Dvb-t2 Terrestrial Setup

[Rosangela Pinkard]

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 2019[update], 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), Germany (six HD (1080p50) channels, with 40 in planning),[1] the Netherlands (Digitenne, 30 HD (1080p50) channels), Sweden (five channels),[2][3] Thailand (41 SD, 9 HD channels),[4] Flanders (18 SD channels), Serbia (eight channels),[5] Ukraine (32 SD and HD channels in four nationwide multiplexes), Croatia (all national, local and pay-TV channels), Denmark (two pay-TV multiplexes with 20 channels), Romania (8 SD channels, 1 HD channel), and some other countries.

In March 2006, DVB decided to study options for an upgraded DVB-T standard. In June 2006, a formal study group named TM-T2 (Technical Module on Next Generation DVB-T) was established by the DVB Group to develop an advanced modulation scheme that could be adopted by a second generation digital terrestrial television standard, to be named DVB-T2.[6]

According to the commercial requirements and call for technologies[7] issued in April 2007, the first phase of DVB-T2 would be devoted to provide optimum reception for stationary (fixed) and portable receivers (i.e., units which can be nomadic, but not fully mobile) using existing aerials, whereas a second and third phase would study methods to deliver higher payloads (with new aerials) and the mobile reception issue. The novel system should provide a minimum 30% increase in payload, under similar channel conditions already used for DVB-T.

The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 agreed with the regulator Ofcom to convert one UK multiplex (B, or PSB3) to DVB-T2 to increase capacity for HDTV via DTT.[8] They expected the first TV region to use the new standard would be Granada in November 2009 (with existing switched over regions being changed at the same time). It was expected that over time there would be enough DVB-T2 receivers sold to switch all DTT transmissions to DVB-T2, and H.264.

Ofcom published its final decision on 3 April 2008, for HDTV using DVB-T2 and H.264:[9] BBC HD would have one HD slot after digital switchover (DSO) at Granada. ITV and C4 had, as expected, applied to Ofcom for the 2 additional HD slots available from 2009 to 2012.[10]

Ofcom indicated that it found an unused channel covering 3.7 million households in London, which could be used to broadcast the DVB-T2 HD multiplex from 2010, i.e., before DSO in London. Ofcom indicated that they would look for more unused UHF channels in other parts of the UK, that can be used for the DVB-T2 HD multiplex from 2010 until DSO.[11]

The DVB-T2 draft standard was ratified by the DVB Steering Board on 26 June 2008,[12] and published on the DVB homepage as DVB-T2 standard BlueBook.[13] It was handed over to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) by DVB.ORG on 20 June 2008.[14]The ETSI process resulted in the DVB-T2 standard being adopted on 9 September 2009.[15] The ETSI process had several phases, but the only changes were text clarifications.[16] Since the DVB-T2 physical layer specification was complete, and there would be no further technical enhancements, receiver VLSI chip design started with confidence in stability of specification. A draft PSI/SI (program and system information) specification document was also agreed with the DVB-TM-GBS group.

Prototype receivers were shown in September IBC 2008 and more recent version at the IBC 2009 in Amsterdam. A number of other manufacturers demonstrated DVB-T2 at IBC 2009 including Albis Technologies, Arqiva, DekTec, Enensys Technologies, Harris, Pace, Rohde & Schwarz, Tandberg, Thomson Broadcast and TeamCast. As of 2012, Appear TV also produce DVB-T2 receivers, DVB-T2 modulators and DVB-T2 gateways. Other manufacturers planning DVB-T2 equipment launches include Alitronika, CellMetric, Cisco, Digital TV Labs, Humax, NXP Semiconductors, Panasonic, ProTelevision Technologies, Screen Service, SIDSA, Sony, ST Microelectronics and T-VIPS.[16] The first test from a real TV transmitter was performed by the BBC Research & Development in the last weeks of June 2008[17] using channel 53 from the Guildford transmitter, southwest of London: BBC had developed and built the modulator/demodulator prototype in parallel with the DVB-T2 standard being drafted. Other companies like ENKOM or IfN develop software (processor) based decoding.

