Portraits
261	Carlo Terzani (15 KB)
	An electrical engineer by training, Carlo Terzani, fast approaching his 75th birthday, has devoted the greater part of his working life to the international aspects of broadcasting. The airwaves are great travellers that do not recognize national boundaries; without the delegates of the broadcasting organizations to the international bodies as arbitrators, broadcasting would never have undergone the expansion and progress it has in the past 50 years. The life of Carlo Terzani is exemplary in this respect.
258	Marie Huet — A career in the service of broadcasting (18 KB)
	Anyone who has been involved in radio spectrum planning in the past forty years has come across Marie Huet. A leading figure in this discipline at national and international level, her expertise has received the highest acclaim by the international organizations active in this field.
255	M.I. Krivocheev — an engineer's engineer (22 KB)
	Professor Mark I. Krivocheev, who in 1992 celebrated his 70th birthday, has had a career that must correspond very closely to an engineer's dream. He has had the merit of working both as a practical and as a research engineer, with a great many publications and dozens of patents to his name. He is known both in his own country and on the international scene. He is a respected teacher. He is still contributing very actively to the technical development of television on all fronts.
Propagation
254	Comparison between mixed and horizontal polarization for VHF/FM sound broadcasting L. Gregorac and R. Schramm (233 KB)
	Although it is some forty years since the first VHF/FM sound broadcasting services opened in Europe, no generally-accepted preference has been established for the use of vertical, horizontal or mixed polarization. This is no doubt due in part to the many factors which can affect the conclusions of any field trial: characteristics of the terrain where test measurements are taken, choice of test points, measurement techniques, statistical methods applied to the results, etc. The present contribution compares mixed and horizontal polarization in various types of terrain, with particular attention to areas where reception is problematic. It is concluded that horizontal polarization is the preferred choice for use in hilly or mountainous terrain.
Quality Evaluation (picture)
284	Video quality monitoring in digital TV networks P. Brétillon, J. Baïna and G. Goudezeune (502 KB)
	DTV services have rapidly developed in the last few years, based on advances in digital signal-compression technology. However, QoS issues – which are often the most critical parameter to evaluate in a DTV system – have not developed at the same pace. In order to ensure the Quality of Service provided to the end-user, there is an urgent need to develop appropriate methods and tools. This article presents a reference model that is a generic framework for describing any automatic video-quality assessment method. The issue of in-service video-quality monitoring in DTV networks is addressed, and an effective method of monitoring the QoS is presented. This method has been implemented and tested in a range of situations – on both simulated and real DVB broadcasting networks.
271	The eyes, the ears and the brain — and how to cheat them J.D. Tucker (168 KB)
	Hearing and seeing are just two of our senses and we take them for granted, that is until we lose – or notice an impairment in – one or both of them. In this Article, brief mention is made of the physiology of the eye and the ear, and how the combination of this complex eye/ear/brain relationship can assist engineers in the design of compressed data equipment. Comments are then made to show that perhaps care should be taken not to push the exploitation of the so-called deficiencies of our seeing and hearing organs too far. Finally some comments are given on more work that needs to be done to try to determine just how much "cheating" can be tolerated by we humans before the results become unacceptable.
271	Subjective quality evaluation: the SSCQE and DSCQE methodologies Th. Alpert and J.-P. Evain (118 KB)
	The EC project, RACE MOSAIC, was set up to find ways of overcoming specific digital picture quality issues (e.g. content-dependent encoding performance, codec cascading and dynamic statistical multiplexing). In the framework of this project, a new methodology has been designed to allow subjective assessment of both picture and service quality, in conditions that are closer to the actual home environment. This Article describes the new method – known as Single-Stimulus Continuous Quality Evaluation and, more particularly, "SSCQE Stage 1" which was recently introduced in ITU-R Recommendation BT.500-7. The double-stimulus DSCQE methodology – recently studied in the EC project, ACTS TAPESTRIES – is an adaptation of SSCQE. DSCQE has been proposed to the MPEG-4 group to address the specific issue of error-robustness evaluation, and is briefly described here.
