Technological Institute of the Philippines

1338 Arlegui St., Quiapo, Manila

College of Engineering and Architecture

Electronics Engineering Department

Broadcast Engineering and Acoustics

ECE123

Digital TV
Draft Report

Submitted by:
Balicat, Maria Matilde
Paet, Richard Ray
Tambong, Davis

Submitted to:
Engineer Philander Lomboy

June 21, 2016

Digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of audio and video by digitally processed
and multiplexed signal, in contrast to the totally analog and channel separated signals
used by analog television. Digital TV can support more than one program in the same
channel bandwidth.[1] It is an innovative service that represents the first significant
evolution in television technology since color television in the 1950s. [2] Several regions
of the world are in different stages of adaptation and are implementing different
broadcasting standards. Below are the different widely used digital television
broadcasting standards (DTB):

Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) uses coded orthogonal frequency-division

multiplexing (OFDM) modulation and supports hierarchical transmission. This
standard has been adopted in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) uses eight-level vestigial

sideband (8VSB) for terrestrial broadcasting. This standard has been adopted by six
countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Dominican Republic and
Honduras.

Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) is a system designed to provide

good reception to fixed receivers and also portable or mobile receivers. It
utilizes OFDM and two-dimensional interleaving. It supports hierarchical
transmission of up to three layers and uses MPEG-2 videoand Advanced Audio
Coding. This standard has been adopted in Japan and the Philippines. ISDB-T
International is an adaptation of this standard using H.264/MPEG-4 AVC that been
adopted in most of South America and is also being embraced by Portuguesespeaking African countries.

Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcasting (DTMB) adopts time-domain

synchronous (TDS) OFDM technology with a pseudo-random signal frame to serve
as the guard interval (GI) of the OFDM block and the training symbol. The DTMB
standard has been adopted in the People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong
and Macau.[3]

Digital
Multimedia
Broadcasting
(DMB)
is
a
digital radio
transmission technology developed
in South
Korea[4][5][6] as
part
of
the
national ITproject
for
sending
multimedia
such
as TV, radio and datacasting to mobile devices such as mobile phones, laptops and
GPS navigation systems.
Receiving digital signal
There are several different ways to receive digital television. One of the oldest means of
receiving DTV (and TV in general) is from terrestrial transmitters using
an antenna(known as an aerial in some countries). This way is known as Digital

terrestrial television (DTT). With DTT, viewers are limited to channels that have a
terrestrial transmitter in range of their antenna.
Other ways have been devised to receive digital television. Among the most familiar to
people are digital cable and digital satellite. In some countries where transmissions of
TV signals are normally achieved by microwaves, digital MMDS is used. Other
standards, such as Digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) and DVB-H, have been
devised to allow handheld devices such as mobile phones to receive TV signals.
Another way is IPTV, that is receiving TV via Internet Protocol, relying on digital
subscriber line (DSL) or optical cable line. Finally, an alternative way is to receive digital
TV signals via the open Internet (Internet television), whether from a central streaming
service or a P2P (peer-to-peer) system.
Some signals carry encryption and specify use conditions (such as "may not be
recorded" or "may not be viewed on displays larger than 1 m in diagonal measure")
backed up with the force of law under the World Intellectual Property Organization
Copyright Treaty (WIPO Copyright Treaty) and national legislation implementing it, such
as the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Access to encrypted channels can be
controlled by a removable smart card, for example via the Common Interface (DVB-CI)
standard for Europe and via Point Of Deployment (POD) for IS or named
differently CableCard.
Disadvantages
While poor signal analog TV quality could be evaluated by the user by the amount of
noise on the screen, digital TV has no grey areas, it either works or does not when the
signal is not strong enough.

Analog vs. Digital

Overview
We live in an analog world. There are an infinite amount of colors to paint an object (even if the
difference is indiscernible to our eye), there are an infinite number of tones we can hear, and there
are an infinite number of smells we can smell. The common theme among all of these analog signals
is their infinite possibilities.
Digital signals and objects deal in the realm of the discrete or finite, meaning there is a limited set
of values they can be. That could mean just two total possible values, 255, 4,294,967,296, or
anything as long as its not (infinity).

Real-world objects can display data, gather inputs by either analog or digital means. (From left to
right): Clocks,multimeters, and joysticks can all take either form (analog above, digital below).
Working with electronics means dealing with both analog and digital signals, inputs and outputs. Our
electronics projects have to interact with the real, analog world in some way, but most of our
microprocessors, computers, and logic units are purely digital components. These two types of
signals are like different electronic languages; some electronics components are bi-lingual, others
can only understand and speak one of the two.
In this tutorial, well cover the basics of both digital and analog signals, including examples of each.
Well also talk about analog and digital circuits, and components.

Analog Signals
Define: Signals
Before going too much further, we should talk a bit about what a signal actually is, electronic signals
specifically (as opposed to traffic signals, albums by the ultimate power-trio, or a general means for
communication). The signals were talking about are time-varying quantities which convey some
sort of information. In electrical engineering thequantity thats time-varying is usually voltage (if not
that, then usually current). So when we talk about signals, just think of them as a voltage thats
changing over time.
Signals are passed between devices in order to send and receive information, which might be video,
audio, or some sort of encoded data. Usually the signals are transmitted through wires, but they
could also pass through the air via radio frequency (RF) waves. Audio signals, for example might be
transferred between your computers audio card and speakers, while data signals might be passed
through the air between a tablet and a WiFi router.

Analog Signal Graphs

Because a signal varies over time, its helpful to plot it on a graph where time is plotted on the
horizontal, x-axis, and voltage on the vertical, y-axis. Looking at a graph of a signal is usually the
easiest way to identify if its analog or digital; a time-versus-voltage graph of an analog signal should
be smooth and continuous.

While these signals may be limited to a range of maximum and minimum values, there are still an
infinite number of possible values within that range. For example, the analog voltage coming out of
your wall socket might be clamped between -120V and +120V, but, as you increase the resolution
more and more, you discover an infinite number of values that the signal can actually be (like 64.4V,
64.42V, 64.424V, and infinite, increasingly precise values).

Example Analog Signals

Video and audio transmissions are often transferred or recorded using analog signals.
The composite video coming out of an old RCA jack, for example, is a coded analog signal usually
ranging between 0 and 1.073V. Tiny changes in the signal have a huge effect on the color or location
of the video.

An analog signal representing one line of composite video data.

Pure audio signals are also analog. The signal that comes out of a microphone is full of analog
frequencies and harmonics, which combine to make beautiful music.

Digital Signals
Digital signals must have a finite set of possible values. The number of values in the set can be
anywhere between two and a-very-large-number-thats-not-infinity. Most commonly digital signals will
be one of two values like either 0V or 5V. Timing graphs of these signals look like square waves.

Or a digital signal might be a discrete representation of an analog waveform. Viewed from afar, the
wave function below may seem smooth and analog, but when you look closely there are tiny
discrete steps as the signal tries to approximate values:

Thats the big difference between analog and digital waves. Analog waves are smooth and
continuous, digital waves are stepping, square, and discrete.