NORDIG published a DVB-T2 receiver specification and performance requirement on 1 July 2009.[18] In March 2009 the Digital TV Group (DTG), the industry association for digital TV in the UK, published the technical specification for high definition services on digital terrestrial television (Freeview) using the new DVB-T2 standard. The DTG's test house: DTG Testing are testing Freeview HD products against this specification.[citation needed]

DVB-T2 was tested in October 2010, in Geneva region, with Mont Salve's repeater, in UHF band on Channel 36. A mobile van was testing BER, strength, and quality reception, with special PCs used as spectrum analysers, constellation testers. The van was moving in Canton Geneva (Switzerland), and France (Annemasse, Pays de Gex). However, none were demonstrated in TELECOM 2011 at Palexpo.

When the digital terrestrial HDTV service Freeview HD was launched in December 2009, it was the first DVB-T2 service intended for the general public. As of November 2010, DVB-T2 broadcasts were available in a couple of European countries.

The earliest introductions of T2 have usually been tied with a launch of high-definition television. There are however some countries where HDTV is broadcast using the old DVB-T standard with no immediate plans to switch those broadcasts to DVB-T2. Among countries using DVB-T for nationwide broadcasts of HDTV are France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Spain, and Taiwan. These are usually using MPEG4. Australia started broadcasting HD content over DVB-T with MPEG2, although in 2015, some Australian broadcasters switched to MPEG4.

In April 2015, "OQAAB" started DVB-T2 broadcasting in Kabul.[24] As of 2021, the process is at a standstill after the Taliban's return to power, and the previous government never authorized more than test broadcasts. The infrastructure in six more provinces (Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, Mazar, Ghazni, Kunduz) had been built out, without transmitter installation.

In April 2013, Telenet started with DVB-T2 broadcasting in Flanders.[52] However it was discontinued one year later on 31 March 2014.[53] As of the end of 2017, TV Vlaanderen started offering DVB-T2 television using Norkring's network.[54][55] The following centre frequencies are used in Flanders: 650 MHz (UHF ch. 43), 658 MHz (UHF ch. 44), 674 MHz (UHF ch. 46) and 682 MHz (UHF ch. 47).[56]

In 2012, Colombia adopted DVB-T2 (using a bandwidth of 6 MHz) as the national standard for terrestrial television. This replaced DVB-T, the previously selected standard for digital TV, which was chosen after technical evaluation of several digital TV standards. The two standards coexisted until 2015 when DVB-T was turned off.

Digital TV has been deployed gradually across the country, starting with the four main cities, Bogot, Medelln, Cali and Barranquilla followed by smaller cities such as Armenia, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Ccuta, Manizales, Pereira and Santa Marta. By 2014, most main cities had digital TV. Due to the country's topography as well as there being no sharing of masts between the public and private broadcasters, the coverage in rural areas is patchy. There has been talk of using DVB-S2 (satellite) to ensure 100% coverage: as of January 2024 this hasn't happened.

DVB-T2 was launched in March 2017, using video format HEVC/H.265.[60][61] DVB-T was switched off in October 2020.[62][63] In 2020, there was tested Nasa TV in 4K resolution to show that the DVB T2 system is capable of 4K and the devices can decode it.

Finland, the first country in Europe to cease analog terrestrial TV and move to DVB-T, has announced that DVB-T2 will be used exclusively from end March 2020, but currently there is no set date for transition. Many FTA channels are dual broadcast in SD via DVB-T and in HD using DVB-T2. All pay-TV channels moved to DVB-T2 in 2017. The DVB-T2 switchover will allow more channels to move to HD as well as releasing bandwidth for new SD channels over DVB-T2.[64][65]

Public and private transportation vehicles and public places are potential environments for mobile television. Currently DD National, DD National HD, DD News, DD Bharati, DD Sports, and DD Regional/DD Kisan are being relayed.

The project to adopt DVB-T technology in Indonesia began in 2007 with 'full' government support as the project initiator. All television broadcasters were offered to transform their analogue broadcasts into the new digital form, some were interested to follow suit and started testing their new digital broadcasts and some are still uninterested back then.

During the DVB-T testing period, the Indonesian government (via its Ministry of Information & Communication Technology) wanted to switch to DVB-T2 technology which provides better signal efficiency, capacity and corrections compared to DVB-T. The TV broadcasters still testing their DVB-T broadcasts agreed to join the DVB-T2 conversion programme offered by the government since they saw the significant benefits by switching to DVB-T2 (such as higher data rate for HD content and better carrier-to-noise ratio management), even though it would introduce additional cost for those who have bought DVB-T equipment. The official switch to DVB-T2 from DVB-T began in February 2012, based on the Menkominfo decree (about 5 years from DVB-T introduction and adopting/nurturing period in Indonesia).[67]

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