271	Attempts at correlation between DSCQS and objective measurements D. Abraham, M. Ardito, L. Boch, A. Messina, M. Stroppiana and M. Visca (107 KB)
	Which role does picture quality play in the new competitive world of multi-channel digital television services? In order to suggest an answer to this and other questions, RAI Research centre – in collaboration with TDF-C2R – is committed to studies which relate to the quality evaluation of compressed digital video sequences. This Article collects together the preliminary results obtained within the framework of the ACTS Project, QUOVADIS, and briefly describes the future planned studies to be carried out within the ACTS Project, TAPESTRIES.
271	Concatenation of compression codecs: the need for objective evaluations C.J. Dalton (63 KB)
	In this article the Author considers, firstly, a hypothetical broadcast network in which compression equipments have replaced several existing functions – resulting in multiple-cascading. Secondly, he describes a similar network that has been optimized for compression technology. Picture-quality assessment methods – both conventional and new, subjective and objective – are discussed with the aim of providing background information. Some proposals are put forward for objective evaluation together with initial observations when concatenating (cascading) codecs of similar and different types.
Quality Evaluation (sound)
284	Assessment of sound-field parameter differences in studio listening conditions G. Spikofski (192 KB)
	Measurements and psychoacoustic investigations have been carried out in ten studio listening environments in European broadcasting organizations. The measurements were based on EBU Doc. Tech 3276 while the psychoacoustic tests related to previous investigations carried out by the author. The material used for the psychoacoustic assessment was dummy head recordings made under specific studio listening conditions. Correlations between the relevant physical and psychoacoustic parameters are given.
274	Subjective assessment of audio quality — the means and methods in the EBU W. Hoeg, L. Christensen and R. Walker (311 KB)
	This article presents a number of useful means and methods for the subjective quality assessment of audio programme material in radio and television, developed and verified by EBU Project Group, P/LIST. The methods defined in several new EBU Recommendations and Technical Documents are suitable for both operational and training purposes in broadcasting organizations.
R&D Management
273	The BBC — R&D in the 90s I. Childs (64 KB)
	The last five years have been a period of immense change within the BBC. In common with all other parts of the organization, R&D has also been subject to upheaval. This article describes the issues that have forced the changes, and attempts to summarize some lessons that have been learnt during this – sometimes uncomfortable – process.
273	The IRT — Project-oriented R&D H. Wilkens (115 KB)
	The IRT, based in Munich, provides R&D facilities for the public service broadcasters of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This article describes how the IRT has adapted to meet the needs of its parent bodies in the rapidly-changing media environment.
273	The ITC — A strategic approach to R&D N. Lodge (110 KB)
	Unlike most other principal EBU members, the (UK) Independent Television Commission "out-sources" most of its R&D work. In this article, the Author describes why – in the case of the ITC at least – a comprehensive in-house R&D facility is not considered necessary.
273	RAI — Combining European collaborative projects with vital in-house R&D M. Cominetti (81 KB)
	The RAI Research Centre in Turin sees participation in strategic European collaborative projects, and continuation of its work in the EBU Project Groups, as the way forward in the rapidly-changing world of broadcasting. Of equal importance to RAI is its in-house R&D which is now focused on software rather than hardware development, and on services rather than on technology issues, in order to provide the vital competitive edge.
273	SVT — Understanding the repercussions of technology development P. Appelquist (96 KB)
	As one of the smaller EBU members, SVT – the Swedish public service broadcaster – has found it particularly difficult to maintain a viable R&D operation in recent years. Here, the Author offers his poignant views on where broadcasting R&D has gone wrong in the past, and puts forward his ideas on what the future holds for the traditional broadcaster in the rapidly-changing media landscape.
273	TDF — Customer- and product-oriented expertise C. Schwartz, D. Frossard (197 KB)
	TDF – a privately-owned company belonging to the France Telecom group – is the main provider of radio and television transmission services in France. It also carries out R&D work in the broadcasting and telecommunications fields. This article describes the current R&D facilities of TDF, and how they have been organized in the context of today's competitive business environment.
Radio Data System (RDS)
308	RadioText Plus — a new enhancement to the RDS RadioText service Hans-Cristoph Quelle and Thomas Kusche (251 KB)
	This article is an excerpt from the RadioText Plus (RT+) Specification. It sets out to explain in brief the basic principles of RT+, which has been developed jointly by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Nokia and the Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT). The purpose of RT+ is to enable analogue FM RDS radios to display information such as Artist and Track details for songs, scrolling news headines, information about the radio station, etc.