Example Digital Signals

Not all audio and video signals are analog. Standardized signals like HDMI for video (and audio)
and MIDI, I2S, orAC'97 for audio are all digitally transmitted.
Most communication between integrated circuits is digital. Interfaces like serial, I2C, and SPI all
transmit data via a coded sequence of square waves.

Serial peripheral interface (SPI) uses many digital signals to transmit data between devices.

Comparison of analog vs digital

DTV has several advantages over analog TV, the most significant being that digital
channels take up less bandwidth, and the bandwidth needs are continuously variable, at
a corresponding reduction in image quality depending on the level of compression as
well as the resolution of the transmitted image. This means that digital broadcasters can
provide more digital channels in the same space, provide high-definition
television service, or provide other non-television services such as multimedia or
interactivity. DTV also permits special services such as multiplexing (more than one
program on the same channel), electronic program guides and additional languages
(spoken or subtitled). The sale of non-television services may provide an additional
revenue source.
Digital and analog signals react to interference differently. For example, common
problems with analog television include ghosting of images, noise from weak signals,
and many other potential problems which degrade the quality of the image and sound,
although the program material may still be watchable. With digital television, the audio
and video must be synchronized digitally, so reception of the digital signal must be very
nearly complete; otherwise, neither audio nor video will be usable. Short of this
complete failure, "blocky" video is seen when the digital signal experiences interference.
Analog TV started off with monophonic sound, and later evolved to stereophonic sound
with two independent audio signal channels. DTV will allow up to 5 audio signal
channels plus a sub-woofer bass channel, with broadcasts similar in quality to movie
theaters and DVDs.[12]
Compression artifacts and allocated bandwidth

DTV images have some picture defects that are not present on analog television or
motion picture cinema, because of present-day limitations of bit rate and compression
algorithms such as MPEG-2. This defect is sometimes referred to as "mosquito noise".
[13]

Because of the way the human visual system works, defects in an image that are
localized to particular features of the image or that come and go are more perceptible
than defects that are uniform and constant. However, the DTV system is designed to
take advantage of other limitations of the human visual system to help mask these
flaws, e.g. by allowing more compression artifacts during fast motion where the eye
cannot track and resolve them as easily and, conversely, minimizing artifacts in still
backgrounds that may be closely examined in a scene (since time allows).
Effects of poor reception
Changes in signal reception from factors such as degrading antenna connections or
changing weather conditions may gradually reduce the quality of analog TV. The nature
of digital TV results in a perfectly decodable video initially, until the receiving equipment
starts picking up interference that overpowers the desired signal or if the signal is too
weak to decode. Some equipment will show a garbled picture with significant damage,
while other devices may go directly from perfectly decodable video to no video at all or
lock up. This phenomenon is known as the digital cliff effect.
For remote locations, distant channels that, as analog signals, were previously usable in
a snowy and degraded state may, as digital signals, be perfectly decodable or may
become completely unavailable. The use of higher frequencies will add to these
problems, especially in cases where a clear line-of-sight from the receiving antenna to
the transmitter is not available.
Effect on old analog technology
Television sets with only analog tuners cannot decode digital transmissions. When
analog broadcasting over the air ceases, users of sets with analog-only tuners may use
other sources of programming (e.g. cable, recorded media) or may purchase set-top
converter boxes to tune in the digital signals. In the United States, a governmentsponsored coupon was available to offset the cost of an external converter box. Analog
switch-off (of full-power stations) took place on December 11, 2006 in The Netherlands,
[14]
June 12, 2009 in the United States for full-power stations, [15] July 24, 2011 in Japan,
[16]
August 31, 2011 in Canada,[17] February 13, 2012 in Arab states, May 1, 2012 in
Germany, October 24, 2012 in the United Kingdom [18] and Ireland,[19] October 31, 2012
in selected Indian cities,[20] and December 10, 2013 in Australia. [21] Completion of analog
switch-off is scheduled for December 31, 2014 in the whole of India, [20] by 2015 in the
Philippines and Uruguay, by September 1, 2015 for low-power stations in the United
States, and by 2017 in Costa Rica.
Disappearance of TV-audio receivers
Prior to the conversion to digital TV, analog television broadcast audio for TV channels
on a separate FM carrier signal from the video signal. This FM audio signal could be
heard using standard radios equipped with the appropriate tuning circuits.

However, after the transition of many countries to digital TV, no portable radio
manufacturer has yet developed an alternative method for portable radios to play just
the audio signal of digital TV channels. (DTV radio is not the same thing.)
Environmental issues
The adoption of a broadcast standard incompatible with existing analog receivers has
created the problem of large numbers of analog receivers being discarded during digital
television transition. One superintendent of Public Works was quoted in 2009 as saying,
"Some of the studies Ive read in the trade magazines say up to a quarter of American
households could be throwing a TV out in the next two years following the regulation
change".[22] In 2009, an estimated 99 million analog TV receivers were sitting unused in
homes in the US alone and, while some obsolete receivers are being retrofitted with
converters, many more are simply dumped in landfills where they represent a source of
toxic metals such as lead as well as lesser amounts of materials such
as barium, cadmium and chromium.[23][24]
According to one campaign group, a CRT computer monitor or TV contains an average
of 8 pounds (3.6 kg) of lead.[25] According to another source, the lead in glass of a CRT
varies from 1.08 lb to 11.28 lb, depending on screen size and type, but the lead is in the
form of "stable and immobile" lead oxide mixed into the glass. [26] It is claimed that the
lead can have long-term negative effects on the environment if dumped as landfill.
[27]
However, the glass envelope can be recycled at suitably equipped facilities. [28] Other
portions of the receiver may be subject to disposal as hazardous material.
Local restrictions on disposal of these materials vary widely; in some cases secondhand stores have refused to accept working color television receivers for resale due to
the increasing costs of disposing of unsold TVs. Those thrift stores which are still
accepting donated TVs have reported significant increases in good-condition working
used television receivers abandoned by viewers who often expect them not to work
after digital transition.[29]
In Michigan in 2009, one recycler estimated that as many as one household in four
would dispose of or recycle a TV set in the following year.[30] The digital television
transition, migration to high-definition television receivers and the replacement of CRTs
with flatscreens are all factors in the increasing number of discarded analog CRT-based
television receivers.

Digital television in the Philippines

In the Philippines, digital television broadcasts can be received through digital
cable and direct broadcast satellite. Digital terrestrial television (DTT) services are in
development by the major broadcasting companies of the Philippines.
The Philippines uses the American NTSC standard for analog television since color
television
arrived
in
November
1966.
The National
Telecommunications
Commission (NTC) announced in June 2010 that the Philippines would use the

Japanese ISDB-T standard for digital television, and issued a circular stating that the
country's broadcasters must discontinue their analog services by the transition deadline
of 11:59 p.m. (Philippine Standard Time, UTC+8) on December 31, 2015. But due to
delay of the release of the implementing rules and regulations for digital television
broadcast, the target date was moved to 2020. [1] The commission will be using the ultrahigh frequency televisionchannels from 14 to 51 (470-698 MHz) for DTT broadcast
service and deliberating channels 14 to 20 (470-512 MHz) which is being used for fixed
and mobile services.[2]However, before the announcement, several broadcasters
performed trial broadcasts using the European DVB-T standard.
Preparation for the transition to digital television commenced with an issuance of
Executive Order 546, series of 1979 and Republic Act 3846 or the Radio Control Law as
amended by the local governing body for broadcast services, the NTC adopted the said
order to promulgate rules and regulations in order to facilitate the entry of digital
broadcast services in the Philippines and implement a specific standard for the delivery
of DTT services. Subsequently organizing two technical working groups for the purpose
of directing the governing body in the selection of appropriate DTT standard and upon
the commendation of investors in the broadcast business, comprising the local
broadcasters group, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, and the NTC,
issued Memorandum Circular 02-06-2010 on June 11, 2010 implementing the standard
for digital terrestrial television broadcast service. [3]

Digital TV types
There is more than one type of digital television service. Here is a brief
lowdown on the types youre likely to encounter.

