Digital Video Broadcasting: Technology, Standards and Regulations
An overview of the technical, political, and market issues relating to digital video broadcast and digital television.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Digital Video Broadcasting: Technology, Standards and Regulations
Chapter 13: European digital video broadcasting analyzed
13.1 Introduction
This chapter analyzes the European DVB framework by means of the technology assessment (TA) concept. This framework includes the DVB project results as described in Chapters 8 12 and the EU policy on DTV, as explained in Chapter 6.
As will become clear, the TA concept provides a useful instrument for the purpose of this analysis, in which the analytical model (see Chapter 7) plays an important role. The different actors possible roles (i.e., the roles of government as well as market parties) on a mid-term time scale in the introduction of interactive DTV services, which are provided via a CA system, are discussed.
13.2 Technology assessment
This section explains the background, functions, and several different types of TA. Furthermore, the evolution of TA toward the establishment of an integral technology policy in general is discussed.
13.2.1 The technology assessment concept
In their study [1] on how TA can contribute to the advancement of decision-making on technological developments in politics and policy, Dutch researchers Smits and Leyten stated that technological developments should not be regarded as exogenous determining factors, but rather as the product of activities and relationships within society as a whole. TA should be seen as the response to an increasing necessity to socialize decision-making on technology. Smits and Leyten defined TA as follows:
Technology assessment is a process consisting of analyses of technological developments and their consequences, plus the discussions in response to those analyses. The goal of TA is to provide information to...
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