Digital television terrestrial broadcasting

Digital transmission will change the way television channels are allocated and will force broadcasters to master a new set of parameters for optimizing service coverage. This article discusses modulation and channel coding issues related to digital television terrestrial broadcasting (DTTB), such as data throughput, spectrum efficiency, single- and multicarrier modulations, interferences under simulcasting conditions, multilayer services, and DTTB coverage. Current advanced television (ATV) research for terrestrial broadcasting in the VHF/UHF bands is converging toward a fully digital implementation. In a digital ATV system, the digitized high definition video sources, with raw bit rate of up to l-Gb/s, are compressed using source coding techniques based on the discrete cosine transform (DCT) coding. The output data rate of the video source encoder, with present technology, is typically 15 to 20 Mb/s. This data rate is sufficient to provide a satisfactory distribution quality video service     

Digital Broadcasting Television Channel Measurements and Characterization for SIMO Mobile Reception

This paper presents propagation measurement results in the UHF Digital Television (DTV) band using an ATSC DTV signal as a channel sounding signal to investigate the characteristics of a wideband single-input multiple-output (SIMO) under mobile reception conditions. A series of DTV dual channel signal measurements were conducted in the Ottawa region to characterize the transmission of ATSC 8-VSB signals under different propagation environments. A dual channel receiver was used to record SIMO signals: these were used to provide channel impulse response estimates. From the recorded time-varying impulse responses and their correlation functions, average power delay profiles, scattering functions were computed to analyse the joint spatial fluctuations of the received signals. The DTV channel characterization study is aimed at broadcast system designers involved in data transmission of terrestrial digital television signals over mobile channels with diversity reception     

Good-bye to TV ghosts

A broadcast ghost-canceling reference signal that will enable digital signal-processing circuits in TV sets to erase multipath distortions is discussed. A typical receiver ghost-canceling system, consisting essentially of a channel identifier and ghost-canceling filters, is described. Factors affecting the choice of a ghost-canceling reference (GCR) signal as a standard are examined. Results of field tests of five GCR systems proposed as US standards are reported     

Development of a ghost cancel reference signal for TV broadcasting

A method for reducing ghost interference of TV signals is described. As part of a ghost canceler that is designed to eliminate ghost signals inside a signal receiver, the authors developed a ghost cancel reference (GCR) signal as part of the EDTV (extended definition television) system. In this system, a bar signal with a rise waveform of sin x/x is inserted as a reference signal into the vertical blanking period using a special send sequence on the transmitter's side. With this GCR, the ghost canceler built into a TV receiver is able to detect ghost signals with a delay time of about 45 μs or less (i.e. from the limit of subjective observation to that of objective observation). This GCR method has been adopted as Japan's standard for broadcasting and was introduced in the fall of 1989     

DVB-T BER measurements in the presence of adjacent channel andco-channel analogue television interference

This paper presents some laboratory tests carried out to measure the BER degradation caused by an analogue PAL-G television interference on a COFDM 8 K digital television signal. The tests made include co-channel and both upper and lower adjacent channel interference situations. Previously, the ITU-R has presented some protection ratios to be sought when planning DVB-T networks. The results of the work presented here include a wider range of power ratios and their effect on the BER rather than the limit protection values. The new digital services will share the same frequency bands as the conventional analogue television so the exact characterization of mutual interference is a major concern of broadcasters during the transition period when both systems have to co-exist     

A compatible high-resolution TV system for cablecasting

Cablecasting offers the possibility of a new and improved system of color television. New technology for wide bandwidth, for large displays, and better signal transmission systems make it desirable to improve on the National Television System Committee (NTSC) system which has served so well for over-the-air transmissions. In this paper, a system is suggested with which a subscriber owning a present TV receiver Will continue to get the same picture quality as he does now. New receivers can be designed to provide substantially improved resolution and better color reception. The system uses two adjacent 6-MHz channels for each one now used. The upper channel is standard NTSC, while the lower channel is filled with a lower sideband that permits a 7-MHz video response, Present receivers use the upper channel, while new receivers will use signals from both channels.     

Spatio-temporal channel characterization: theoretical framework and applications in MIMO system design

The utilization of multiple antennas and space–time codes in multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems significantly improves the transmission channel capacity without using additional bandwidth and power. The improvement is achieved by decomposing the spatial structure of transmission channels and performing appropriate temporal and spatial multiplexing. In this paper, we propose a novel theoretical framework for MIMO channel modeling and characterization in order to facilitate the MIMO system design and performance evaluation. The channels are represented in space, time, wave vector, and frequency domains while the space–time and wave vector–frequency interdependences are considered. A realization of the theoretical framework, in a form of a practical framework, is also proposed to address the channel modeling and characterization at both transmitter and receiver sides. The utilization of the practical framework in MIMO communication system design is discussed to illustrate its applications in realistic scenarios. The angle of arrival estimation based on the proposed practical framework using field test measurement data is also presented as illustrative examples.     