Digital terrestrial
This is a popular form of digital television for people who are upgrading
from analogue to digital services. Relatively hassle free, digital terrestrial
TV is received via your existing TV aerial, ensuring minimal disruption to
your TV viewing and little extra cost.
Freeview is the most common form of digital terrestrial TV and is
accessed via a simple set top box which can be purchased with a one off
payment at many high street stores. These can cost as little as 15.

Freeview gives you access to 50 digital television channels and 20

digital radio channels, giving you a wide selection of digital programming
to choose from. If youd prefer even more choice, Top-Up TV Anytime
gives you access to these channels and more with a small subscription
fee.
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV or DTT) is an implementation of digital television
technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and
sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional antenna (or aerial) instead of a satellite
dish or cable connection.
The technology used in Europe is DVB-T that is immune to multipath distortion.
DTTV is transmitted on radio frequencies through the airwaves that are similar to
standard analogue television, with the primary difference being the use of multiplex
transmitters to allow reception of multiple channels on a single frequency range (such
as a UHF or VHF channel).
The amount of data that can be transmitted (and therefore the number of channels) is
directly affected by the modulation method of the channel.
The modulation method in DVB-T is COFDM with either 64 or 16 state Quadrature
Amplitude Modulation (QAM). In general a 64QAM channel is capable of transmitting a
greater bit rate, but is more susceptible to interference. 16 and 64QAM can be
combined in a single multiplex, providing a controllable degradation for more important
programme streams. This is called hierarchical modulation.
New developments in compression have resulted in the MPEG-4/AVC standard which
will enable two high definition services to be coded into a 24 Mbit/s European terrestrial
transmission channel.
DTTV is received via a digital set-top box, or integrated receiving device, that decodes
the signal received via a standard aerial antenna, however, due to frequency planning
issues, an aerial with a different group (usually a wideband) may be required if the
DTTV multiplexes lie outside the bandwidth of the originally installed aerial.
In Portugal, as detailed in the information published by ANACOM in February 2008, Set
Top Boxes (STB) or TV receivers must be capable of decoding MPEG-4, H.264 AVC

coded transmissions and also be suitable to display HD signals in at least 720p format,
as this is the format to be broadcast on the country.
In the case of STBs, ANACOM advises that an HDMI connection should also be
available and that it should be version 1.3 and that the box should of course decode the
transmitted HDTV format.

Digital satellite TV
Satellite television is television signals delivered by means of communications satellites
and received by satellite dishes and set-top boxes. In many areas of the world it
provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by
terrestrial or cable providers.
Satellite television, like other communications relayed by satellite, starts with a
transmitting antenna located at an uplink facility which have very large uplink satellite
dishes, as much as 9 to 12 meters (30 to 40 feet) in diameter what results in more
accurate aiming and increased signal strength at the satellite.
The uplink dish is pointed toward a specific satellite and the uplinked signals are
transmitted within a specific frequency range, so as to be received by one of the
transponders tuned to that frequency range aboard that satellite, which 'retransmits' the
signals back to Earth but at a different frequency band, a process known as
translation, used to avoid interference with the uplink signal, typically in the C-band (4
8 GHz) or Ku-band (1218 GHz) or both.
The downlinked satellite signal, quite weak after traveling the great distance, is collected
by a parabolic receiving dish, which reflects the weak signal to the dishs focal point
where is a downconverter device called LNB (low-noise block) that is essentially a
waveguide that gathers the signals, amplifies the relatively weak signals, filters the
block of frequencies in which the satellite TV signals are transmitted, and converts it to
a lower frequency range in the L-band range.
The evolution of LNB was a need, so the designs for microstrip based converters were
adapted for the C-Band taking advantage of its central design that was the concept of a
block for down conversion of a range of frequencies to a lower, and technologically
more easily handled block of frequencies, the IF - intermediate frequency.
The advantages of using an LNB are that cheaper cable could be used to connect the
indoor receiver with the satellite TV dish and LNB, and that the technology for handling
the signal at L-Band and UHF was far cheaper than that for handling the signal at CBand frequencies.

The shift to cheaper technology from the 50 Ohm impedance cable and N-Connectors
of the early C-Band systems to the 75 Ohm technology and F-Connectors allowed the
early satellite TV receivers to use what were in reality modified UHF TV tuners which
selected the satellite television channel for down conversion to another lower
intermediate frequency centered on 70 MHz where it was demodulated. This shift
allowed the satellite television industry to change to a far more commercial mass
production one.
The satellite receiver demodulates and converts the signals to the desired form (outputs
for television, audio, data, etc.) and sometimes, the receiver includes the capability to
unscramble or decrypt; the receiver is then called an Integrated Receiver/Decoder or
IRD.
The cable connecting the receiver to the LNB must be of the "low loss" type, RG-6 or
RG-11 and should not be used the standard RG-59 cable.

As you can probably guess, this refers to digital television which is

received via a satellite dish and is a popular option for those whose
property already has such a dish fitted. If you do not have an existing
dish on your property, it is necessary to have one installed before you
can receive digital satellite TV, although you must first obtain permission
from your landlord if you are renting.
There are no geographical restrictions on this service as the digital TV
signal is beamed directly from satellites orbiting overhead. As a result,
this service is useful if you are unable to get a strong Freeview signal in
your area.
Freesat is the satellite equivalent to Freeview and requires a one off
payment for a Freesat box and satellite dish. As this tends to be
somewhat more expensive than simply purchasing a Freeview box,
Freesat throw in a whole lot more channels for your money, over 140 in
total.

As with Freeview, this package does not include any of the major sports
channels.
You can also receive digital satellite TV from Sky. Skys service requires
a subscription, although this subscription will often include the
installation of a satellite dish if you do not already have one, and the
provision of a Sky Box.
The three types of Sky Box are the standard version - enabling viewers
to watch and record TV the Sky+ Box which allows pausing and
rewinding of live TV and greater storage for recorded programs and
the Sky+ HD Box, which provides all the benefits of Sky+ with a high
definition signal and double the storage capacity.
Sky also provide their own Freesat service which offers 240 digital TV
channels and 85 digital radio stations without requiring the user to sign
up to a subscription.

