ISO/IEC 13818-6:1998

Overview

ISO/IEC 13818-6:1998 specifies the DSM-CC (Digital Storage Media Command and Control) extensions to the MPEG-2 family (generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio). Part 6 defines protocols, message formats and interfaces that support control, configuration and session management between clients, networks and servers in multimedia delivery systems. The standard documents adaptation headers, configuration and session messages, reason/response codes, and resource descriptors required to manage interactive and streaming services.

Key topics and technical requirements

• DSM-CC client-network-server model: formalizes roles and interactions for clients, networks and servers (U-N and U-U interfaces).
• Message formats and flows: detailed definitions for configuration (UNConfigRequest/Confirm/Indication/Response) and extensive session message groups (session setup, release, add/delete resource, continuous feed session, status, reset, connect, transfer, session-in-progress).
• Adaptation headers: DSM-CC adaptation header formats including conditional access and user ID adaptations.
• Resource descriptors: typed descriptors for resources (e.g., MpegProgram, PhysicalChannel, TSUpstreamBandwidth/TSDownstreamBandwidth, ContinuousFeedSession) and rules for ranges, lists, horizontal/vertical sharing.
• Specification methods: uses message descriptions, message flow diagrams, SDL (Specification and Description Language), IDL (Interface Definition Language), and RPC concepts to ensure interoperable implementations.
• Reason and response codes: standardized codes for diagnostics and control flows across DSM-CC messages.
• Network & connection support: describes supported network technologies and connection types (logical coverage in the standard).

Practical applications and users

ISO/IEC 13818-6 is aimed at implementers and system designers who build or integrate MPEG-2 DSM-CC control/middleware:

• Set-top box and receiver manufacturers implementing interactive TV, VOD, and broadcast control features.
• Middleware and service platform vendors creating session management, resource allocation and content-delivery control.
• Broadcast and cable operators deploying interactive services, subscriber management and conditional access hooks.
• Network equipment and gateway vendors integrating transport-level resource descriptors and bandwidth signalling.
• Developers of streaming and multicast solutions who require standardized control messages for session setup, transfer and monitoring.

Keywords: ISO/IEC 13818-6:1998, DSM-CC, MPEG-2 DSM-CC, DSM-CC resource descriptors, session messages, interactive TV, set-top box middleware, multimedia streaming control.

Related standards

• Other parts of ISO/IEC 13818 (MPEG-2) covering system, video and audio coding - the DSM-CC extensions in Part 6 integrate with the core MPEG-2 system and conditional access mechanisms for end-to-end multimedia delivery.