Radio, particularly shortwave radio, has the advantage of being able to reach vast areas from a single transmission point with audio programming. At IBC2010, an option is being shown to use the same transmission topology to deliver a limited video service.
With Diveemo, broadcasters using DRM30 or DRM+ digital radio have the capability to deliver a small-scale video service to listeners. Operating at just 8 frames per second, Diveemo transmissions are not designed to compete with even standard analog television; instead, Diveemo is being positioned for large-area distribution of education and news programs where the video supplements an existing audio program.
The system is being demonstrated by Fraunhofer and Thomson Broadcast on their respective stands at IBC2010. Fraunhofer and Thomson, along with Chengdu NewStar Electronics, developed Diveemo. The service is being presented for standardization by ETSI, and can be implemented by any broadcaster using DRM30 or DRM+.
A DRM Consortium demonstration featuring reception of a live Diveemo transmission is planned for Monday (13 Sept.) on the Thomson Broadcast stand at IBC.
Video files are added to the Fraunhofer DRM ContentServer where they are converted to the appropriate MPEG-4 format and readied for transmission. DRM+ is capable of devoting a larger amount of data to the video than DRM30, allowing for better video quality with DRM+.
Diveemo complements existing data services within DRM30 and DRM+, including MOT Slideshow for still images and Journaline for text-based data services.