PCs, Better TVs
`
`Microsoft Corp. sees both televisions and personal computers improving and evolving to become
`receivers of the new digital broadcasts. Both will be capable of receiving the same types of enhanced
`content and programming, yet they will differ in that personal computers will continue to be “general
`purpose” devices that can be configured in many different ways, while televisions will be “special
`purpose” devices with far fewer configuration options.
`
`Today, personal computers are capable of receiving digital broadcasts in the form of low-bandwidth,
`Web-based data and video. Over time, personal computers will add such features as broadband digital
`broadcast reception, distance viewing user-interface options and support for enhanced content.
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`Similarly, televisions will improve over time, adding capabilities such as Web access, broadband digital
`broadcast reception and support for enhanced content.
`
`Microsoft is providing the implementation of channels in a host of key enabling technologies for this
`new digital-broadcasting era, including Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0, the
`NetShow™ server, and the Microsoft broadcast architecture for the Windows® and Windows CE
`operating systems. This document will explore these products in some detail, after first examining the
`impact of digital broadcasting on consumers, the industry and the infrastructure.
`
`Enriching the Consumer Experience
`
`Digital broadcasting provides first and foremost an opportunity to deliver more value to consumers.
`The new consumer experience can be thought about in terms of a richer display, enhanced programming
`and new services.
`
`
`Better Pictures
`Digital broadcasting will offer TV viewers and PC users a better viewing experience. This will be
`accomplished through the emergence of digital television formats that specify higher resolution
`digital-image display with a wide aspect ratio. This will allow the content-development community to
`give the viewer a richer experience by mixing text, graphics and video under the user’s control.
`
`
`Enhanced Programming
`Digital broadcasting will offer consumers a combination of video, audio and Web data. This will open
`up a wealth of new content experiences. Existing broadcast shows can incorporate additional
`information and entertainment. For example, graphics and text generated on the viewer’s television set
`can provide background story information, games and advertising that runs parallel with the broadcast
`show. News and information channels can dramatically increase their information content by
`combining the simultaneous broadcast of video and Web data. The mix of video, audio and Web data is
`equally important in computer and Internet venues, as Web sites increasingly include video, audio and
`streaming media.
`
`
`New Services
`Digital broadcasting will offer consumers a wealth of new services. The Web and the PC have proved
`that instant, on-demand access to critical news and information resonates with consumers. Additionally,
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`personalized information delivery such as daily delivery of personalized financial news is already
`popular on the Web and will likely be enhanced and delivered on both TVs and PCs in the future.
`
` .
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`Creating Opportunities for the Industry
`
`The enhancement of the consumer experience and deployment of the new digital broadcasting
`infrastructure presents an enormous opportunity for the industry. The Web has created new
`opportunities in production, publishing, advertising and commerce. The digital broadcasting era will
`create similar opportunities, including but not limited to the following:
`
` Targeted advertising. New local and national advertising opportunities will arise,
`allowing advertisers to target ads at consumers asking questions that range from “I want to
`find out more about that cool car I just saw” to “What toys for 12-year-old girls are on sale
`this weekend at the local shopping mall?”
`
` Mass-reach digital publishing. Multimedia magazines and Web channels back-cast
`with (i.e., transmitted simultaneously behind) TV shows that can be perused at the
`viewer’s convenience
`
` Subscription services. Fee-based information and entertainment services
`
` Content aggregation. Special-interest broadcast micronetworks or tuning spaces of
`popular Web sites — the digital stream opens a host of new networklike opportunities
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`The New Digital Broadcasting Infrastructure
`
`A new multinetwork, digital-based broadcasting infrastructure is emerging. Unlike the old analog
`broadcasting networks, content, transmission format and display are no longer hardwired together —
`digital content can travel over any digital network.
`
`This decoupling of digital content origination, transmission and viewing formats defines the power of
`digital broadcasting. The following is the digital broadcasting infrastructure:
`
`
` Multinetwork. It can be delivered by wire, satellite, cable, wireless or terrestrial
`transmission. There is no longer a single set of channels. Displays will need to handle
`many “tuning spaces,” collections of channels from various networks, sources and channel
`aggregators. (Of course, many new digital networks will employ proprietary or protected
`network-interface mechanisms and encryption to safeguard content distribution rights.)
`
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` Multiuse. There is no standard type for digital media — video, audio, multimedia and
`information all share the same compressed digital bit stream.