267	RASANT: Radio Aided Satellite Navigation Technique P. Raven, S. Sandmann and G. Schoemackers (63 KB)
	The Radio Aided Satellite Navigation Technique – RASANT – provides a DGPS service in real-time, using RDS as the additional data channel. Here, the authors describe how a Global Positioning System basically works and how the geographical resolution of such a system can be reduced to around 1 – 3 metres, by the use of RASANT. A RASANT service is due to commence nationwide in Germany later this year.
264	A high bit-rate data broadcasting system using the terrestrial FM radio network: SWIFT Eureka 1197 project P. Scomazzon and R. Andersson (70 KB)
	The SWIFT Eureka 1197 project aims to develop a multi-application data system using the FM radio network. This article presents a technical assessment of the various existing high bit-rate data broadcasting systems that are compatible both with the Radio Data System (RDS) and with the audio signals (monophonic or stereophonic) that are transmitted by FM radio networks. The technical performance of each existing system is reviewed, along with the performance criteria of the system which has been adopted in the SWIFT project. Finally, three classes of application – professional, public and services for disabled people – are described.
255	RDS in Europe, RBDS in the USA — What are the differences and how can receivers cope with both systems ? T. Beale and D. Kopitz (327 KB)
	The EBU's Radio Data System, devised essentially as a response to the difficulties faced by motorists wishing to listen to VHF/FM radio broadcasts, has established itself as an integral part of most European broadcasters' VHF/FM services, and a substantial number of motorists are now benefiting from more pleasurable listening conditions, easy access to traffic information, and enhanced safety. The benefits of RDS have not gone un-noticed in other continents, and a variant, known as the Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS), has just been agreed by the US standards authorities. This article explains the main differences between the US and European radio data systems, deriving mostly from the differences in structure and content of US broadcasting compared to those of Europe, and describes some new concepts included in RBDS. Finally, the article looks at RDS/RBDS receiver commonality, and examines the possibilities for a rapid expansion of RBDS based on existing RDS receiver technologies.
254	Secure banking application for broadcast data systems P. Shiel (186 KB)
	The enormous growth in the use of "plastic money" has brought with it a need for fast, cost-effective methods for combatting fraud. A new application of the Radio Data System provided by Radio Telefis Eireann, means users of lost or stolen credit cards can be caught "red-handed", without the need for costly and time-consuming verification of every transaction by telephone. The system uses the RDS channel to broadcast continuously up-dated lists of suspect card numbers to cash-register systems in shops, super-markets and other business premises.
Receivers
309	Software-defined radio — the solution for multi-standard multimedia in the mobile environment Les Sabel (228 KB)
	Consumers now demand the ability to consume a vast variety of multimedia content (music, video, photos, games, data services etc.) on a range of platforms – while on the move. Such content can be delivered using both broadcast and point-to-point means and, increasingly, the consumers require instant access. Indeed, entertainment on the move is becoming a must-have in today’s mobile world. A variety of standardized delivery mechanisms are available, using Digital Radio, Mobile TV and mobile-phone technologies – DAB, DRM, DMB and DVB-H as well as the 2.5 and 3G mobile-phone standards. Additionally, our mobile content might include MP2, MP3, MPEG-4 and IP-based audio and video services. To cope with this plethora of multimedia services, consumed on a variety of mobile devices, an extremely flexible platform is increasingly required. One solution, from RadioScape in the UK, is described in this article.
272	Towards the next generation of DAB receivers F. van de Laar, N. Philips, J. Huisken (123 KB)
	The first DAB receivers which accorded with the DAB European Telecommunication Standard became available in 1995. These were based on either a DAB channel-decoder chipset from the JESSI project, or on general-purpose DSPs. For a consumer product, the complexity of these early DAB receivers was much too high. This article describes the features of the next generation of DAB receivers, which are due to be launched at the Berlin IFA in late August. These new receivers will be based on a second generation of channel-decoder chipsets, as developed within the JESSI AE-14 and AE-89 projects. Not only will they be much smaller (and cheaper) than the earlier models from 1995, the new generation of receivers will also support DAB transmission mode IV and the reception of low bit-rate MPEG-2 speech.
