Wednesday 6 September 2023

Direct-to-mobile: Everything about broadcasting technology in the works

D2M is a broadcasting technology capable of transmitting multimedia content to consumers' smartphones without requiring an active internet connection



India is mulling the delivery of multimedia content to smartphones, even without internet connectivity. This endeavour is centered around a technology known as direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcasting. Collaborative efforts involving the Department of Telecom, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, IIT Kanpur, and Prasar Bharati aim to explore D2M's potential beyond its emergency alert functions.

What is D2M?
D2M is a broadcasting technology capable of transmitting multimedia content to consumers' smartphones without requiring an active internet connection. Traditionally, it has been employed for issuing emergency alerts and assisting in disaster management. However, its versatility extends beyond these conventional applications.

With D2M, governments can broadcast citizen-centric information, and telecom operators can partner with content providers to deliver multimedia content, such as live news, without straining network bandwidth. This approach benefits consumers by reducing their reliance on internet data consumption for staying informed and entertained.

How does D2M technology work?

D2M technology functions in a manner akin to listening to FM radio on a smartphone, where a receiver taps into radio frequencies. Another comparison is direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting, in which a dish antenna receives broadcast signals directly from satellites and transmits them to a receiver, known as a set-top box.

Why it is not ready for rollout?
In the "D2M Broadcast 5G Broadband Convergence Roadmap for India" paper, published by IIT Kanpur in 2022, it is noted that currently available mobile devices do not support this technology because it requires the ATSC 3.0 standard. ATSC 3.0 represents the latest version of the Advanced Television Systems Committee standards, designed to define how television signals from different networks, including terrestrial, satellite, and cable networks, are broadcasted and interpreted by devices.

To make devices compatible with supporting next-generation broadcast networks under these standards, a separate baseband processing unit is needed, along with an antenna, low-noise amplifiers, baseband filters, and a receiver.
Additionally, the current network infrastructure lacks the capability to transmit signals for D2M. This technology necessitates a dense network of terrestrial towers to receive signals from satellites and transmit them to streaming devices, reducing the size of the device's antenna. This is unlike DTH, which employs fixed rooftop antennas linked to broadcast satellites.

Cost of implementing D2M

Incorporating a separate baseband processing unit would significantly increase smartphone costs and potentially disrupt LTE and 5G networks' internal design. Moreover, the proposed D2M network operates in the sub-GHz band (526MHz - 582MHz), requiring larger antennas that may pose integration challenges within the current smartphone design.
While smartphones with built-in antenna designs could receive D2M signals, this would only work in specific environments, not outdoors or indoors. An alternative approach would involve establishing a dense network of low-power transmitters by placing terrestrial towers close to one another. However, this would likely entail considerable costs and logistical challenges.

D2M alternative

An alternative to D2M is 5G Broadcast technology, currently undergoing testing. This technology relies on high towers with powerful transmitters to distribute media content via continuous, linear data streams. Mobile devices within the transmitter's coverage area can receive these streams in a receive-only mode. Compatible with both 5G and 4G, this approach eliminates the need for a new processing unit, potentially reducing device costs. Furthermore, the 5G Broadcast network can be deployed within the existing network setup, commonly used by a majority of broadcasters.

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Friday 1 September 2023

YouTube Music's revamped 'Now Playing' section: Here's what's changed


The new comments feature prominently displays comments from the official music video on YouTube, creating a more interactive and social experience within the app.


YouTube Music has recently unveiled an enhanced "Now Playing" screen that includes a revamped comments section, offering users the ability to both read and write comments directly from the app. This exciting redesign is currently being rolled out globally for both iOS and Android devices, as reported by 9to5Google.

The new comments feature prominently displays comments from the official music video on YouTube, creating a more interactive and social experience within the app. Users can also contribute their own comments, fostering engagement among the YouTube Music community.

To access the comments section, users can simply tap on the dedicated comments button, conveniently located beneath the cover art. When activated, this button reveals a panel that slides up on the screen, providing instant access to the comment section.

Adjacent to the comments, users will find a set of icons for actions such as liking/disliking the content, saving, sharing, downloading, and even creating a radio station. Previously, these options were hidden and only accessible when tapping on the album cover.

YouTube Music has been actively enhancing its features to cater to music enthusiasts. In a recent update, the platform introduced a live lyrics feature, available globally on Android and iOS. This upgrade improves the Lyrics tab in the Now Playing interface, featuring a new design with larger text and improved spacing to enhance readability. The page also dynamically updates as the song progresses.

Notably, YouTube, the parent company of YouTube Music, is experimenting with a new feature on Android. This feature allows users to search for songs on the platform by humming. Participants in this experiment can switch from YouTube's voice search to the new song search function, where they can hum or record a snippet of the song they are looking for, with the system identifying the song based on this audio input.
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