Digitization of terrestrial TV – DVB-T/DVB-T2

At the end of the nineties, a decision was made about the digitization of terrestrial TV in Europe. It was decided that digital terrestrial TV would be broadcast in accordance with DVB coding and modulation schemes.

Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB), established in September 1993, is a consortium gathering over 200 broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software providers and regulatory bodies in over 30 countries, established to develop open standards for delivering digital television, multimedia and data services. The main task of the DVB organization was to"develop and agree specifications which are then passed to the European standards body for media systems, the EBU/CENELEC/ETSI Joint Technical Committee, for approval. The specifications are then formally standardized by either CENELEC or, in the majority of cases, ETSI" (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). The standards include satellite TV ( DVB-S and DVB-S2), cable TV (DVB-C) and terrestrial TV (DVB-T and DVB-T2, generally called DTT - digital terrestrial television).

Poland has adopted DVB-T MPEG-4 (H.264) as the main digital terrestrial television (DTT) standard. However, the final standard in Europe is to be DVB-T2 MPEG-4 (H.264). The first country in Europe that began official emissions in DVB-T2 was the United Kingdom, seven years ago. Since that time there has been a number of European countries which use the most modern system of terrestrial television: Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine. Less or more advanced tests are conducted in the following 8 countries: Belarus, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. In Poland, the change from DVB-T to DVB-T2 is expected to take place by June 30, 2022.

Among the many advantages of the new system, DVB-T2 standard is characterized by better bandwidth utilization (higher multiplex capacity) and a much more effective data compression – High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) /H.265. DVB-T enables sending approx. 24.88 Mbps in one 8 MHz channel, while DVB-T2 can extend this value to 40 Mbps. On the consumer side, the most important limitation of the DVB-T standard is the inability to get terrestrial television channels in a resolution higher than HD (720p) or Full HD (1080p). The use of the much more effective compression standard will allow the transmission of more TV channels in one multiplex, it will also be possible to broadcast channels in 4K / Ultra HD image resolution.

DVB-T2 transmission is carried out using image coding in accordance with the HEVC standard (also known as H.265 or MPEG-H part 2) . So, only televisions capable of decoding such a compressed signal are able to correctly receive the broadcast television programs. So, anyone intending to buy a new TV, should make sure that the TV set is capable of receiving content broadcast in the new format. Many commercially available TV sets are already equipped with a DVB-T2 decoder but can only decode an image encrypted according to the older video coding standard (AVC, also known as H.264 or MPEG-4 part 10). These TV sets, after the introduction of the DVB-T2/ HEVC transmission standard in any country will stop "recognizing" the broadcast content and will require to connect an external decoder.

The Yagi-Uda or Yagi antenna is one of the most popular antenna designs, due to a comparatively simple construction and high gain. Yagi-Uda antennas can operate in the HF to UHF bands (3 MHz to 3 GHz), but often within a limited bandwidth around the center frequency. In the case of DVB-T bands, the parameters are chosen so as to maintain the balance between the range of channels that can be received and the average gain within the frequency band. Another aspect is the polarization of the transmitted signals. The antenna elements (directors, dipole, reflector) have to operate in accordance with the polarization of the signals, otherwise the gain of the antenna would disappear. Usually, all transmitters in an area operate with the same polarization in one band (UHF or VHF), but the polarization of the broadcasts in the UHF and VHF bands can be different. Such a situation is in Poland, where the new MUX-8 is transmitted in the VHF band with vertical or horizontal polarization, depending on the area. The appropriate polarization of the receiving antenna is essential for the proper reception of the DVB-T broadcasts.

DIPOL is the first company that manufactures Professional VHF and UHF DVB-T Antenna Sets (H/V). Thanks to a universal construction, the VHF and UHF antenna segments can be independently set to the vertical (V) or horizontal (H) polarization of the received signals. We offer two versions specially designed for receiving DVB-T broadcasts with different polarizations in VHF and UHF bands: DIPOL 28/5-12/21-60 A2810 and DIPOL 28/5-12/21-60 DVB-T with LNA-177 amplifier, A2850. The both antenna sets are equipped with diplexers combining signals from the VHF and UHF bands.

View of the professional VHF and UHF DVB-T antenna set
(both segments operating with horizontal polarization)

View of the professional VHF and UHF DVB-T antenna set
(VHF segment operating with vertical and UHF with horizontal polarization)
In this configuration, the U-bolt has to be mounted at the end of the antenna carrier

The DIPOL 28/5-12/21-60 A2810 and A2850 professional DVB-T antenna sets have been designed for reception of TV broadcasts in VHF (174-230 MHz) and UHF (470-790 MHz) bands. They provide an effective solution for the reception of DVB-T broadcasts with various combinations of polarizations in the VHF and UHF bands.