`
` Multiresolution. Image resolution is a choice based on content value, bandwidth
`allocation and display cost. Some may ask what is best to send over a 19 Mbps 6MHz
`TV channel: a single, high-resolution image, four standard definition images or 2.5 MB
`of Web data per second? Microsoft believes that the marketplace will dictate the most
`economically valuable uses of the digital media stream and that mandated, fixed formats
`are unnecessary and counterproductive. Resolution choices will evolve over time as
`higher-resolution displays become less expensive.
`
`Digital Broadcasting Infrastructure
`
`Digital
`Video
`Digital
`Audio
`
`Web
`Data
`
`Internet
`Satellite
`Cable
`Wireless
`Terrestrial
`
`Televisions
`
`PCs
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`Production
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`Broadcasting
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`Viewing
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`Microsoft Products for Digital Broadcasting
`
`Digital broadcasting will require a host of products and technologies. Consider the spectrum of
`production, broadcasting and viewing: Microsoft already provides some key enabling technologies and
`will provide more in the future. Today’s products include the Windows NT® Workstation operating
`system for content creation, NetShow for Internet broadcasting, and Microsoft Internet Explorer and
`Windows for viewing. The actual process of delivering broadcast information clearly has many steps
`and stages, and in areas where Microsoft does not have products, it is working with other companies and
`is actively involved in industry standard-setting efforts such as those describing layered progressive scan
`formats.
`
`Following is an overview of current Microsoft products of interest to the broadcast industry.
`
`
`Windows NT Workstation and Tools Products
`
`In the area of production, Windows NT Workstation, in combination with a growing suite of tools
`products, provides a cost-effective, high-performance platform for such tasks as video capture, video
`editing, 3-D animation and HTML integration. Designers and producers appreciate the ease of use of
`the Windows user interface combined with high-performance features such as seamless symmetric
`multiprocessor support and high-speed hard disk access.
`
`Many of the most popular products for media creation and production are now available for Windows
`NT, including products from Microsoft and Softimage Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., Avid Technologies
`Inc., Kinetix (a division of Autodesk Inc.), Macromedia Inc. and others.
`
`Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and Channels
`
`In the area of Internet broadcast viewing, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 will add a number of features
`that enable one-to-many personalized information delivery, including a new channel-based paradigm in
`the user interface that will make Web-based digital broadcasting an immediate reality to thousands of
`Web publishers and millions of Internet users.
`
`At the heart of the implementation of channels in Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 is the Channels
`Definition Format (CDF), an open standard that Microsoft has developed and submitted to the World
`Wide Web Consortium (W3C). More than 30 key Internet vendors have rallied behind the CDF
`specification, including AirMedia Inc., America Online Inc., AudioNet Inc., BackWeb Technologies,
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`CompuServe Inc., Excite Inc., FirstFloor Software, Hotwired Inc., Infoseek Corp., Lycos Inc., Starwave
`Corp. and Ziff-Davis Publishing Co.
`
`CDF offers several compelling benefits as an open industry standard, including these:
`
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` Open format. Any company can author content to take advantage of CDF, any server
`can run Web sites that are enhanced by CDF, and any broadcast-enabled client software
`can access channels available on Web sites using CDF.
`
` Proven technology. Microsoft’s leadership in Internet client/server solutions and
`extensive work with leading Web content and technology developers will ensure that CDF
`meets demanding market requirements.
`
` Low cost. The CDF specification will save content-development costs by allowing Web
`content developers easy access to a market of millions of compatible clients, using readily
`available software.
`
` Use of compelling Internet technologies. CDF is extensible, enabling sites to publish
`channels utilizing any or all of simple HTML, Dynamic HTML, ActiveX™ technologies
`and other specialized broadcast technologies.
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`NetShow 2.0
`
`In the area of Internet broadcasting and viewing, NetShow 2.0 provides the foundation for a new
`generation of Web-based applications using powerful, rich media streaming. With leading-edge
`multicast and on-demand media-streaming technology, NetShow 2.0 allows users to experience live and
`recorded video, audio and multimedia broadcasts in real time over low- to high-bandwidth networks.
`
`NetShow provides a complete platform for Internet and intranet streaming video, audio and multimedia
`in applications such as entertainment, news and information services, corporate communications,
`advertising, and online training and sales support.
`
`Because NetShow uses open, industry standards, provides an extensible platform, exposes client and
`server APIs and includes the Active Streaming Format (ASF), it represents a significant opportunity for
`third-party, value-added products including tools. Independent software developers and tool vendors
`can augment their own products with NetShow functionality or provide compatible add-ons.
