TV industry demands closer involvement in Project Canvas
The UK's digital TV industry forum has demanded that Project Canvas is fully integrated into its work to create a common standard for TV over broadband.
The Digital TV Group has warned Britain could end up with two standards for connected TV devices if the BBC and its partners in Project Canvas do not start working more closely with industry.
But the Project Canvas partners allege the group's statement doesn't represent the views of all of its members - and they are deeply involved in its technology development work.
The DTG told the BBC Trust: ""Only a mandatory requirement for the Canvas JV to engage with industry
to deliver an agreed specification can achieve widespread market
success and represent the best interests of the UK consumers and TV
Licence Fee payers."
The DTG has managed and developed the standards for Freeview for more than a decade, and includes more than 140 commercial and public organisations including broadcasters, manufacturers, platform operators, charities, trade bodies and consumer groups.
It current work includes a 'Connected TV' standard for the next generation of Freeview receivers, in which the BBC Trust has said the Project Canvas partners should be 'closely engaged'.
Project Canvas is a joint venture between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, BT and Talk Talk to develop a standard for hybrid receivers the will get TV and other services via both broadcast and broadband.
The BBC Trust's final consultation on Canvas closes this week, and the DTG's submission raises concerns that Canvas is being developed separately and in parallel with its own standard.
"While the DTG Membership have demonstrated a willingness to develop a Connected TV specification through the normal DTG process, the proposed Canvas JV members appear to have not fully engaged with industry," it says.
"It would be a great shame if this were allowed to happen and a major departure from the processes that have delivered the successful platform that Freeview is today."
The Canvas partners said: "We intend to continue our extensive work with the DTG’s connected TV working group with a view to better understand the reasons why the DTG have raised these concerns in this way, and work to resolve any concerns.
We have been encouraged by the wide range of consumer electronics companies who have expressed an interest in manufacturing canvas-compliant devices. These companies are also members of the DTG and we hope to make an announcement in this regard in due course.
We believe Canvas will create commercial value for a wide range of companies as, at its heart, it is a project that aims to deliver the benefits of connected-TV, subscription free, to the public and a connected future for the UK's content and application providers. We shouldn’t lose sight of this."
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