Recording
310	Replace your ageing sound recorder with a PDA — fitted out with a broadcast-quality software package Joost Bloemen, Andy Roche and Lucas Vroemen (320 KB)
	For the past two decades, the PDA has gone through a fast and turbulent period of development. It started off in 1984 as a small handheld computer for storing addresses and phone numbers, taking notes and keeping track of daily appointments. Nowadays there are extensive operating systems and features available for PDAs. With their processing capacity and storage space constantly expanding, the modern PDA offers a lot of possibilities for the broadcasting world. Transforming a PDA or Smartphone into a high-quality portable MPEG recorder is the next logical step to take. The use of a PDA with built-in wireless communication can provide an “all-in-one” solution, resulting in more creative broadcasting and a more efficient way of working. It can also be shown that the use of this PDA technology for newsgathering can bring down the broadcasting costs and increase the amount of material which makes it to air.
276	An untraditional approach to the development of untraditional tapeless TV technology A. Deliysky and I. Baberkov (724 KB)
	A tapeless news-processing facility is currently in the process of pilot operation with Bulgarian National Television. Based on the most powerful multi-initiator high bit-rate network technology, and incorporating the hardware and software resources provided by inexpensive and widely-used computer systems, it offers several advantages over traditional tapeless systems that are based on computer technology using real video servers. By extending this subsytem to include other similar subsystems for TV production, post-production, scheduling and archiving, the Authors outline their proposals for a fully-integrated tapeless TV production facility.
254	Handling and storage of recorded videotape EBU Sub-group G2 (199 KB)
	This TUTORIAL, prepared by members of EBU Sub-group G2) brings up-to-date Part II of EBU document Tech. 3202 Storage of magnetic tapes and cinefilms, issued in 1974. The importance of careful handling and proper storage of video tapes at all times cannot be over-emphasised. The basic precautions are the same whether the tapes are in formats which have become obsolete, but may contain valuable archive material, or are in the newer formats which, owing to the use of thinner tape supports and much greater information packing densities, are inherently more susceptible to damage than those used earlier.
Regulation
301	Interoperability, standards and sustainable receiver markets in the European Union Adam Watson Brown (1020 KB)
	This article addresses a recent debate undertaken by the European institutions on the interoperability of interactive television (iTV) receivers. The debate centred on whether it would be appropriate to mandate the MHP standards for iTV in order to enforce interoperability in support of media pluralism. The article argues that the role of interoperability has changed – owing to newer concepts such as access – and that it is no longer realistic in an EU of 25 Member States to achieve interoperability through a single receiver standard for any technical function. Improved co-ordination and implementation by market players could reduce the risks of market failure attached to the launch of new receiver products in horizontal retail markets. Grouped implementation by Member States could help to leverage supranational economies of scale and to overcome market fragmentation.
300	Switchover — the German approach Oliver Werner, Alfred Riedel and Stefan Wirts (479 KB)
	The analogue-to-digital transition in the delivery of TV programmes to the home is a major challenge. Many requirements have to be met. Germany provides an interesting case study as the approaches taken for satellite, terrestrial and cable delivery differ significantly. In this article, after a brief review of TV coverage in Germany, the analogue-to-digital transition is detailed for the three distribution platforms – including issues on picture quality, HDTV and interactive programming based on MHP.
300	Why Ofcom? Andrew Stirling (212 KB)
	In an era of technological and market developments which are rapidly dissolving the boundaries between broadcasting and telecommunications, the UK Government recognized the need for a new regulatory approach. Thus Ofcom was born. This article gives an overview of its structure and terms of reference, from mainly a broadcasting viewpoint.
Satellite Broadcasting
267	Simplified procedure for evaluating the coverage of a multifeed shaped antenna: application to the planning of a broadcasting satellite system L. Tomati, M. D'Onofrio and G. Carere (705 KB)
	Shaped antenna beams offer near-constant antenna gain throughout the nominal coverage area of a geostationary satellite. Also, they provide a fast roll-off in antenna gain outside the footprint, thus facilitating the solution of interference problems. In this article, the authors describe a simplified analytical algorithm which can produce a set of shaped antenna PFD contours on the Earth's surface. These contours can be used as a coverage mask by the antenna manufacturer and can also provide the data input to existing software programs that calculate out-of-beam interference levels.
