Mobile DTV transmission systems are ready for deployment
Nov 2, 2009 12:22 PM, By Michael Grotticelli
The Harris NetVX networking platform includes an ATSC A/153 compliant mobile video encoder, multiplexer and encapsulator.
With the new A/153 mobile DTV standard now unanimously approved, suppliers of DTV transmission equipment said they are ready with the technology and systems required to leverage part of a station's 19.6Mb/s of allotted spectrum for sending video via terrestrial signals to portable devices. Now it's up to stations to bring these new services to consumers, as many have pledged to do by early next year.
The broadcast industry is looking to the newly adopted ATSC Mobile DTV Standard A/153 as a way to reach more viewers and generate new revenue via real-time programming, emergency alerts and interactive services displayed on mobile devices like laptop computers, in-car entertainment systems and cell phones.
As of this week, Axcera, Grass Valley, Harris and Rohde & Schwarz have all announced field-tested systems that adhere to the ATSC's new specification. All had been waiting for final approval of the A/153 Standard before committing to making specific equipment in quantity.
The basic equipment needed to begin broadcasting mobile video services via the ATSC Mobile DTV spec includes program encoders, a multiplexer, an electronic services guide (ESG) server, and a compatible DTV transmission exciter.
Facilitating easy setup and deployment, all of the competing systems can be configured, controlled and monitored using a Web browser locally or remotely. All commands for automatic monitoring and for the instrument settings are available over an SNMP interface.
The Grass Valley NetProcessor 9030 offers a mobile DTV multiplexer and IP encapsulator functions that are used to handle IP data injection and bit rate management.
Axcera products include the 6X series liquid-cooled, solid-state transmitter; Innovator CX low power, solid-state broadcast and mobile TV transmitter; 8XC series mobile TV base station; and 5720 series MMDS transmitter.
The 8XC series mobile TV base station is compatible with A/153 and all current digital television standards, including DVB-T, DVB-H, DVB-SH, ATSC, CMMB (STiMi), DAB/T-DMB, MediaFLO, and SDARS. The 8XC series transmitters are available in both indoor and outdoor configurations, making them ideal for mobile multimedia applications.
Grass Valley has completed trials of its Thomson ATSC mobile DTV transmission system, and it is now being tested at a station on the West Coast. The mobile video technology is backward compatible with legacy ATSC transmission systems, allowing stations to use their existing DTV channel and the mandated ATSC 8-VSB modulation scheme. It offers several technological advantages, including the use of Mobile/Handheld (M/H) block coding techniques, which helps ensure reliable signal reception.
"This is an exciting time for broadcasters looking to build out mobile video services," said Richard Fiore, senior director for transmissions and mobility at Grass Valley. "Grass Valley has been very careful to develop a robust and reliable system that can be cost-effectively implemented in a very short amount of time."
Grass Valley offers scalable video coding (SVC) on the premium version of its ViBE mobile TV platform. The encoder also features a unique region of interest encoding system. Region of interest is a patented feature that automatically detects the visually interesting area of a picture and crops out nonessential areas. It allows broadcasters to repurpose "large screen" content for smaller displays associated with mobile and other handheld devices, further enhancing the user's experience with the mobile content.
The company also offers mobile DTV multiplexer (mux) and IP encapsulator (IPE) functions with its NetProcessor 9030 platform, which is available with a large variety of interfaces (DVB-ASI, GigE/IP, ATM, etc.) and handles IP data injection and bit rate management. In addition to mux and IPE functions, the NetProcessor 9030 contains the Signaling Server for the generation of TPC, FIC, and SSC tables specified as part of the A/153 standard. Broadcasters that already have deployed the standard Grass Valley ATSC 9030 NetProcessor can be software upgraded for compatibility with ATSC mobile DTV services.
Harris has been involved in the development of the A/153 standard from the beginning, including two years of work co-developing the physical layer of the standard with LG and Zenith and two years working within the ATSC Technical Standards Group.
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