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DIGITAL RADIO GUIDE APPENDIX A: EUREKA 147
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events). Additionally programmes and events can be linked together into groups (e.g. for
grouping programmes together into serials or series).
EPG will be useful to promote new programmes and to attract new listeners. It is also enable for
future technologies such as Personal Media Recording (DAB equivalent of PVR). Manual or
automatic time-shifting of the programme will be possible for the user to choose what and when
they want to listen.
An EPG standard “XML Specification for DAB Electronic Programme Guide” is being developed
by WorldDAB.
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Work is still continuing into the transportation and compression of the EPG data.
EPG is currently being broadcast experimentally on 8 multiplexes in the UK.
DAB Virtual Machine (DAB Java)
Analogous to DVB Multimedia Home Platform (MHP), but suitably scaled down to fit into narrow-
band DAB channel, DAB Java provides a flexible and extendible platform (middleware) for all new
DAB data services. DAB Java is standardised by ETSI.
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The platform enables the rapid
implementation and deployment of new business ideas by enabling the applications (and applets)
to access DAB resources. Future data services for DAB will be realized most efficient based on
DAB Java in terms of time to market and platform independence. This approach enables DAB to
be integrated in large scaled Java – based software environments, e.g. cars using widely
accepted standards.
The concept of virtual machine has been chosen to allow for execution of any DAB applications
independently of the hardware specific configuration. The DAB Java Framework is divided in
three basic modules or packages: a) a DAB-specific extension of the Java API, b) a runtime
support for the DAB applications execution environment, and c) a DAB I/O package for signalling
the DAB Java extension over the DAB signal.
End-to-end reference implementations have been successfully developed to demonstrate the
benefits and new possibilities of DAB Java. These implementations include an EPG application, a
BWS application, a stock market ticker and some local-interactive games. The BBC has
developed an interactive DAB Java – based application "Composer Biographies." Bosch has
demonstrated an integration of DAB Java in an OSGI-based telematics system (GPS device).
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TS 102 818 v1.1.1 Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB); XML Specification for DAB Electronic Programme Guide (EPG),
ETSI
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TS 101 993 V1.1.1 (2002-03) Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB);A Virtual Machine for DAB: DAB Java Specification,
ETSI