From October the uptake of a common file format for HD and SD delivery among UK broadcasters, first agreed in principle over two and half years ago, looks set to become a reality. The date is being dubbed as DPP D-Day named after a coalition of UK broadcasters, the Digital Production Partnership, which has been working tirelessly towards achieving take-up of the AS-11 standard.
The self-imposed deadline means that UK broadcasters now require all content to be delivered by UK program makers digitally, using the AS-11 standard, a subset of AVCi100 AS-1, the internationally-recognised standard from the Advanced Media Workflow Association.
Any suppliers still delivering content on tape this autumn, however, are unlikely to be shown the door, according to Kevin Burrows, DPP's Technical Standards Lead, who is also CTO for broadcast and distribution at UK terrestrial broadcaster Channel 4.
There's not going not to be a cut-off date as such, but it will depend on what the suppliers' contract cycle is with the broadcaster. But the rules will apply to all new TV shows, he explains.
The last update to the main spec (Version 4) was announced in October, and according to Burrows, while there is still some fine tuning to be achieved in relation to the QC process, the UK TV industry is pretty much there in terms of nailing the standard.
Key DPP Developments in 2014
January 13, 2014: TG4 joins the DPP. The Irish Language broadcaster joins ITV, BBC and Channel 4, Channel Five, Sky, UKTV, S4C and BT Sport.
March 31, 2014: Quality Control Guidelines are issued by DPP to help producers carry out the necessary QC checks to ensure they deliver broadcast quality files, which meet the necessary standards. The DPP has taken the EBU definitions and created a minimum set of tests and tolerance levels required for UK broadcasters. Included in the new guidelines are AS-11 file compliance checks, and Automated Quality Control tests for Video and Audio. Examples are loudness levels, and freeze frames.
April 3, 2014: The DPP agrees on an industry document format standard for the exchange of subtitles for the hard of hearing and audio description, aligned with the EBU's new subtitle document format (EBU-TT). The format is a flavour of XML whose format can be validated using off the shelf tools and extended to meet specific requirements while still being interchangeable
In the meantime, Burrows has been working with manufacturers on a compliance program, defining the minimum criteria by which vendors can label their kit as DPP-Compliant'.
A lot of production companies have been asking us: What can we buy that can help us?' There are lots of products out there that are capable of creating files, but they might not necessarily be in the right format, so we are working on the compliance now and looking at an AMWA certification process.
Burrows adds that while the DPP has a metadata app that can create digital files in the correct format, there are some manufacturers out there such as Avid and Apple which have already integrated this functionality into their latest releases of Media Composer and Final Cut Pro.
Initially there was reluctance from some of the manufacturers and playout service providers to engage with AS-11, particularly among those based outside the UK, but Burrows adds that because the standard has gained such a broad following, they are taking it very seriously.
As with any standard, there are inevitably areas that will need to be clarified. Bruce Devlin, CTO of workflow software vendor Amberfin and a recently appointed membership director of the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers is a keen supporter of the standard. This did not prevent him however, from publically highlighting interoperability dilemmas.
If you take all the combinations of wrappers, video codecs, audio codecs, track layouts, time code options and other ancillary data and complete a minimal' in/out test matrix then you end up with a test plan that will take at least 1800 years to complete, he warned in a statement issued late last year.
Burrows' sanguine response to this however, is that this is true of any standard ever tested. If you tested every possible function on Windows software then it would take the same amount of time. We've tried to keep it simple. There is an HD standard and an SD standard. In terms of metadata what we've tried to do is constrain it greatly yes, language can be misinterpreted, but we are aiming to make the process and the standard as bombproof as possible to minimize errors.
Devlin also highlights the importance of planning DPP deployments well in advance of the looming deadlines and allowing for dress rehearsal' runs as early as possible.
DPP Products
WohlerDPP: This off-the-shelve solution uses its RadiantGrid Intelligent Media Transformation Platform to automate and accelerate repackaging and delivery of file-based content in the AMWA AS-11 file format according to UK DPP shim specifications.
Aurora QC from Digimetrics, distributed by Boxer Systems, claims to provide a fast and efficient method' to test files for AS-11 compliance.
AmberFin has developed DPP-specific media ingest workstations and file transcoders: designated iCR-100-DPP (transcoder), iCR-300-DPP
(media ingest workstation) and iCR-500-DPP (media ingest, transcode, playback, metadata entry and QC review), available through ATG Broadcast in the UK
To this end, Burrows adds that many companies have been trialing out workflows for at least two years, and the DPP already has a test bed set up at the BBC's R&D facility at Centre House in West London. Another pan-UK broadcaster initiative is being managed by a test manager seconded from ITV.
The DPP has also held a number of seminars this year to equip content producers with all the
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
From October the uptake of a common file format for HD and SD delivery among UK broadcasters, first agreed in principle over two and half years ago, looks set to become a reality. The date is being dubbed as DPP D-Day named after a coalition of UK broadcasters, the Digital Production Partnership, which has been working tirelessly towards achieving take-up of the AS-11 standard.
