Tests of digital terrestrial television (DTT) are taking place in China using a combination of AVS video encoding and the home-grown Digital Terrestrial Media Broadcasting (DTMB) standard, with plans already in place to begin implementing full services across the country later in the year.
The trial programme in Shanghai stems from the Chinese government's belief that DTT is the best means to deliver TV services to people living on the outskirts of big cities and in remote country districts.

This is the first major test of AVS and DTMB in China and has been organised and managed by media group and transmission provider the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Company.

In the tests video is processed into AVS streams through Envivio 4Caster C4 encoders ready for transmission using DTMB feeds and then decoded by receivers fitted with Shanghai Longjing AVS chips.

AVS is being used rather than MPEG-2 compression. The start of DTT services is a key element of the Chinese government's 11th Five-Year Plan for developing broadcasting and entertainment technology.

Projections claim that full DTT transmission will be able to reach over one million subscribers in Shanghai, offering television, in-vehicle programming and digital advertising signage both out of doors and indoors.