Spectrum Management & Planning
2008-Q4	DSO — the Swedish experience
	Per Björkman (194 kB)
	One of the most interesting, complicated, intriguing and political questions for the upcoming years in Europe will be the question of how to handle the spectrum in the UHF band (470 - 862 MHz). Up to now, this has been the frequency space used for analogue television but with the approaching analogue switch-off, this will change. In Sweden, the last analogue transmitter was shut down a year ago and the process for a new spectrum allocation is up and running at full speed. This article takes a closer look at the situation in Sweden.
2008-Q2	Editorial: Safeguarding a future for terrestrial digital broadcasting Nigel Laflin
2008-Q1	The roll-out of DTT in France — not just SD ... but HD and mobile TV services as well
	Aurélien Louis and Matthieu Roger (491 kB)
	Despite the rather late launch of DTT services in France compared to some neighbouring countries, they are already being adopted widely by the viewers, thanks to a long tradition of terrestrial television reception. By increasing the number of services and the transmission quality, the digital television landscape is maintaining its rapid evolutionary pace. This article gives a brief description of the current DTT situation in France and of its soon-to-come evolution: HDTV and mobile TV launches. In the longer term, terrestrial broadcasting networks will develop further, as a result of a national scheme to re-allocate the frequencies freed up by the digital switchover process.
2008-Q1	The transition process in relation to Wi95revCo07
	Darko Ratkaj (145 kB)
	The first T-DAB planning meeting – held in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1995 – produced an allotment Plan for T-DAB and a new agreement called “Wiesbaden Special Arrangement, 1995” (Wi95). Most of the countries in Europe obtained two coverages across their whole national territories. Subsequently, the need for additional T-DAB services intended to cover smaller areas was identified, which led to the second T-DAB planning meeting in Maastricht (The Netherlands) in 2002. In additional to the two coverages already available in the Wi95 Plan, each CEPT country obtained one additional coverage. The original Wi95 had to be revised and it was now called “Wiesbaden 1995 Special Arrangement, as revised in Maastricht 2002” (Wi95revMa02). Following the GE06 Agreement that resulted from RRC-04 and RRC-06, the T-DAB Special Arrangement was further revised at a meeting in Constanta, Romania, in July 2007. The revised document is now called “Wiesbaden 1995 Special Arrangement, as revised in Constanta 2007” (Wi95revCo07).
312	Spectrum Planning — analysis of methods for the summation of Log-normal distributions Karina Beeke (372 KB)
	When carrying out coverage predictions for RF signals, statistics play a big part and the statistical nature of the predicted values cannot be ignored. In the particular case of location variation, the signals are assumed to follow a log-normal distribution and various methods are available for carrying out summations of such signals. This article examines the different algorithms in an attempt to assess the suitability of each one and to identify the optimum method to use. Two main scenarios are considered. The first looks at the summation of a series of signals with various mean values, such as might be used when summing the contributions of a number of interferers. The second looks at the best method of including a constant such as the minimum field strength. In all cases, the impact of the mean level and standard deviation of the contributors is considered.
311	Self-interference in SFNs Karina Beeke (585 KB)
	With the introduction of newer digital broadcasting systems – such as mobile television – concern has been expressed about self-interference in single-frequency networks (SFNs). A study has been carried out on a simplified network to investigate this issue, considering the impact of factors such as the transmitter spacing, location variation standard deviation, signal correlation and receiver performance. The outcome of this analysis indicates that self-interference in dense SFNs cannot be ignored. Additionally, it was found that some of the factors considered have a significant impact on network coverage / prediction accuracy. Conversely, in other cases, it is possible to increase the model complexity significantly without a commensurate improvement in the results.
309	RFI — protecting the terrestrial broadcasting services from new interference sources Pierre Boutou (409 KB)
	Over the last few years, new wireless applications have been multiplying and appearing quickly on the market. Despite the CE product marking scheme, framed by the EMC and R&TTE Directives, it appears that some of these new devices do not respect the principle of using the spectrum without causing interference to existing on-air services. This article provides a brief overview of the new and most threatening sources of interference to terrestrial radio and television services.
