Once pay-TV viewers really get used to having a DVR and a high definition TV, what will be next? Will they expect the EPG to take the same quantum leap forward that their viewing experience has?

According to James Field, NDS Director of Technology in the UK, “As both HDTVs and DVRs become more popular, pay-TV operators will have to offer an enhanced user experience that features a new generation of personalized TV graphics and other applications.”

To help this development, Field says that NDS is working on an R&D initiative that is intended “to raise the bar of graphics, video/user input and audio performance in STBs.” He says that the graphics created in TV studios already include a lot of eye candy and special effects. “There’s no reason this shouldn’t be available in the STB environment as well.”

Assessing need for changes

NDS is well positioned in the industry both to assess the need for changes and to implement them. “We have good relations with the leading chipset manufacturers and we are among the leaders in STB middleware, design and introduction of interactive TV – including programs,” Field says. “The fact is we have feedback from operators indicating what they will be looking for in the next few years. In addition, we have made significant investment in R&D – and now we want to capitalize on future possibilities.”

The new HD GUI initiative, which began about three years ago, reflects NDS’ understanding of business models. “Operators are interested in improving and enhancing their STBs – without a significant increase in price,” he says. “It now makes sense to use integrated hardware acceleration to improve graphics so that the user experience will be richer but the price of the STB won’t be.”

Field explains that the cycle to make new silicon chips typically takes about two to three years. “NDS has refined our architecture so that it meets the goals of this technical leap forward. At the same time we’re trying to keep the cost increase as small as possible.” Once the hardware exists NDS will develop the appropriate API [application programming interface]. “One of our principles is that we won’t rely on a particular chipset or middleware,” he says. “NDS always tries to develop open technologies. If a technology is proprietary it will be less popular.” To this end, NDS is working with the Khronos group to support and develop open graphics standards that will enable authoring and accelerated playback on a variety of platforms and devices.

Increased viewer satisfaction

The anticipated result of this initiative will be the ability to deliver an improved user experience for the next generation of high definition technology.

“We expect this enhanced user experience to increase viewer satisfaction levels for pay-TV operators worldwide,” Field says.

What does this mean? “Basically, the initiative allows application developers and operators to take advantage of the size and quality of high definition screens and TVs. Just making EPGs larger – to accommodate larger screens – would be boring. We’re developing a wide variety of new applications to accommodate both the quality and size of the new screens,” Field says. But NDS is also incorporating other factors. Not surprisingly, viewers are becoming more knowledgeable when it comes to how they use an EPG. “What we’re doing now is preparing viewers for the next step.”

NDS has already presented its future vision of EPGs to chip vendors. Most of these innovations will be available within the next two to five years – with some functionality available next year.

Field explains that by having better chips, “the graphic rendering can be on the STB rather than at the headend. This will result in a richer user experience complementing HDTV services.”

When viewers are searching for a program, it no longer really matters where it is located. The fact is there are thousands of channels and tens of thousands of programs to choose from.

“As a result, the challenge is for the EPG to help viewers find what they want to watch. By making use of the new graphics capabilities, the EPG is more pleasant to watch and easier to use. It should be noted that it also reinforces branding of channels which is significant in the current market where branding is being challenged by the proliferation of channels. Because HDTV delivers higher resolution, designers can use more of the screen to show more elements, therefore delivering more powerful visuals, in turn fostering increased loyalty.

Future applications:

• Non-linear programming: Based on NDS XSpace, IP video is added to broadcast TV. The result is that the STB remains the main point of consumption for TV and other digital media.

• STB games: Based on NDS Xtreamplay, operators can squeeze the highest quality images from the lowest-priced STBs. Graphics are saved on the hard disk. A videostream gives better resolution on the STB. The result is next generation console-quality games with pre-rendered videostreams.

• Interactive ads: Text plus video information is now available on the hard drive. For example, an ad for a new car doesn’t just show slick photos. With the click of a button, viewers can check specifications ranging from the airbags to exhaust emissions. Instead of checking products on the Web, viewers can see them in HD – and because it’s on their hard disk they can access them at any time.

Of course there are other applications. Weather forecasts, stock prices, preview screens for current and future programs are the most obvious applications to take their place on the viewer’s EPG. What is important is that the new NDS initiative will combine the flexibility offered by hybrid DVRs with the superior quality of HDTV to offer a truly outstanding viewer experience from the minute viewers make their first click on their remote.

Seeing is believing. Contact an NDS office and ask to see a demonstration of what you can expect from EPGs in the future.