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Research and Development

The Technological Strategies Division worked on guaranteeing a single line of technological development in the Rai Group. The action is implemented by checking the consistency of the technological decisions made by the various structures with the Parent Company's overall strategies and through the functional coordination of the various internal technical operating structures to identify and exploit every synergy within the Group. Technological Strategies also comprise the Centre for Research and Technical Innovation in Turin, which also addresses Rai research towards operating projects and the implementation of new technologies in the production and dissemination system.

Digital Regulatory Plan

With the expansion and differentiation of the distribution platforms, the Public Service broadcaster's role on the traditional platforms is confirmed and extended to those of a more innovative and multimedia nature. With this in mind, a 'Digital Regulatory Plan' has been drawn up to guide the Rai Group in its future technological choices to adapt the entire production process to the requirements of flexibility and effectiveness that convergence imposes and to feed an efficient multi-platform offering.
Activities in 2009 focused on:
- renewing the system to support the planning and broadcasting of programming;
- implementing the system for the management of content in digital format (Digital Asset Management);
- checking the advantages to using IT networks and equipment, also for audio-video contribution services, instead of IP-based solutions for national and international links.

Digital Terrestrial Television

In keeping with the deadlines set by the Ministry of Economic Development � Communications for the completion of the switchover to digital terrestrial television by 2012, during 2009, Rai went ahead with the switch-off of the analogue networks in Val d'Aosta, Western Piedmont, Trentino Alto Adige, Lazio and Campania, simultaneously activating the DTT multiplexes on the new frequencies assigned. The commitment to these issues covered various fronts. At international level, the 'Report on Transaction from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting', which intends to be an international guide to the conversion of the broadcasting networks. In terms of the switchover from analogue to digital, Rai monitored the technical quality of the service and supported users.

High Definition Television (HDTV)

After an initial phase which witnessed, at EBU level, the Research Centre's leading role in experimentation and research with particular regard to the perception of HDTV in the various formats, Rai made a commitment to high definition, offering several proposals.
The switch-off of the analogue network made it possible to broadcast a RaiTest HD channel using one of the multiplexes. For the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the World Cup in South Africa, Rai will broadcast live in HD in the 1080i format (resolution of 1920x1080).
Rai also contributed to the drafting of technical specifications for the acquisition of HD products and pursued experiments on the HD Demo Channel, a satellite channel dedicated to technicians and fitters, in cooperation with Ses Astra.
Significant work was also carried out in 2009 of the 4K standard, which allows viewing 4 times more defined than current HD and reaches the quality of 35 mm film for the first time. Torino 4k is the first television broadcast in very high definition created using this standard. The Technological Strategies Division also ensures the participation of Rai in HDForum Italia, the association between the main institutional or industrial parties in the television and audiovisual sector, which promotes the use of high definition content and technologies.

Technical quality

Technological Strategies, with its sector dedicated to technical quality, is committed to coordinating activities carried out in relation to this subject in all company sectors and to the promotion of attention to quality on all Rai Group products/processes. Technical operating tables have been activated among editorial, productive, marketing and technical structures to increase the quality perceived by users on all genres.
An example of collaboration between company structures for quality, is the work team set up by the Technological Strategies Division together with NewCo Rai International to examine the technical problems lined with production, transport and dissemination of the Raitalia signal in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia and Europe. A system for the remote control of radio and television signals distributed via satellite in the various regions of the world has also been designed. Work is continuing in Milan, within the Rai CPTV, on the laboratory to improve the technical quality of theatre in TV and Radio, which collaborates with the main education institutions in the Milan area (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, IULM and Statale, Scuole Civiche di Milano), and with some of Milan's important theatres (CRT, Franco Parenti, Teatro I), in order to test the use of new technologies to improve the use of theatre in TV and Radio.

The commitment to quality was also aimed at constant monitoring to improve and maintain company quality standards. Activities include:
- the project to enhance the RadioRai service on MW and relative assessment of the perceived improvement;
- a new monitoring, data collection and broadcasting disservice analysis system with the preparation of reports for Company management;
- direct interfacing with users and with the Authorities following specific indications;
- the relationship with the Regional Communication Committees (Co.Re.Com.) to check and improve the quality perceived by users;
- a competition reserved for the fitters of aerials to improve the quality of Rai programming.

Glocal net-thinking: a local, national and international network

Rai is at the centre of initiatives and projects of national and international breadth to support a policy of exchanged collaboration to renew company functions. European institutions, leading companies and Universities are still the preferred partners of Technological Strategies and the Centre for Research.

Relationships have been developed with local interlocutors (e.g.: Corecom, territorial inspectorates), national interlocutors (eg.: FUB, DGTVi, HDForum Italia, CEI) and international interlocutors (e.g.: BBC, NHK, EBU, UIT). The Division also made agreements with the worlds of industry, standards boards and research (with organisations including Telecom Italia Lab, Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent, Selex Communications, Vodafone, Radio Vaticana, San Marino RTV Ses Astra and Eutelsat), as well as with the academic world (Politecnico di Torino, Università La Sapienza di Roma).

Joint activities have concerned all the aspects of production and broadcasting, paying particular attention to the technological aspects which are best able to support the company's commitment to quality, innovation and the use of the service, with a few to improved efficiency and attention to the end user. The aspects focused on in 2009 were: mobile television (DVB-H and DVB-SH), Wi-Max, Open Internet TV and Web TV, infomobility, digital radio (DRM: Digital Radio Mondiale).

The strategic front of research

Rai's Centre for Research, Innovation and Tecnology (CRIT) is responsible for the on-site experimentation of new platforms and supports the Rai Group's engineering in the launch of new services, particularly for:
- High definition (HDTV), actively participating in the development of the DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting)- T2 system, capable of disseminating up to 3-4 HDTV programmes encoded in MPEG-4 for every television frequency (multiplex), thus improving the performances of first generation DVB-T. The on-site tests of the new system continued with the validation of the transmission systems and receiving equipment.
- Mobile TV and Digital Radio, with experimental services in relation to infomobility for use in mobile television systems (DVB-H and DVBSH) and those more specific linked to the world of radiophony based on the DAB/DMB family. In both cases, experiments in the Turin area and collaborations with the FIAT Research Centre are in progress.
- Archives, cooperating with Rai Teche and ICT for a multimedia documentation system of the company archives and an automated digitalisation system of Betacam cassettes.
- TV 'on demand', cooperating with the Company Divisions and technical standardisation organisations. Moreover a prototype system of 'Dayafter TV' capable of making the content broadcast on air by the networks available on broadband by request of uses is being set up.
- Basic research, often made possible by international cooperation and funds for European and national researches, such as super-high definition television, known by technicians as '4K', 3D television and the development of innovative and patented audio recording systems, based on multi capsule microphones.
- Services for the disabled, to simplify access to information services.
- DTT, participating within the sphere of DGTVi/HDForum Italia in the definition of the specifications of the various types of receivers and relative names (SD, HD, Broadband) and supplying support for the validation and update via ether of the receiver SW on the market.

The international network

The CRIT holds prestigious assignment within the following international organisations:
- the Presidency of the Technical Committee and the Broadcasting Committee of the EBU (European Broadcasters Union);
- the leading of the DVB committee for the DVB-S2 satellite platform;
- participation in the DVB-T2, C2 and NGH technical groups.

It is also involved in various projects funded by the European Union.