Digital cable TV
Digital cable TV is delivered via a network of high speed fibre optic
cables. The most popular provider of digital cable TV is Virgin Media,
whose TiVo box caused a storm by allowing people far greater freedom
to choose how they watch TV than ever before.
TiVo allowed users to pause and rewind live TV, as well as giving them
access to on demand content and the ability create their own channels
by teaching TiVo which types of programmes they like to watch.
While the picture quality is fantastic, the services innovative and the
range of channels outstanding, this method of receiving digital TV is not
currently available everywhere. Virgin Media are currently rolling their

services out to an increasing proportion of the country, but this is likely to

take some time.

Telephone line digital TV

This simply refers to digital television delivered to a user via a telephone
line. BT Vision is a prime example of this, although this service is only
offered to existing BT phone or broadband customers.
While BT Vision offers less channels than a service like Freesat, it
arguably offers a far better selection, particularly for sports fans. The
basic BT Vision package features 70 channels and users have the option
to receive Sky Sports 1 + 2 at an extra cost. There is also a pay per view
option for new films and for TV shows not available on the provided
channels.
BTs Vision+ digital box required to access BT Vision services also
acts as a hard disc recording device, allowing pausing, recording and
playback of live television.

Internet protocol television

Otherwise known as IPTV, internet protocol television uses a broadband
connection to provide digital television services to your home. Such
services include YouView, Google TV and of course Apple TV.
Customers of these services can either opt in to a subscription which
gives them access to libraries of archived content online, or simply pay a
one off fee for a set top box.
In a similar vein, services like LoveFilm and Netflix now offer users
access to these aforementioned content libraries for a small subscription
fee. These services do not require a set top box (costing up to 300 for

IPTV services) and instead use a basic broadband connection to

transmit content direct to your browsing device.

HDTV
The high-definition television, also known as HDTV (High Definition Television) is a
television system with a resolution significantly higher than in the traditional formats
(NTSC, SECAM, PAL).
The HDTV is transmitted digitally and therefore its implementation generally coincides
with the introduction of digital television (DTV), technology that was launched during the
1990s.
Although several patterns of high-definition television have been proposed or
implemented, the current HDTV standards are defined by ITU-R BT.709 as 1080i
(interlaced), 1080p (progressive) or 720p using the 16:9 screen format.
The term "high definition" can refer to the specification of the resolution itself or, more
generally, the mdia capable of such a definition as the video mdia support or the
television set.
What will be of interest in the near future is high definition video, through the successors
of the DVD, HD DVD and Blu-Ray (is expected that the last one will be adopted as a
standard) and, consequently, the projectors and LCD and plasma televisions sets as
well as retro projectors and video recorders with 1080p resolution/definition.
High-definition television (HDTV) yields a better-quality image than standard television
does, because it has a greater number of line resolution.
The visual information is some 2 to 5 times sharper because the gaps between the scan
lines are narrower or invisible to the naked eye.
The larger the size of the television the HD picture is viewed on, the greater the
improvement in picture quality. On smaller televisions there may be no noticeable
improvement in picture quality.
The lower-case "i" appended to the numbers denotes interlaced; the lower-case "p"
denotes progressive: With the interlaced scanning method, the 1,080 lines of resolution
are divided into pairs, the first 540 alternate lines are painted on a frame and then the

second 540 lines are painted on a second frame; the progressive scanning method
simultaneously displays all 1,080 lines on every frame, requiring a greater bandwidth.
HDTV (high definition) If your TV is marked as having a built-in HDTV tuner then you
are ready to receive over-the-air High Definition (HD) broadcasts. All of the major network
stations (e.g., ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) broadcast some their shows in HD (mostly primetime
shows and sporting events). Broadcasting shows in HD will become more popular as the
February 2009 deadline for all digital broadcasts nears. HDTV signals offer about twice the
resolution of SDTV signals and HDTV TVs are capable of producing a clearer more detailed
picture than other digital formats. Television news anchors have commented on how a
HDTV broadcast will show all the imperfections in their make-up or hairstyle. Also, you can
still view analog signals on an HDTV television.
HDTV ready (high definition ready) A television that is HDTV ready is supposedly
capable of displaying HD broadcasts, they just dont have an HDTV tuner. HDTV ready is
sometimes also referred to as HDTV compatible. Careful attention must be paid to make
sure an HDTV ready TV isnt just a standard definition TV with an HDTV adapter. If that is
the case, you wont actually be watching your favorite shows in true High Definition. Ill save
you the minute details and suggest that you look for a TV capable of a display resolution of
at least 720 lines, which will be noted by either, 1280720 or 720p. Anything less than 720
will not be capable of displaying a true HD program.

EDTV (enhanced definition)

EDTV capable TVs are a step lower than HDTV TVs in terms of the resolution they can
display. EDTV quality is the same as DVD quality, so it is a step up from your standard
analog cathode ray tube (CRT) display, but not as good as a true HDTV display. TVs with
EDTV technology are usually cheaper than TVs with HDTV capabilities, but that is to be
expected with the less detailed picture youll get with EDTV. I dont recommend buying a
EDTV capable TV if you want to be able to view high definition shows in the future.

SDTV (standard definition)

SDTV capable TVs can display resolutions higher than analog CRT TVs, but not as good as
EDTV capable TVs. You may not see SDTV advertised, unless you are comparing it to
standard analog TVs. SDTV capable TVs are usually the least expensive in the digital

television group, but also have the lowest resolution display capabilities. Those who buy
TVs with SDTV resolution, do not plan to watch HD video or HD broadcasts. The primary
uses for their TV are watching DVDs and over the air analog broadcasts.

DIGITAL TV STANDARDS
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for "Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial"; it is the DVB Europeanbased consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first
published in 1997[1] and first broadcast in the UK in 1998.[1] This system transmits compressed digital
audio, digital video and other data in an MPEG transport stream, using coded orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (COFDM or OFDM) modulation. It is also the format widely used worldwide
(including North America) for Electronic News Gathering for transmission of video and audio from a
mobile newsgathering vehicle to a central receive point.
Rather than carrying one data carrier on a single radio frequency (RF) channel, COFDM works by
splitting the digital data stream into a large number of slower digital streams, each of which digitally
modulates a set of closely spaced adjacent sub-carrier frequencies. In the case of DVB-T, there are
two choices for the number of carriers known as 2K-mode or 8K-mode. These are actually 1,705 or
6,817 sub-carriers that are approximately 4 kHz or 1 kHz apart.
DVB-T offers three different modulation schemes (QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM).
DVB-T has been adopted or proposed for digital television broadcasting by many countries (see
map), using mainly VHF 7 MHz and UHF 8 MHz channels whereas Taiwan, Colombia, Panama,
Trinidad and Tobago and the Philippines use 6 MHz channels. Examples include the UK's Freeview.
The DVB-T Standard is published as EN 300 744, Framing structure, channel coding and
modulation for digital terrestrial television. This is available from the ETSI website, as is ETSI TS 101
154, Specification for the use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcasting Applications based on the
MPEG-2 Transport Stream, which gives details of the DVB use of source coding methods for MPEG2 and, more recently, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC as well as audio encoding systems. Many countries that
have adopted DVB-T have published standards for their implementation. These include the Dbook in the UK, the Italian DGTVi,[2] the ETSI E-Book and Scandivia NorDig.
DVB-T has been further developed into newer standards such as DVB-H (Handheld), which was a
commercial failure and is no longer in operation, and DVB-T2, which was initially finalised in August
2011.