Identifying multipath within terrestrial video using a locallymodified GCR signal

The results of a new simple method of obtaining the multipath channel distortion for terrestrial transmitted video is presented. It finds in isolation, the VSB induced detected quadrature ghost relative amplitudes which had previously been difficult. The method is based on correlation of the received signal with a version of the PAL GCR standard signal which has been modified by the inherent quadrature forming filter spectrum of the receiver VSB filter     

Modeling wireless fading channels via stochastic differential equations: identification and estimation based on noisy measurements

This paper is concerned with modeling and identification of wireless channels using noisy measurements. The models employed are governed by stochastic differential equations (SDEs) in state space form, while the identification method is based on the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm and Kalman filtering. The algorithm is tested against real channel measurements. The results presented include state space models for the channels, estimates of inphase and quadrature components, and estimates of the corresponding Doppler power spectral densities (DPSDs), from sample noisy measurements. Based on the available measurements, it is concluded that state space models of order two are sufficient for wireless flat fading channel characterization.     

Evaluation and verification of the VHF/UHF propagation channelbased on a 3-D-wave propagation model

This paper is intended to increase and improve the knowledge concerning the characterization of digital VHF/UHF communication channels. This characterization of the propagation channel is based on the field strength-delay-spectrum (FDS) of the three-dimensional (3-D) multipath wave propagation. A statistical superposition of the predicted multipath signals yields the probability density function of the narrowband signal and the averaged channel impulse response of the wideband propagation channel. Thereof, the relevant parameters, e.g., standard deviations, mean values, delay spread, and correlation coefficients, are derived both in time and frequency domain. The angles-of-arrival of the multipath signals are used to calculate the Doppler spectra of moving receivers for the characterization the time-variant properties of the propagation channel. In total, a rather complete summary of derivations, algorithms and characteristics of the VHF/UHF propagation channel is presented. Narrowband and wideband measurements are included for verification     

基于GIS的青海广电资源管理系统的设计及优化

目前青海的广电资源管理系统存在多系统并存,数据、接口不统一等问题,系统中的信号覆盖监测模块还是基于传统的场强模型实现的,不能反映广播电视信号的真实地理分布。针对上述问题,提出了利用GIS管理广播电视资源的完整解决方案,并利用DEM和实测信号获取覆盖区域的改正参数曲面,对传统基于GIS方案的信号覆盖模型进行改进,结果表明新模型的监测精度提高了12%。该研究将为青海省广播电视资源的高效管理和规划提供重要的技术支持。     

HDTV and the vestigial sideband syndrome

Advanced TV (ATV) standards can only be made directly compatible with the 162 million existing TV receivers in the US by delivering the signals to the receiver on a vestigial sideband, amplitude modulated radio frequency carrier. However, low frequency group delays (due to phase error in the vestigial sideband filters required for modulated and demodulation) often generate a delayed edge effect that can obscure the crispness and freedom from artifacts in ATV pictures. Because of difficulties in understanding, quantifying, and controlling low-frequency group delay, vestigial sideband technology may be too fragile to support any form of high-quality ATV. The only alternative appears to be a dual system in which programs are simulcast on different channels to conventional NTSC and new ATV standards. In Europe, terrestrial broadcasting to PAL and SECAM standards will apparently continue indefinitely, while incompatible ATV standards will be used for direct broadcasting from satellites     

Optimal predistortion of Gaussian inputs for clipping channels

For a clipped channel with a Gaussian input, a predistortion/restoration technique to reduce clipping-induced nonlinear distortion is proposed and analyzed. The input signal is processed by a nonlinear predistorter circuit, reducing the probability of clipping. The receiver output signal passes through a restorer having an inverse transfer characteristic, which yields the original signal. For both one-sided and two-sided limiter channels, the optimal predistortion curves are determined analytically. A limiter channel with Gaussian input may be used to model clipping-induced nonlinear distortion in optical-fiber common antenna television (CATV) distribution systems using multiple intensity-modulated subcarriers. When applied to an amplitude-modulated vestigial-sideband (AM-VSB) CATV system, the optimal predistortion curves yield sensitivity improvements of 5.3 and 4.4 dB for oneand two-sided limiter channels, respectively     

Transmitter linearity considerations for digital TV broadcasting

An introduction is given to the principles of digital modulation as it is being applied to advanced television by comparison with the way in which chrominance information modulates the NTC color subcarrier. The concept of the unit circle in constellation diagrams is explained for both signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-interference. Using constellation diagrams, the effects of AM/AM and AM/PM and their combined effects are shown in terms of reducing noise/interference margins. it is seen that the dynamic range of the ATV transmitter must be sufficient to handle the transient peak power which results from filtering to constrain the data to the 6-MHz channel. Out-of-channel spectral components are generated by intermodulation in the high-power amplifier, as are in-channel intermodulation components which are responsible for reducing the eye opening. This results in reduction in noise/interference margins. It is shown that nonlinear amplification of the transient peaks results in intermodulation products that may cause interference to a signal on adjacent channels and reduce expected coverage     