The suitable antenna cables are 75 ohm coaxial cables with high screening efficiency.

Generally, DTT antenna systems do not force users to employ new types of antennas. Yagi-Uda arrays or even typical broadband antennas can receive digitally modulated signals. Of course, everything depends on the place of reception and the local signal propagation conditions.

Aside from UHF band, some countries may utilize VHF band (channels 6-12, 174-230 MHz).

The active DVB-T antenna A6045 has been designed for reception of DVB-T channels both in VHF band (174-230 MHz) and in UHF band (470-790 MHz). The antenna can be used indoors or can be installed outdoors. The built-in low-noise high-gain amplifier with integrated LTE filter ensures very good performance of the device. Thanks to special construction, the antenna can receive signals with horizontal and vertical polarizations.

Professional VHF and UHF DVB-T Antenna Set (H/V): DIPOL 15/5-12/21-60 A1515 is designed to work outdoors. It provides very good results in receiving digital terrestrial television in areas with good and medium reception conditions (up to 20-30 km from transmitters). Thanks to a universal construction, the VHF and UHF antenna segments can be set to the vertical (V) or horizontal (H) polarization of the received signals.

Family of broadband antennas can be used in cities and outside them. The antennas are usually mounted on balconies or roofs. Without an amplifier (only with a balun) such an antenna can be sufficient at a distance up to 30 km from the transmitter, with an amplifier the reception distance can reach even 60 km.

DIPOL 16/21-60 DVB-T ( A1610 ) and DIPOL 16/21-60 with LNA-177 amplifier ( A1615 ) are among the most popular DVB-T/T2 antennas in Europe. The directional antennas decrease the level of interference and unwanted signals and are easy to mount on any roof. The former model can be used at distances up to 40 km from the transmitter, the latter one within 30-60 km range.

DIPOL 19/21-60 DVB-T A1911 is a very directional antenna decreasing the level of interference and unwanted signals, designed for mounting on roofs and recommended for distances up to 45 km from transmitters.

DIPOL 44/21-60 Tri Digit ( A2670 ) and DIPOL 44/21-60 Tri Digit with amplifier ( A2675 ) are advanced directional antennas decreasing the level of interference and unwanted signals, to be mounted on roofs, with reception range up to 60/120 km, respectively.

Antennas for VHF band (174-230 MHz) used for DTT are identical with that used for reception of digital DAB+ radio. However, DVB-T/T2 signals in an area can be broadcast with different polarization (H/V) than the DAB+ signals. The universal construction of the offered VHF antennas allows for adjustment to any polarization.

Offered antennas for VHF band(174-230 MHz):

	Code	Name	Gain [dBi]
	A0110	DIPOL-1/5-12	1
	A0140	DIPOL-4/5-12	6

The variety of the received signals (FM, DAB/DAB+, DVB-T/T2 (VHF band), DVB-T/T2 (UHF band)) can be combined by antenna multiplexers (combiners) with the suitable band inputs.

	Code	Name	Combined signals
	C0340	ZA 4Ms	FM, DAB+/DVB-T(VHF), DVB-T(UHF)
	C0342	ZA-204Ms	FM, DAB+/DVB-T(VHF), DVB-T(UHF)
	C0370	ZA-11Ms	FM, DVB-T(UHF), DVB-T(UHF)
	C0384	ZA-206Ms	FM, DVB-T(UHF)
	R902042	MM-307	FM+DAB+/DVB-T(VHF), DVB-T(UHF), DVB-T(UHF)
	R902044	MM-407	FM, DAB+/DVB-T(VHF), DVB-T(UHF), DVB-T(UHF)
	R82018	DC015L	VHFI/II+FM, DAB+/DVB-T(VHF), DVB-T(UHF)

 

The WS-6975 R10514 meter measures terrestrial DVB-T/DVB-T2 (HD) signals. The functions of the meter are clearly presented on a color TFT LCD display. The meter is ideal for the setup of every DVB-T/DVB-T2 antenna system. The applications include positioning of terrestrial antennas, tuning of filters, adjustment of amplifiers, maintenance and troubleshooting. The device allows the user to measure such parameters as signal level expressed in dBμV, C/N ratio, BER (Bit Error Rate) and MER (Modulation Error Ratio) that is very important for the assessment of the quality and reliability of the reception of digitally modulated signals. Thanks to the built-in receiver, the user can monitor the currently tested channel. The monitoring of the tested channels and intuitive operation accelerate installation work.

DVB-T/T2 meter with built-in receiver: Signal WS-6975
(H.265/H.264 R10514

Antenna system for reception of DVB-T/T2 broadcasts in UHF and VHF bands

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Antenna system combining satellite
and DVB-T/T2 signals, with distribution to 4 outlets