When Does 'Dubbing 10' Actually Start?

Apr 23, 2008 20:12 Hiroshi Hasegawa, Nikkei New Media

June 2, 2008, the date on which Japan plans to switch its content protection rules for free digital broadcasts from the current copy-once to the Dubbing 10 standard, is fast approaching.

With only six weeks left before the deadline, voices crying, "We don't have enough time to prepare," are being heard from manufacturers of tuner-embedded recorders. That is because the deadline had been planned for June 2 but it had never actually been "confirmed."

The Dubbing 10 cannot be officially scheduled to start June 2 because it has not been concluded whether or not compensations for private music and video recordings will cover free digital broadcasts. The Private Music and Video Recording Subcommittee, affiliated with the Copyright Committee of the Cultural Council under the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs, is discussing the matter.

Manufacturers are insisting that they will "confirm the start date soon, as Dubbing 10 and compensation are different issues." However, "The broadcasting industry will never be able to embark on Dubbing 10 unless the content side accepts the situation," said a source familiar with the broadcasting industry.

The broadcasters wish to maintain friendly relationships with the content industry in order to smoothly operate daily works such as the production and procurement of programs. Considering these circumstances, it is unlikely that the broadcasters will enter Dubbing 10 at a phase where the content industry has not agreed.

The subcommittee of the Agency for Cultural Affairs has decided to explore a tentative conclusion to close the discussion on the compensation system for the time being at its meeting on May 8, 2008, or later. If its conclusion cannot convince the content industry, the shift to Dubbing 10 can even float in midair.

Recorder manufacturers cannot help but be cautious about incorporating Dubbing 10 capability under such circumstances. It is because if they ship compatible devices and the devices are used to record programs before the implementation of Dubbing 10, the devices will process programs of WOWOW, Star Channel and other commercial BS digital channels as Dubbing 10 programs.

For this reason, they cannot employ a method to switch operation by setting a timer for products that are shipped before June 2. As for products to be shipped after June 2, manufacturers also have no choice other than to "update receiver software through downloads via broadcasts after the rule shift" at the moment.

Recorder manufacturers are claiming that they do not have enough time for preparation because their business involves distribution. As Dubbing 10 is the most significant capability for recorders, preparatory work extends not only to the transportation of products, but also to a huge range of efforts including the creation of pamphlets and manuals and even to notifying users.

To upgrade recorder software, for example, recorders must be powered on when the new software is transmitted. Manufacturers will invite a deluge of user complaints if users record programs without implementing this process and accordingly Dubbing 10 does not work. Slightly less than one month can hardly be described as enough time to notify users of such a process.

Technical preparations advancing steadily

Although recognizing these circumstances, the Association for the Promotion of Digital Broadcasting (Dpa) "won't give up on June 2," a source close to the Dpa said. By insisting on the deadline, the Dpa seems to be expecting relevant organizations to fix the situation early. The Dpa is steadily prompting technical preparations as well.

Manufacturers of terrestrial and BS digital broadcast receivers are conducting operation tests to confirm if their products react to both Dubbing 10 and copy-once signals. Results of these operation tests will be reported to the Dpa.

"If test results show no significant problems, it means that a shift to Dubbing 10 even this week (April 20 to 26, 2008) would have no technical problem," according to a source related to Dpa.

Amid such bleak circumstances, the Study Group on the Promotion of Digital Content Distribution led by the Telecommunications Council decided to set up a new working group (WG) at its 35th meeting (on April 11, 2008). This new WG is aimed at confirming and following-up on the challenges cited in the Telecommunications Council's Interim Report on the Promotion of Digital Content Distribution (announced in August 2007).

The interim report proposed that the content protection technology for terrestrial digital broadcasts should be changed from the copy-once to Dubbing 10 specification. In addition, the report indicated a view that the committee was "expecting the WG to discuss future systems and rules to appropriately return value to creators and formulate specific measures as soon as possible."

The Dpa related parties are placing their last glimmer of hope on the WG, hoping "discussions will advance at the WG, where influential experts will gather."

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