DVB-T as a digital transmission delivers data in a series of discrete blocks at the symbol rate. DVB-T
is a COFDM transmission technique which includes the use of a Guard Interval. It allows the
receiver to cope with strong multipath situations. Within a geographical area, DVB-T also
allows single-frequency network (SFN) operation, where two or more transmitters carrying
the same data operate on the same frequency. In such cases the signals from each transmitter in
the SFN needs to be accurately time-aligned, which is done by sync information in the stream and
timing at each transmitter referenced to GPS.
The length of the Guard Interval can be chosen. It is a trade off between data rate
and SFN capability. The longer the guard interval the larger is the potential SFN area without
creating intersymbol interference (ISI). It is possible to operate SFNs which do not fulfill the guard
interval condition if the self-interference is properly planned and monitored.

DVB-T2
DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for "Digital Video Broadcasting Second Generation Terrestrial"; it is
the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the
broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television. DVB has been standardized by ETSI.
This system transmits compressed digital audio, video, and other data in "physical layer pipes"
(PLPs), using OFDM modulation with concatenated channel coding and interleaving. The higher
offered bit rate, with respect to its predecessor DVB-T, makes it a system suited for
carrying HDTV signals on the terrestrial TV channel (though many broadcasters still use plain DVB-T
for this purpose).
As of 2014, it was implemented in broadcasts in the United Kingdom (Freeview HD, eight channels
across two multiplexes, plus an extra multiplex in Northern Ireland carrying three SD
channels), Italy (Europa 7 HD, twelve channels),Finland (21 channels, five in HD), Sweden (five
channels),[1][2] Thailand (41 SD, 9 HD channels)[3] Flanders (18 SD Channels), Serbia (ten SD and HD
version of the public broadcasters channel RTS),[4] Ukraine (32 SD and HD channels in four
nationwide multiplexes), Croatia (two pay-TV multiplexes), Denmark, Romania (along with the
existing DVB-T MPEG-4 only in Bucharest and Sibiu) and some other countries.

DVB-S

Digital Video Broadcasting Satellite (DVB-S) is the original DVB standard for Satellite
Television and dates from 1995, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997. The
first commercial application was by Galaxyin Australia, enabling digitally broadcast, satellitedelivered Television to the public.
It is used via satellites serving every continent of the world. DVB-S is used in both Multiple Channel
Per Carrier (MCPC) and Single channel per carrier modes for Broadcast Network feeds as well as
for direct-broadcast satellite services like Sky (UK & Ireland) via Astra in Europe, Dish
Network and Globecast in the U.S. and Bell TV in Canada.
While the actual DVB-S standard only specifies physical link characteristics and framing, the overlaid
transport stream delivered by DVB-S is mandated as MPEG-2, known as MPEG transport
stream (MPEG-TS).
Some amateur television repeaters also use this mode in the 1.2 GHz amateur band.

DVB-S2
Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite - Second Generation (DVB-S2) is a digital
television broadcast standard that has been designed as a successor for the popular DVB-S system.
It was developed in 2003 by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium, and ratified
by ETSI (EN 302307) in March 2005. The standard is based on, and improves upon DVB-S and
the electronic news-gathering (or Digital Satellite News Gathering) system, used by mobile units for
sending sounds and images from remote locations world-wide back to their home television stations.
DVB-S2 is envisaged (contemplate) for broadcast services
including standard and HDTV, interactive services including Internet access, and (professional) data
content distribution. The development of DVB-S2 coincided with the introduction of HDTV
and H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC) video codecs.
Two new key features that were added compared to the DVB-S standard are:

A powerful coding scheme based on a modern LDPC code. For low encoding complexity, the
LDPC codes chosen have a special structure, also known as Irregular Repeat-Accumulate
codes.

VCM (Variable Coding and Modulation) and ACM (Adaptive Coding and Modulation) modes,
which allow optimizing bandwidth utilization by dynamically changing transmission parameters.

Other features include enhanced modulation schemes up to 32APSK, additional code rates, and the
introduction of a generic transport mechanism for IP packet data including MPEG-4 audiovideo
streams, while supporting backward compatibility with existing MPEG-2 TS based transmission.

DVB-S2 achieves a significantly better performance than its predecessors mainly allowing for an
increase of available bitrate over the same satellite transponder bandwidth. The measured DVB-S2
performance gain over DVB-S is around 30% at the same satellite transponder bandwidth and
emitted signal power. When the contribution of improvements in video compression is added, an
(MPEG-4 AVC) HDTV service can now be delivered in the same bandwidth that supported an early
DVB-S based MPEG-2 SDTV service only a decade before.

DVB-C
DVB-C stands for "Digital Video Broadcasting - Cable" and it is the DVB European consortium
standard for the broadcast transmission of digital television over cable. This system transmits
an MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 family digital audio/digital video stream, using a QAM modulation
with channel coding. The standard was first published by the ETSI in 1994, and subsequently
became the most widely used transmission system for digital cable television in Europe, Asia and
South America.[1] It is deployed worldwide in systems ranging from the larger cable television
networks (CATV) down to smaller satellite master antenna TV (SMATV) systems.

DVB-C2
On February 18, 2008 it was announced that a new standard DVB-C2 would be developed
during 2008, and a "Call for Technologies" was issued. [2] Proposals including simulation programs
and information on patent rights could be submitted until June 16, 2008.
"The results of the DVB-C2 Study Mission already provided clear indications that technologies are
available allowing the performance of the second generation DVB cable transmission system to get
so close to the theoretical Shannon Limit that any further improvements in the future would most
likely not be able to justify the introduction of a disruptive third generation of cable transmission
system." (DVB-C2 CfT)
By using state of the art coding and modulation techniques, DVB-C2 should offer greater than 30%
higher spectrum efficiency under the same conditions, and the gains in downstream channel
capacity will be greater than 60% for optimized HFC networks.