高一致性低噪声多路水声信号预处理设计方法

随着水下探测技术的发展,对于多路微弱水声信号预处理的指标要求越来越高。由于运算放大器和RC网络组成的高阶数带通滤波器,需要大量的外接电阻和电容,在较多通道数量的应用条件下,通道间的信号幅度和相位一致性很难控制。提出了一种新的高一致性低噪声多通道信号预处理方法。经过实验分析,在等效输入噪声、幅频特性、相频特性等方面效果很好,能够达到要求的技术指标。该方法能够在高一致性低噪声的多通路水声信号预处理中得到广泛的应用。     

A concept of digital terrestrial television broadcasting

The future terrestrial television broadcasting system should support the transmission of a digital HDTV signal with a high spectral efficiency. In addition, this system should maintain graceful degradation as the actual analog systems, and should be compatible with the SDTV. The system compatibility can be achieved by using a hierarchical HDTV source-coding scheme that can provide at least two (HDTV, SDTV) or three (HDTV, EDTV, SDTV) hierarchy levels: SDTV image quality will be expected for portable receivers, and HDTV/EDTV image quality will destinate to stationary receivers with roof-top antennas. Taking into account the receivers' antenna gains and the different channel conditions, there will be a difference of 25–30 dB between the received powers of the stationary and the portable receivers. Therefore, the design of a powerful and a suitable transmission scheme for the future broadcasting of the digital HDTV signal will be a technological challenge. In this article we describe a concept of a flexible reconfigurable hierarchical digital terrestrial TV broadcasting system for clear and taboo channels. The flexibility of the proposed scheme easily permits the receivers to support different reconfigurable modes: One HDTV program or multi-programming EDTV or SDTV (for fixed receivers up to 5 × SDTV in clear and up to 2 × SDTV in taboo channels; for portable receivers up to 2 × SDTV.) The system achieves a high interoperability with the Satellite Baseline system. It maintains a graceful degradation and provides a hierarchical complexity. It is based on a concatenated coding scheme. The inner code of the concatenated coding scheme is combined with multi-resolution modulation. The basic constellation is a 64-QAM, which will be operated in clear channels. It can be reconfigured to a 16-QAM in the case of taboo channels. The principle of OFDM with very rugged frequency/time synchronization mechanisms is used to combat the frequency selectivity and the co-channel interference (CCI) in the channel. Known pilot symbols are sent regularly in order to perform coherent detection.The authors are within the RACE-dTTb and the German HDTV-T project.     

A Robust and Adaptive Carrier Recovery Method for Chinese DTTB Receiver

This paper presents a robust and adaptive carrier recovery method for Chinese digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB) system in which pilot signal and pseudonoise (PN) sequence are adopted to help carrier recovery. The conventional methods utilize pilot or PN sequence respectively. In this paper, we try to combine the advantage of each method together and propose a well designed state machine to control system state automatically. Moreover, as for using PN sequence, a fine PN tracking state is introduced to ensure the robustness of the proposed method. Software simulations show that the proposed method can provide large acquisition range, short acquisition time and small tracking jitter in severely distorted static and dynamic channels. Lab tests and field trials also prove its good performance in real propagation environments.     

Uplink channel assignment with balanced load for code division multiple access cellular systems

In a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless communication system, each mobile handset must be power controlled such that the power received at the base station is roughly the same. Otherwise, the interferences between mobile handsets will degrade the performance and increase the error rate. When a mobile handset uses channels from the neighbouring cells, it will raise its power to meet the threshold of signal strength. This will also increase the interference in the home cell. Therefore, we do not want a mobile handset to use channels from other cells blindly. In this paper, we propose an uplink channel assignment method based on the directed retry concept for CDMA cellular systems. The purpose is to achieve load balancing between neighbouring cells and at the same time controlling the interference levels at the base stations such that it will not affect the performance. Furthermore, priorities are given to handoff calls when assigning channels. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Linear and adaptive delta modulation

New results are presented, offering insight into the performance and optimization of linear and adaptive delta modulation, together with a comparison with pulse code modulation. The results are applied to three cases of practical interest: television, speech, and broadband signals. The results are presented as follows: first, a characterization of the quantization noise of linear delta modulation (DM) is given; second, an adaptive DM system which seems promising for television and speech is evaluated; and third, a comparison between PCM and adaptive DM is made for speech, television, and broadband signals. It is concluded that 1) the adaptive system provides DM with a companding capability, 2) adaptive DM offers a bit rate or channel bandwidth reduction capability in comparison with PCM for television signals, 3) adaptive DM appears better suited to television and speech signals than linear DM, 4) the maximum S/N performance of adaptive DM is the same as that of linear DM, 5) the companding improvement offered by adaptive DM is not limited by the same practical considerations as those of PCM, and 6) the S/N performance of adaptive DM is the same for both Gaussian and exponential signal densities.