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`The NetShow 2.0 client is an integral part of Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, extending the strength of
`the Microsoft browser in the area of one-to-many communication. NetShow 2.0 is tightly integrated
`with Windows NT Server and Microsoft Internet Information Server to provide an efficient, reliable and
`scalable platform for streaming media.
`
`
`NetShow 2.0 Features
` Media streaming. Streaming offers a significant improvement over the
`download-and-play approach to multimedia file distribution because it allows content to
`be delivered to the client as a continuous flow of data with little waiting before playback
`begins.
`
` Delivery of live broadcast. NetShow 2.0 enables the delivery of live, real-time encoded
`audio, video and illustrated audio content, as well as on-demand content, over any
`network, independent of transmission techniques and network transports.
`
` Unicast and multicast. NetShow combines the best of these two delivery techniques,
`enabling network managers and others to choose which type of delivery is best suited for
`their applications and needs. NetShow can automatically fail-over from multicast to
`unicast mode to accommodate networks not multicast-enabled or to adjust to other
`delivery needs.
`
` Multiple codecs. NetShow is codec independent and ships with more than 15 popular
`codecs, so a broadcaster can choose the codec that best supports their specific content
`needs. Codec support includes the following:
`
` MPEG-4 video. For video, NetShow provides a premiere implementation of
`the forthcoming, leading-edge MPEG-4 video standard. Microsoft, which is
`working closely with the MPEG-4 standards committee, in NetShow 2.0 is
`implementing one of the first MPEG-4 codecs.
`
` MPEG layer 3 audio. An ISO standard, MPEG layer 3 codec was developed
`by FHG Thompson.
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`NetShow and Windows NT Server
`
`Production deployments of audio and video broadcast on the Web need a server that can scale up to
`thousands of streams for enabling full-scale, one-to-many communication. NetShow server takes full
`advantage of the high scalability of Windows NT Server to provide a powerful and robust system that
`can take full advantage of microprocessors such as Pentium, Pentium Pro and Digital Alpha.
`
`NetShow takes advantage of and integrates with all of the key Microsoft BackOffice™ family of
`applications and Windows NT Server manageability features, including the graphical administration
`console, performance monitoring, and an integrated directory and security model. An integrated server
`solution offers easier management, better connectivity and lower support costs.
`
`NetShow 2.0 administration is provided through an intuitive Web-based interface, which enables both
`local and remote administration. This lets administrators manage server installations and make
`configuration changes, without having to physically access each server.
`
`Microsoft Windows
`
`In the area of viewing of broadcast video and integration with Web-based data, the Microsoft Windows
`products will enable PCs to be client systems for digital and existing analog broadcast networks. These
`broadcast networks include the following one-way and two-way broadcast networks:
`
`
` DSS satellite and other satellite networks
`
`Internet multicast IP
` Cable networks with cable modems
` Wireless cable networks
` Analog and digital TV networks
`
`
`The Microsoft Windows family uses a modular design approach to achieve the following design goals:
`
`
` Allow applications to be developed without regard to the underlying network
` Support the wide and ever-changing variety of network and multimedia devices
` Address the need of content providers to broadcast data and limit its access to authorized
`clients through encryption and secure key distribution
`
`
`This approach allows for leverage of existing content and technologies and suggests new avenues for the
`distribution of home entertainment, news, information, education, software and general retail
`merchandise.
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`To take advantage of these new broadcast capabilities, PCs must be equipped with future versions of
`Microsoft Windows software and the enabling hardware in the form of an Entertainment PC. The
`Entertainment PC specification is a part of the overall PC 97 specification as determined by the personal
`computer hardware industry. It includes a television tuner and, as an option, a tuner to decode satellite
`signals. An Entertainment PC can use a normal 15- to 17-inch monitor, a large-screen monitor (31-37
`inches) or a television as its display surface. If used in the living room as an entertainment device, the
`PC would typically use a wireless control and/or keyboard as its input device. The Entertainment PC is
`a versatile computer that blends television with exciting new forms of information and entertainment.
`The following are examples of five new capabilities possible with an Entertainment PC:
`
` Digital display of digital television signals. These PCs complete the path for delivering
`full-resolution digital pictures and audio rather than converting digital signals to analog.
`They offer an incremental, flexible and affordable migration path to higher-resolution
`television.
