What is Digital TV?

By 2012, the traditional analogue TV broadcasts will have been replaced by digital signals, which will provide more choice of TV and radio channels, better quality of signal, fairer access to all channels and deliver enhanced interactive services.

The UK is a world leader in terms of access to and take up of digital TV. Currently just under 90% of homes have access to digital TV with 70% of homes having access via more than one set. This figure will only rise as the UK moves towards complete analogue switch-off, a process which has already begun.

What is Interactive DTV?

Digital Interactive TV (DiTV) allows viewers to interact with a range of organisations providing services and content in much the same way that an internet website does - they use their remote control, or in a minority of cases a keyboard, to access pages of information, enter data and receive responses via their TV.

Today, 56% of homes in the UK have access to digital interactive TV, over 13 million homes, and this figure is set to rise to around 65% by 2012.

Equipment Requirements

To enable this two-way communication, a phone line or broadband connection between the TV receiving equipment is typically required. This connectivity is standard for Satellite (Sky) and Virgin Media (formerly NTL / Telewest) subscribers. There are a number of Freeview boxes that have a broadband connection now available including BT Vision and Netgem iPlayer 6640 boxes. A number of further models are set for launch in the coming months.

UK Interactive Platforms

Virgin

Over 3.5 million households - 12% of all UK homes - receive Virgin TV services, alongside enhanced channel choice, interactive services can be accessed by an 'always on' cable service. Virgin TV's interactive services are available in a walled garden (a closed or exclusive set of information services provided for users and not allowing browsing of other services or the Internet), where dedicated DiTV services exist and offer a range of interactive propositions.

Virgin offers video on demand (VOD), catch up TV and other options for varied TV viewing. VOD opens up the opportunity of offering video, where appropriate within your service and is a popular function for Virgin customers with over 55% of them using VoD services an average of 32 times a month. VoD could be particularly powerful for translation services for example, explaining eligibility criteria and how to fill in forms for common transactions such as benefits and housing could lead to significant savings.

Sky

Over 9.6 million homes either subscribe to Sky or have bought the one-off Freesat option from Sky across the country, this is around 37% of the UK population. Sky boxes are equipped with either a dial up modem or a broadband Ethernet connection. Again Sky has a walled garden where dedicated DiTV services are provided to the end user.

Sky gives the viewer a much wider range of channels and interactivity. Whilst by paying a one off fee, the 'Freesat' service can be bought which enables the home to enjoy the full package of 'Freeview' channels via satellite as well as the interactive services provided on the platform.

IPTV/Convergence

Project Canvas is probably the leading initiative currently underway to ensure the success of convergence; particularly around the technical and operational standards for the industry. Project Canvas is the working name of a proposed partnership and endeavour around internet protocol TV (IPTV) between the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Five, BT, Talk Talk, and Arquiva.

Subject to OFT and BBC Trust approval, Project Canvas intends to develop a set of operational standards, from both technical and content perspectives, which will allow the industry to work holistically and grow. These standards will then be used to create set top boxes (STB) - currently the intention is to have them in the shops by Xmas 2010 - which will allow a hybrid of broadcast and broadband content to be consumed.

The Project Canvas website puts it simply: "'Canvas compliant' devices (eg set-top boxes), built to a common technical standard, would provide seamless access to a range of third-party services through a common, simple, user experience."