Multi-decoder digital television platform

The existing analogue transmission systems perfectly match conventional TV sets allowing various independent viewers to watch different programmes at any time. However, digital TV is rapidly growing among our society and its attractiveness lies not only in the higher quality TV images and spectrum efficiency but also in the glimpse of new interactive functionalities that are changing the role of TV in our lives. Due to the widespread conventional TV set usage, a set top box (STB) is required to convert digital into analogue. However, this temporary solution, achieved with commercially available digital STB, is somewhat functionally limited because the latter are only capable of decoding one programme at a time. This limitation appears to be a drawback when considering the traditional analogue case, where various independent users can watch different programmes. In order to overcome this shortcoming, a multidecoder STB was investigated and validated by a particular implementation accounting for three independent simultaneous viewers. This paper describes the basic functionalities of this novel STB.