`
` Television transformed into a multimedia experience. The combination of television
`with broadcast digital data offers a new world of possibilities. Enhanced television
`programming offers new opportunities for advertising and merchandising, as well as new
`viewing features such as chat and watch.
`
` Marketing and delivery of digital goods and services to viewers by way of digital data
`broadcasts. These PCs provide a reliable, economical and secure channel for selling
`digital goods and services such as computer software, interactive magazines, video and
`music.
`
` Potential for immediate viewer response. A low-cost, low-bandwidth modem “back
`channel” — the segment of a two-way communications system that flows from the
`consumer back to the service provider — permits viewers to react immediately to
`television program content and advertisements.
`
` Versatility and power in choosing shows and planning television consumption.
`These PCs display program-guide information of many different types in a single form,
`where shows can easily be previewed, scheduled and, if appropriate, purchased.
`
`
`These capabilities are achieved through a combination of hardware and software components that allows
`personal computers to serve as clients of broadband digital and analog broadcast networks. In the home,
`they serve as data and video tuners that receive and process broadcast streams provided to them by
`powerful servers which are transmitters of all sorts. The client systems receive data and video via the
`vertical blanking interval (VBI) as a part of the television broadcast network accessed from an
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`over-the-air broadcast, a cable subscription or a satellite transponder. The consumer will have the
`option of purchasing an Entertainment PC with a television tuner only for a VBI transmission of data and
`video or a television and satellite tuner for high-speed satellite transmission of data and video.
`
`
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`Over the air
`(VBI)
`transmission
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`
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`Satellite
`transmission
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`Cable (VBI)
`transmission
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`
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`Microsoft believes Entertainment PCs are the most flexible and cost-effective path to television of the
`future. Not only do they have a lot to offer immediately, they also support low-cost, incremental steps
`to higher resolutions, growing back-channel bandwidth and increasing interactivity while offering new
`forms of enhanced television. For viewers and content producers alike, these PCs provide painless
`interim solutions at every stage. Rather than becoming obsolete as technology evolves, they are
`designed to incorporate technological advances smoothly.
`
`Almost all the technology and infrastructure needed to create broadcast-enabled computers is currently in
`place. In particular, Entertainment PCs rely on existing broadcast networks and a phone-line back
`channel that are inexpensive and available in virtually every home today.
`
`Software for these computers has been designed so that simple, impressive combinations of television
`and information content can be delivered in the form of World Wide Web pages simultaneously with the
`broadcast. Broadcasters can thus take advantage of standard Web design tools, scripts built using the
`Visual Basic® programming system, and skills they already have to create enhanced television rapidly
`and easily. In cases where Web functionality is insufficient, programmers can readily take advantage of
`the power of the software tools available to write special-purpose applications.
`
`Windows CE
`
`In the area of viewing video and enhanced content on non-PC devices, Microsoft initiatives fall into the
`categories of enhancement and extension of the Windows CE product line. Windows CE is an entirely
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`new compact and portable operating system built from the ground up to be appropriate for a broad range
`of business and consumer devices.
`
`Windows CE is the cornerstone of a complete, standards-based operating environment designed to
`significantly lower the barriers for OEMs, hardware manufacturers and software developers to create
`Windows-based communications, entertainment and mobile-computing devices. The complete
`Windows CE environment includes built-in hardware, multimedia and communications support, which
`means that a broad range of Windows CE-based mobile companion, information access and
`entertainment devices can be created that communicate with each other, integrate with Windows-based
`personal computers, and access the Internet.
`
`The first products based on Windows CE fall into a new category of mobile companion devices for
`Windows-based PCs called Handheld PCs. Handheld PCs are designed to provide the millions of
`mobile professionals using Windows-based personal computers an affordable, easy-to-use PC
`companion to carry their most important information when they are away from their PC.
`
`Additional categories of devices that Windows CE would be suitable for include other small form-factor
`mobile-computing devices, such as wallet PCs; wireless communications devices, such as digital
`information pagers and cellular smart phones; and next-generation Internet and multimedia devices,
`including smart TVs, set-top boxes, DVD players, telephones and other Internet appliances.
`
`Windows CE has been designed to bring the functionality of the PC to mass-market consumer devices:
`TVs, cable boxes, satellite boxes, telephones, cellular phones, organizers and more. Windows CE-based
`television devices will bring the full promise of digital broadcast networks to much wider audiences.