DVB-H
DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) is one of three prevalent mobile
TV formats. It is a technical specification for bringing broadcast services to mobile handsets. DVB-H
was formally adopted as ETSI standard EN 302 304 in November 2004. The DVB-H specification
(EN 302 304) can be downloaded from the official DVB-H website. [1] From March 2008, DVB-H is
officially endorsed by the European Union as the "preferred technology for terrestrial mobile
broadcasting".[2][3][4][5] The major competitors of this technology are Qualcomm's MediaFLO system,
the 3G cellular system based MBMS mobile-TV standard, and the ATSC-M/H format in the
U.S. DVB-SH (Satellite to Handhelds) now and DVB-NGH (Next Generation Handheld) in the future
are possible enhancements to DVB-H, providing improved spectral efficiency and better modulation
flexibility. DVB-H has been a commercial failure, and the service is no longer onair[dubious discuss]. Finland was the last country to switch-off its signals in March 2012.
DVB-H technology is a superset of the successful DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial)
system for digital terrestrial television, with additional features to meet the specific requirements of
handheld, battery-powered receivers. In 2002 four main requirements of the DVB-H system were
agreed: broadcast services for portable and mobile usage with 'acceptable quality'; a typical user
environment, and so geographical coverage, as mobile radio; access to service while moving in a
vehicle at high speed (as well as imperceptible handover when moving from one cell to another);
and as much compatibility with existing digital terrestrial television (DVB-T), to allow sharing of
network and transmission equipment.[6]
DVB-H can offer a downstream channel at high data rates which can be used as standalone or as
an enhancement of mobile telecommunication networks which many typical handheld terminals are
able to access anyway.
Time slicing technology is employed to reduce power consumption for small handheld terminals. IP
datagrams are transmitted as data bursts in small time slots. Each burst may contain up to two
megabits of data (including parity bits). There are 64 parity bits for each 191 data bits, protected
by Reed-Solomon codes. The front end of the receiver switches on only for the time interval when
the data burst of a selected service is on air. Within this short period of time a high data rate is
received which can be stored in a buffer. This buffer can either store the downloaded applications or
playout live streams.
The achievable power saving depends on the relation of the on/off-time. If there are approximately
ten or more bursted services in a DVB-H stream, the rate of the power saving for the front end could
be up to 90%. DVB-H is a technical system which was carefully tested by the DVB-H Validation Task
Force in the course of 2004 (see ETSI Technical Report TR 102 401). DVB-SH improved radio
performances and can be seen as an evolution of DVB-H.

DVB-H Frame structure

DVB-H is designed to work in the following bands:

VHF-III (170-230 MHz, or a portion of it)

UHF-IV/V (470-862 MHz, or a portion of it)

L (1.452-1.492 GHz)

DVB-SH now and DVB-NGH in the near future are expected to expand the supported bands.
DVB-H can coexist with DVB-T in the same multiplex.

ATSC standards
Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standards are a set of standards developed by
the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable,
and satellite networks.
The ATSC standards were developed in the early 1990s by the Grand Alliance, a consortium of
electronics and telecommunications companies that assembled to develop a specification for what is
now known as HDTV. ATSC formats also include standard-definition formats, although initially only
HDTV services were launched in the digital format.
The high definition television standards defined by the ATSC produce wide screen 16:9 images up to
19201080 pixels in size more than six times the display resolution of the earlier standard.
However, many different image sizes are also supported. The reduced bandwidth requirements of
lower-resolution images allow up to six standard-definition "subchannels" to be broadcast on a single
6 MHz TV channel.
ATSC standards are marked A/x (x is the standard number) and can be downloaded for free from the
ATSC's website at ATSC.org. ATSC Standard A/53, which implemented the system developed by the
Grand Alliance, was published in 1995; the standard was adopted by the Federal Communications
Commission in the United States in 1996. It was revised in 2009. ATSC Standard A/72 was approved
in 2008 and introduces H.264/AVC video coding to the ATSC system.

ATSC supports 5.1-channel surround sound using the Dolby Digital's AC-3 format. Numerous
auxiliary datacasting services can also be provided.
Many aspects of ATSC are patented, including elements of the MPEG video coding, the AC-3 audio
coding, and the 8VSB modulation.[1] The cost of patent licensing, estimated at up to $50 per digital
TV receiver,[2] has prompted complaints by manufacturers.[3]
As with other systems, ATSC depends on numerous interwoven standards, e.g. the EIA708 standard for digital closed captioning, leading to variations in implementation.

ATSC 2.0
ATSC 2.0 is a major new revision of the standard which will be backward compatible with ATSC 1.0.
The standard will allow interactive and hybrid television technologies by connecting the TV with the
Internet services and allowing interactive elements into the broadcast stream. Other features include
advanced video compression, audience measurement, targeted advertising, enhanced programming
guides, video on demand services, and the ability to store information on new receivers, including
Non-realtime (NRT) content.

ATSC 3.0
ATSC 3.0 will provide even more services to the viewer and increased bandwidth efficiency and
compression performance, which requires breaking backwards compatibility with the current version.
ATSC 3.0 is expected to emerge within the next decade.[14]
On March 26, 2013, the Advanced Television Systems Committee announced a call for proposals for
the ATSC 3.0 physical layer which states that the plan is for the system to support video with a
resolution of 38402160 at 60 fps (4K UHDTV).
In February 2014, a channel-sharing trial began between Los Angeles television
statons KLCS (a Public broadcaster) and KJLA, a commercial ethnic broadcaster, with support from
the CTIA and approval of the Federal Communications Commission. The test involved multiplexing
multiple HD and SD subchannels together, experimenting with both current MPEG2 / H.262 and MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 video codecs. Ultimately, it has been decided that H.264 would
not be considered for ATSC-3.0, but rather the newer MPEG-H HEVC /H.265 codec would be used
instead, with OFDM instead of 8VSB for modulation, allowing for 28 Mbit/s to 36 Mbit/s[26] or more of
bandwidth on a single 6-MHz channel.

In May 2015, and continuing on for six months afterward, the temporary digital transition transmitter
and antenna of Cleveland, Ohio's Fox affiliate, WJW, will be used by the National Association of
Broadcasters to test the "Futurecast" ATSC 3.0 standard advanced byLG Corporation and GatesAir.
[27]

In September 2015 further tests in the Baltimore and Washington, DC area were announced

by Sinclair Broadcast Group's Baltimore station, WBFF.[28] The Futurecast system had previously
been tested in October 2014 during off-air hours through Madison, Wisconsin ABC affiliate WKOW.
Unlike ATSC 1.0/2.0's Distributed Transmission System's pseudo-single-frequency network
operations, WI9XXT's two transmitters operate as a true Single Frequency Network.
Further tests began in on January 6, 2016 of ATSC 3.0 with High Dynamic Range (using
the Scalable HEVC video codec with HE-AAC audio) from Las Vegas independent station, KHMPLD on UHF 18. It would later be joined in these tests by Sinclair's CW
Networkaffiliate, KVCW simulcasting on a temporary test frequency (UHF 45)
LG Electronics tested the standard with 4K on February 23, 2016. With the test considered a
success, South Korea announced that ATSC 3.0 broadcasts would start in February 2017.
On March 28, 2016, the Bootstrap component of ATSC 3.0 (System Discovery and Signalling) was
upgraded from candidate standard to finalized standard

ATSC 3.0's multiple layers. The standards within ATSC 3.0 are rolled into each of the layers.

Structure/ATSC 3.0 System Layers

1. Bootstrap: System Discovery and Signalling
2. Physical Layer: Transmission (OFDM)
3. Protocols: IP, MMT
4. Presentation: Audio and Video standards (to be determined), Ultra HD with High
Definition and standard definition multicast, Immersive Audio
5. Applications: Screen is a web page

ISDB
The Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB)) is a Japanese standard for digital
television (DTV) and digital radio used by the country's radio and television networks. ISDB replaced
the previously used MUSE Hi-vision analogue HDTV system. Digital Terrestrial Television
Broadcasting (DTTB) services using ISDB-T started in Japan in December 2003 and in Brazil in
December 2007 as a trial. Since many countries have adopted ISDB over other digital broadcasting
standards. ISDB is maintained by the Japanese organization ARIB. The standards can be obtained
for free at the Japanese organization DiBEG website and at ARIB.
The core standards of ISDB are ISDB-S (satellite television), ISDB-T (terrestrial), ISDB-C (cable)
and 2.6 GHz band mobile broadcasting which are all based on MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 standard for
multiplexing with transport stream structure and video and audio coding (MPEG-2 or H.264), and are
capable of high definition television (HDTV) and standard definition television. ISDB-T and ISDBTsb are for mobile reception in TV bands. 1seg is the name of an ISDB-T service for reception
on cell phones, laptop computers and vehicles.
The concept was named for its similarity to ISDN, because both allow multiple channels of data to be
transmitted together (a process called multiplexing). This is also much like another digital
radiosystem, Eureka 147, which calls each group of stations on a transmitter an ensemble; this is
very much like the multi-channel digital TV standard DVB-T. ISDB-T operates on unused TV
channels, an approach taken by other countries for TV but never before for radio.

