Juha Joki (Sofia Digital) and Romain Bouqueau (Motion Spell)

As DVB-I deployments mature, the industry faces a challenge: the lack of consistently available, high-quality reference live streams for testing and validation. Implementers need reliable test content spanning multiple codecs and configurations to verify their solutions against DVB-DASH – the DVB profile of MPEG-DASH for IPTV and streaming services – and related specifications. Recognizing this gap, the DVB Project chose Sofia Digital, in partnership with Motion Spell and Télécom Paris, home of the GPAC project, to establish and support a comprehensive live-linear streaming infrastructure that serves as a DVB community reference implementation.

Implementation approach

The project leverages two complementary open-source streaming solutions, based on livesim2 and GPAC. livesim2, already used in the HbbTV DASH DRM Reference Application, is a specialized DASH live streaming simulator. GPAC is an open-source multimedia framework providing packaging, multiplexing and delivery tools. With its 25-year history and adoption by organizations including Netflix and multiple standards bodies, it brings this reference implementation one step closer to actual deployments.

Both solutions are documented with step-by-step installation guides for all major platforms.

The technical implementation encompasses a range of codecs reflecting current and emerging broadcast standards. Video encoding starts from AVC (H.264) and HEVC (H.265) through to VVC (H.266) and AVS3, with HDR variants HLG and PQ10. For audio, there’s AAC for broad compatibility, with advanced codecs such as MPEG-H and Dolby AC-4, which support immersive and accessible audio scenarios. Stream generation uses industry-standard tools including FFmpeg, uavs3e, GPAC’s MP4Box, and Fraunhofer’s MPEG-H Authoring Tool.

All streams underwent a triple-fold validation: conformance checking via the new version of the DASH-IF conformance tool, playback verification across multiple device platforms and players, and a verification script modeled after CTA-WAVE test methodologies.

Supported deliverables

The infrastructure provides nine distinct 24/7 live-linear streams, each targeting specific test scenarios, from basic AVC-HD with subtitles through UHD content with advanced audio and HDR. These streams are hosted on EU-based infrastructure (Hetzner) with guaranteed availability, and with enhanced support during major industry events like IBC and DVB World.

DVB-I service lists are generated using a management tool from Sofia Digital, offering implementers ready-to-use configurations and a basis for manual customization. Documentation enables organizations to deploy streaming setups locally, supporting both cloud-based testing against the shared reference and private development environments.

The diversity of the open-source streaming ecosystem reflects the technological potential for DVB technologies. The DASH-IF livesim2 simulator is now complemented by GPAC’s jitsu, a just-in-time packager that brings GPAC’s maturity, extensive codec support and broad industry deployment to the service of the DVB community.

This project extends support for the DVB-I reference infrastructure, offering both continuity and choice for tests and deployments.

Future directions

The project laid out robust foundations. Future phases could include more codec variants, more industry use cases, and enhanced features including DRM integration and advertisement insertion capabilities. The modular architecture and proper documentation ensure the infrastructure can evolve alongside DVB specification development and industry needs.

This reference infrastructure represents a collaborative investment in the DVB-I ecosystem, providing implementers with the reliable, professionally maintained test resources that are essential for bringing robust solutions to market.

To access the live streams visit: https://live-linear.dvb.org, also available via the Verification and Validation (V&V) page on the DVB website. This article first appeared in Issue 67 of DVB Scene magazine.

Juha Joki is Director of Broadcast and Testing at Sofia Digital, with over 15 years’ experience delivering end-to-end DVB, DVB-I and streaming solutions.

Romain Bouqueau is founder and CEO of Motion Spell and a key GPAC contributor advancing open standards and open-source innovation.

The post How we built a reference live streaming infrastructure for DVB-I services appeared first on DVB.

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