`Growing
`Family of
`Products
`
`Embedded Devices
`
`Vertical Markets
`
`Windows CE
`
`Handheld PC
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`Wallet PC
`
`AutoPC
`TV, STB, DVD With Web
`
`Phone With Web
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`Supporting many of Microsoft’s products for digital broadcasting is a new unified and comprehensive
`multimedia API solution that includes media integration and local streaming services.
`
`This expanded set of APIs, representing a major enhancement to the highly successful DirectX™
`technology, is organized into two layers: a high-level DirectX media and a low-level DirectX
`foundation.
`
`
`DirectX Media
`DirectX media provides an open, extensible component architecture to enable developers to easily
`incorporate animation, local streaming and interactivity into their applications, regardless of
`programming language or platform, while taking advantage of the device-independent hardware
`acceleration provided by DirectX foundation.
`
`DirectX media services include the following:
`
`
` Direct3D. Direct3D™ API retained-mode scene graph, supports VRML
` Media streaming, capture, editing and playback. Services from the Microsoft
`ActiveMovie™ API, including MPEG-2, MJPEG, AC3, DVD and DV
` Media integration and synchronization. Services from Microsoft ActiveX Animation
` ASF. Streaming-container file format that allows content and tool developers to stream
`multimedia objects
` DirectX files. Native file format for DirectX APIs; provides support for reading
`predefined multimedia objects into applications
` DirectPlay. The DirectPlay® API multiplayer gaming services
`
`DirectX Foundation
`
`The DirectX foundation hardware acceleration layer is based on Microsoft’s highly successful DirectX
`game APIs and provides extremely efficient access to advanced features of high-performance hardware.
`DirectX foundation includes the following:
`
`
` DirectDraw. The DirectDraw® API 2-D surface manager
` Direct3D. Direct3D immediate mode, including DrawPrimitive
` DirectInput. The DirectInput™ API input devices
` DirectSound. The DirectSound® API sound cards and chips
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`By providing a standardized media API solution, DirectX foundation and DirectX media lower the
`barriers to developer innovation and thus create major new business opportunities for multimedia and
`game developers, tool vendors and hardware makers.
`
`Moving to Digital TV
`
`Conversion to higher-resolution displays will not happen overnight. An incremental path will reduce
`upgrade cost barriers for consumers, lower infrastructure investments and bring about a resurgence in
`consumer electronic purchases.
`
`
`
`Layered Progressive Scan
`
`A layered progressive scan transmission architecture will enable broadcasters to deliver digital TV
`content soon, reduce the cost of display devices that handle text and graphics, and improve the quality of
`images sent depending on content (e.g., movies) or equipment availability.
`
`Microsoft supports a staged approach to introducing high-definition television (HDTV) that is matched
`to available and affordable decoding and display technologies. This proposal consists of a number of
`“layers” derived from ATSC formats that specify increased display resolutions. The base layer is called
`High Definition Zero (HD0); subsequent formats (e.g., HD1, HD2) add information, encoding higher
`resolutions to this signal in such a way that HD0 receivers can display HD1 signals at partial resolution.
`Thus, HD0 sets will not “go black” when tuned to HD1 signals. The approach uses emerging Internet
`standards for IP multicasting; signals are carried in an MPEG transport stream.
`
`The base layer (HD0) has two modes: 480p 60 fps, ideal for live action, and 720p 24 fps, which is suited
`to high-resolution film material. Advanced Television Testing Center visual testing has shown that
`720p is comparable to 1080I content. This layer uses MPEG encode and decode at 2x Main Profile at
`Main Level.
`
`The first enhancement layer (HD1) raises each mode of the base layer by one level of resolution. It
`offers live video at 720p 60 fps and film material at 1080p 24 fps.
`
`HD2 requires further algorithm improvements and will offer 1080p, 60 fps.
`
`The rollout schedule for these layers depends on a multitude of factors, but the following schedule is
`expected:
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` HD0. Available end of 1998
` HD1. Available end of 2000
` HD2. Available end of 2002
`
`
`
`HD0 uses about 9.5 Mbps of the available 19.2 Mbps terrestrial broadcast bandwidth, leaving about 10
`Mbps for data enhancements. HD1 essentially fills a 19.2 Mbps channel. Broadcasters with wider
`channels available can use any additional capacity for data services. There is strong reason to believe
`that compression algorithms can be developed that will fit HD2 in a 19.2 Mbps channel.
`
`The stated goal of the HDTV process is to reach 1080p broadcasts. This is not economically feasible
`today, so the layered progressive scan provides an incremental approach.
`
`As discussed, the broadcast process involves many steps that fall into th