ISDB-T

Features

Treeview of ISDB-T, channels, Segments and arranging multiple program broadcasting.

ISDB-T is characterized by the following features:

ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial) in Japan use UHF 470 MHz770 MHz, bandwidth of 300 MHz, allocate 50 channels, namely ch.13-ch.62, each channel is
6 MHz width (actually 5.572 MHz effective bandwidth and 430 kHz guard band between
channels). These channels are called "physical channel()". For other countries,
US channel table or European channel table are used.

For channel tables with 6 MHz width, ISDB-T single channel bandwidths 5.572 MHz has
number of carriers 5,617 with interval of 0.99206 kHz. For 7 MHz channel, channel bandwidth is
6.50 MHz; for 8 MHz 7.42 MHz.

ISDB-T allows to accommodate any combination of HDTV (roughly 8Mbit/s in H.264) and
SDTV (roughly 2Mbit/s in H.264) within the given bitrate determined by the transmission
parameters such as bandwidth, code-rate, guard interval, etc. Typically, among the 13
segments, the center segment is used for 1seg with QPSK modulation and the remaining 12
segments for the HDTV or SDTV payloads for 64QAM modulation. The bitstream of the 12
segments are combined into one transport stream, within which any combination of programs
can be carried based on the MPEG-2 transport stream definition.

ISDB-T transmits a HDTV channel and a mobile TV channel 1seg within one channel. 1seg
is a mobile terrestrial digital audio/video broadcasting service in Japan. Although 1seg is
designed for mobile usage, reception is sometimes problematic in moving vehicles. Because of
reception on high speed vehicle, UHF transmission is shaded by buildings and hills frequently,
but reported well receiving in Shinkansen as far as run in flat or rural area.

ISDB-T provides interactive services with data broadcasting. Such as Electronic Program
Guides. ISDB-T supports internet access as a return channel that works to support the data
broadcasting. Internet access is also provided on mobile phones.

ISDB-T provides Single Frequency Network (SFN) and on-channel repeater technology. SFN
makes efficient utilization of the frequency resource (spectrum). For example, the Kanto area
(greater Tokyo area including most part of Tokyo prefecture and some part of Chiba, Ibaragi,
Tochigi, Saitama and Kanagawa prefecture) are covered with SFN with roughly 10 million
population coverage.

ISDB-T can be received indoors with a simple indoor antenna.

ISDB-T provides robustness to multipath interference ("ghosting"), co-channel analog

television interference, and electromagnetic interferences that come from motor vehicles and
power lines in urban environments.

ISDB-T is claimed to allow HDTV to be received on moving vehicles at over 100 km/h (this
has not yet been proven in real-world operation); DVB-T can only receive SDTV on moving
vehicles, and it is claimed that ATSCcan not be received on moving vehicles at all (however, in
early 2007 there were reports of successful reception of ATSC on laptops using USB tuners in
moving vehicles).

Adoption
ISDB-T was adopted for commercial transmissions in Japan in December 2003. It currently
comprises a market of about 100 million television sets. ISDB-T had 10 million subscribers by the
end of April 2005. Along with the wide use of ISDB-T, the price of receivers is getting low. The price
of ISDB-T STB in the lower end of the market is 19800 as of 19 April 2006. [20] By November 2007
only a few older, low-end STB models could be found in the Japanese market (average price
U$180), showing a tendency towards replacement by mid to high-end equipment like PVRs and TV
sets with inbuilt tuners. In November 2009, a retail chain AEON introduced STB in 40 USD,
[21]

followed by variety of low-cost tuners. The Dibeg web page confirms this tendency by showing low

significance of the digital tuner STB market in Japan.[22]

Brazil, which currently uses an analogue TV system (PAL-M) that slightly differs from any other
countries, has chosen ISDB-T as a base for its DTV format, calling it ISDBTb or internally SBTVD (Sistema Brasileiro de Televiso Digital-Terrestre). The Japanese DiBEG
group incorporated the advancements made by Brazil -MPEG4 video codec instead of ISDB-T's
MPEG2 and a powerful interaction middleware called Ginga- and has renamed the standard to
"ISDB-T International".[23] Other than Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Chile and Ecuador [24] which have already
selected ISDB-Tb, there are other South American countries, mainly from Mercosur, such as
Venezuela,[25] that are considering ISDB-Tb, which could provide economies of scale and common
market benefits from the regional South American manufacturing instead of importing ready-made
STBs as is the case with the other standards. Also, it has been confirmed with extensive tests
realized by Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters (ABERT), Brazilian Television
Engineering Society (SET) and Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie the insufficient quality for
indoor reception presented by ATSC and, between DVB-T and ISDB-T, the latter presented superior
performance in indoor reception and flexibility to access digital services and TV programs through
non-mobile, mobile or portable receivers with impressive quality.[26]
The ABERTSET group in Brazil did system comparison tests of DTV under the supervision of
the CPqD foundation. The comparison tests were done under the direction of a work group of SET
and ABERT. The ABERT/SET group selected ISDB-T as the best choice in digital broadcasting
modulation systems among ATSC, DVB-T and ISDB-T Another study found that ISDB-T and DVB-T
performed similarly, and that both were outperformed by DVB-T2.
ISDB-T was singled out as the most flexible of all for meeting the needs of mobility and portability. It
is most efficient for mobile and portable reception. On June 29, 2006, Brazil announced ISDB-Tbased SBTVD as the chosen standard for digital TV transmissions, to be fully implemented by 2016.
By November 2007 (one month prior DTTV launch), a few suppliers started to announce zapper
STBs of the new Nippon-Brazilian SBTVD-T standard, at that time without interactivity.
The implementation rollout in Brazil is proceeding successfully although some voice like Philips'
say[28] that its implementation could be faster. It terms of broadcasting, the implementation plan
seems to be on target. In only eight months since the start, the digital signal is present in four state
capitals and by the end of 2008 another three capitals will receive the signal. In terms of endcustomers the implementation could be better, since at the moment it is estimated only 20,000 settop boxes have been sold. Part of this low sales number can be explained by the prices that in the
beginning ranged from BRL 600 to BRL 1,100. However, recently new set-top boxes were launched
in market at R$300 (approx US$150) that will probably increase set-top box sales. Another reason to
explain low sales level is the interactivity service not available yet. That is because the "middleware"
developed by Brazilian universities (PUC Rio and Federal University of Paraiba) was finished in

October 2008. It is expectedthe interactivity will be a strong appeal bringing more and more people
to digital TV world.
Additionally, mobile TV started successfully with the launch of Samsung and Toshiba cell phones
with ISDB-T "one-seg" tuners. Its main appeal is that the service is free. That is a very impressive
accomplishment in a short period since Brazil launched its digital mobile TV for free. In other
countries such accomplishment occurred years later, and in others like the U.S. and Europe this is
far from reality and probably won't be for free. Subscription mobile TV in Germany using DVB-H has
been dubbed "a failure".[29] In Italy the cost of receiving mobile TV over DVB-H costs the user 9.90
per month just for the basic channel package.[30]
Adoption by country
This lists the countries who adopted the ISDB-T standard, chronologically arranged.

