Optimizing Broadcast Spectrum through the Planning of Digital Television Network

The transition from analogue to digital television promises an enormous digital dividend that can translate to spectrum resource provision for other services. In this work, the size of the spectrum that can be released as dividend after digital switchover in some selected States of Nigeria is estimated. First, the present analogue television (ATV) network coverage is compared with predicted digital terrestrial television (DTTV) network coverage during a simulcast period, and after ATV switch-off. The predicted DTTV network is initially planned with a multi-frequency network (MFN) and analysis showed that DTTV had a 12.5% improvement in spectrum utilization compared to ATV while achieving a better coverage probability of 95.3%. This work predicted further spectrum savings with the use of a single-frequency network (SFN) design for DTTV network planning. The analysis done showed that 87.5% of the ATV spectrum could be saved for other services after the transition to DTTV using SFN. Keywords: Digital television, SFN, MFN, Spectrum, dividend

Impact of GPS Interference on Time Synchronization of DVB-T Transmitters

Nowadays, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is widely used in all aspects of our lives. GPS signals are not used only in positioning and navigation applications and services in transport and military, but, thanks to quite precise information about time, also for synchronization of world trade and synchronization of wireless transmitters. However, with the recent spread of location-based services, a large number of GPS jammers had appeared. Use of these jammers is prohibited by law; however, their use is gaining popularity especially in the transport segment since jammers can be used to trick vehicle onboard units and help avoid paying toll fees on highways or avoid tracking of company cars when used privately. In this paper, we will investigate the impact of GPS interference caused by jamming and spoofing on the synchronization of Single Frequency Network (SFN) Digital Video Broadcasting–Terrestrial (DVB-T) transmitters. Since GPS signals are used in the DVB-T SFN to provide synchronization which is crucial for the correct network operation, the interference of GPS signals can cause problems with signal distribution. Thus, signals received from a DVB-T SFN network might be out of synchronization and disrupt the service for users.

Analysis of the Single Frequency Network Gain in Digital Audio Broadcasting Networks

The single frequency network (SFN) is a popular solution in modern digital audio and television system networks for extending effective coverage, compared to its traditional single-transmitter counterpart. As benefits of this configuration appear to be obvious, this paper focuses on the exact analysis of so-called SFN gain—a quantitative effect of advantage in terms of the received signal strength. The investigations cover a statistical analysis of SFN gain values, obtained by means of computer simulations, with respect to the factors influencing the coverage, i.e., the protection level, the reception mode (fixed, portable, mobile), and the receiver location (outdoor, indoor). The analyses conclude with an observation that the most noteworthy contribution of the SFN gain is observed on the far edges of the networks, and the least one close to the transmitters. It is also observed that the highest values of the SFN gain can be expected in the fixed mode, while the protection level has the lowest impact.

Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting in 5G

Digital multimedia broadcasting is a technology for transmitting multimedia signals to devices like mobile phones, PC, laptops, etc. This allows everyone to watch TV on mobile devices. With the fifth-generation network, one can download a movie in a few seconds. Mobile TV offers round-the-clock participation in communication and broadcasting around the globe. This has become possible by watching a live TV program on handheld devices, as it facilitates real-time updates. Digital terrestrial television broadcasting aimed at transmitting two types of information: global and local content. The global content aims at broadcasting over the entire network, and the local content is location specific. Broadcasting the local content using multiple transmitters at different frequencies in multifrequency network requires additional spectrum. Global content can be transmitted through single frequency network. Therefore, if both global and local information are transmitted in a single frequency network (SFN), the system will become highly spectrally efficient and cost-effective.