On April 23, 2009, Peru announced its decision to adopt ISDB-T as the digital terrestrial
television standard. This decision was taken on the basis of the recommendations by the Multisectional Commission to assess the most appropriate standard for the country.

On August 28, 2009, Argentina officially adopted the ISDB-T system [31] calling it internally
SATVD-T (Sistema Argentino de Televisin Digital - Terrestre).[32]

On September 14, 2009, Chile announced it was adopting the ISDB-T standard because it
adapts better to the geographical makeup of the country, while allowing signal reception in cell
phones, high-definition content delivery and a wider variety of channels. [24]

On October 6, 2009, Venezuela officially adopted the ISDB-T standard. [33][34]

On March 26, 2010, Ecuador announced its decision to adopt ISDB-T standard. This
decision was taken on the basis of the recommendations by the Superintendent of
Telecommunications.[35]

On April 29, 2010, Costa Rica officially announced the adoption of ISDB-Tb standard based
upon a commission in charge of analyzing which protocol to accept.[36]

On June 1, 2010, Paraguay officially adopted ISDB-T International, via a presidential decree
#4483.[37]

On June 11, 2010, the National Telecommunications Commission of the Philippines officially
adopted the ISDB-T standard.[38]

On July 6, 2010, Bolivia announced its decision to adopt ISDB-T standard as well.

On December 27, 2010, the Uruguayan Government adopts ISDB-T standard., [39] voiding a
previous 2007 decree which adopted the European DVB system.

On November 15, 2011, the Maldivian Government adopts ISDB-T standard. [4] As the first
country in the region that use European channel table and 1 channel bandwidth is 8 MHz.

On May 20, 2014, Government of Sri Lanka officially announced its decision to adopt ISDB-T
standard,[40] and on 07th of September 2014 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed an
agreement with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse for constructing infrastructure such as
ISDB-T networks with a view to smooth conversion to ISDB-T, and cooperating in the field of
content and developing human resources.

ISDB-T International
ISDB-T International, ISDB-Tb or SBTVD, short for Sistema Brasileiro de Televiso
Digital (English: Brazilian Digital Television System), is a technical standard for digital
television broadcast used in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile,Honduras, Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa
Rica, Paraguay, Philippines, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Uruguay, based on the Japanese ISDBT standard. ISDB-T International launched into commercial operation on December 2, 2007, in So
Paulo, Brazil, as SBTVD.[1]
ISDB-T International is also called ISDB-Tb (ISDB-T Japanese standard, Brazilian version) and
basically differs from original ISDB-T by using H.264/MPEG-4 AVC as a video compression standard
(ISDB-T uses H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2), a presentation rate of 30 frames per second even in portable
devices (ISDB-T, One seg, uses 15 frame/s for portable devices) and powerful interaction using
middleware Ginga, composed by Ginga-NCL and Ginga-J modules (ISDB-T usesBML).
The ISDB-T International standard was developed as SBTVD by a study group coordinated by the
Brazilian Ministry of Communications and was led by the Brazilian Telecommunications Agency
(ANATEL) with support from the Telecommunication's Research and Development Centre (CPqD).
The study group was composed of members of ten other Brazilian ministries, the National Institute
for Information Technology (ITI), several Brazilian universities, broadcast professional organizations,
and manufacturers of broadcast/reception devices. The objective of the group was to develop and
implement a DTV (Digital TV) standard in Brazil, addressing not only technical and economical

issues, but also and mainly mitigating the digital divide, that is, to promote inclusion of those living
apart from today's information society. Another goal was to enable access to e-government, i.e. to
make government closer to the population, since in Brazil 95.1% of households have at least one TV
set.[2]
In January 2009, the Brazilian-Japanese study group for digital TV finished and published a
specification document joining the Japanese ISDB-T with Brazilian SBTVD, resulting in a
specification now called "ISDB-T International". ISDB-T International is the system that is proposed
by Japan and Brazil for use in other countries in South America and around the world.

ISDB-S

History
Japan started digital broadcasting using the DVB-S standard by PerfecTV in October/1996, and
DirecTV in December/1997, with communication satellites. Still, DVB-S did not satisfy the
requirements of Japanese broadcasters, such as NHK, key commercial broadcasting stations
like Nippon Television, TBS, Fuji Television, TV asahi, TV Tokyo, and WOWOW (Movie-only Pay-TV
broadcasting). Consequently, ARIB developed the ISDB-S standards. The requirements were HDTV
capability, interactive services, network access and effective frequency utilization, and other
technical requirements. The DVB-S standard allows the transmission of a bit stream of roughly 34
Mbit/s with a satellite transponder, which means the transponder can send one HDTV channel.
Unfortunately, the NHK broadcasting satellite had only four vacant transponders, which led ARIB and
NHK to develop ISDB-S: The new standard could transmit at 51 Mbit/s with a single transponder,
which means that ISDB-S is 1.5 times more efficient than DVB-S and that one transponder can
transmit two HDTV channels, along with other independent audio and data. Digital satellite
broadcasting (BS digital) was started by NHK and followed commercial broadcasting stations on 1
December 2000. Today, SKY PerfecTV!, successor of Skyport TV, and Sky D, CS burn, Platone, EP,
DirecTV, J Sky B, and PerfecTV!, adopted the ISDB-S system for use on the 110 degree (east
longitude) wide-band communication satellite.

Technical specification
This table shows the summary of ISDB-S (satellite digital broadcasting).

Transmission channel
coding

Modulation

TC8PSK, QPSK, BPSK (Hierarchical

transmission)

Error correction
coding

Inner

Trellis [TC8PSK] and

coding

Convolution

Outer
coding

TMCC

Time domain
multiplexing

RS (204,188)

Convolution coding+RS

TMCC

Conditional Access

Multi-2

Data broadcasting

ARIB STD-B24 (BML, ECMA script)

Service information

ARIB STD-B10

Multiplexing

MPEG-2 Systems

Audio coding

MPEG-2 Audio (AAC)

Video coding

MPEG-2 Video

Channel
Frequency and channel specification of Japanese Satellites using ISDB-S

Method

BS digital broadcasting

Wide band CS digital broadcasting

Frequency band

Transmission bit rate

Transmission band width

11.7 to 12.2 GHz

12.2 to 12.75 GHz

51 Mbit/s (TC8PSK)

40 Mbit/s (QPSK)

34.5 MHz*

34.5 MHz

*Compatible with 27 MHz band satellite transponder for analog FM broadcasting.