309	A simple guide to radio spectrum Nigel Laflin and Bela Dajka (379 KB)
	The radio spectrum is a scarce resource. The advent of digital services which use spectrum more efficiently than analogue services will make spectrum available for new, innovative services. But spectrum scarcity will not disappear as these new services are developed. Furthermore, radio waves do not respect international borders, buildings or each other. International harmonisation is needed for each spectrum band. Recent years have seen a distinct move by the UK Government towards the use of market forces, for example through the auctioning of spectrum. Those responsible for spectrum planning face difficult decisions. How, in particular, should they decide what is the right balance between making spectrum available for companies providing commercial services, and ensuring universal availability of public services?
309	Implementation of the Digital Dividend — technical restraints to be taken into account Jan Doeven (241 KB)
	At the RRC-06, a new Agreement and associated frequency plans for digital broadcasting and analogue TV broadcasting during the transition period were agreed (GE06). The next step is implementation of the new Agreement. Broadcasting organisations, network operators, spectrum user forums and others have announced their opinions on the use of Bands III, IV and V. A term often used in relation to the implementation of the new Agreement is “digital dividend”. This article describes the technical constraints to be taken into account when using released spectrum for several digital dividend applications.
308	Editorial: The digital dividend Philip Laven
308	GE06 — overview of the second session (RRC-06) and the main features for broadcasters Terry O’Leary, Elena Puigrefagut and Walid Sami (1.364 MB)
	The Geneva 2006 frequency plan (GE06) is set to replace the Stockholm plan of 1961 (ST61) – providing for T-DAB and DVB-T digital services in the VHF and UHF broadcasing bands (Bands III and IV/V) throughout the European Broadcasting Area and beyond. The EBU contributed actively and efficiently to the success of the planning process, by developing the calculation software that was used by the ITU at RRC-06. This article describes the planning process and its outcome which should ensure that spectrum is available for digital terrestrial broadcasting over the next few decades, covering a large area including 118 countries.
307	Potential threats to radio services from PLT systems Jonathan Stott (527 KB)
	Power-Line Transmission (PLT) is a means of transmitting data along an existing, ubiquitous infrastructure: mains-electricity wiring. You might be forgiven for thinking “So what? What has this to do with broadcasting?” The answer is: “More than you might wish!”, since PLT systems have a demonstrated ability to interfere with radio reception, which of course includes traditional over-the-air broadcasting. This article tries to explain some of how this comes about, what the threats are and what is or isn't being done about it. The occurrence of this interference is contrary to the general principles of regulating radio systems, but many of the detailed regulations in force, or proposed, do not provide adequate protection for broadcasting. “Notching” the PLT signals has been offered as a palliative measure but many requirements must be met for this to become a “cure”. One promising possible extension to the notching technique is described here. If it were properly adopted, it might provide a constructive solution to the inevitable stalemate in the standards process.
305	Editorial: Spectrum efficiency Philip Laven
302	Editorial: Digital switchover Philip Laven
302	RRC-06 — technical basis and planning configurations for T-DAB and DVB-T Roland Brugger and Kerstin Mayer (738 KB)
	One fundamental part of the RRC planning process is to carry out a compatibility analysis. To facilitate this procedure, a reduction in the large number of possible transmitter configurations, down to just a few reference planning configurations, is useful. For compatibility calculations, SFNs may be represented by generic reference networks, whereas single transmitters are described by their “real” characteristics. This article describes various planning configurations and reference networks for T-DAB and DVB-T, while keeping an eye on DVB-H requirements as well.
300	RRC-04/06 — an overview of the first Session (RRC-04) Elena Puigrefagut and Terry O’Leary (xxx KB)
	The ITU Regional Radio Conference, RRC-04/06, was convened to update the Stockholm 1961 and Geneva 1989 VHF/UHF television broadcasting Plans for the European and African Broadcasting Areas, respectively. It takes account of the spectrum needs for digital radio and television terrestrial services in the European and African Broadcasting Areas, and also in neighbouring areas. The first Session, RRC-04, was completed in May 2004 and this article provides an overview of the progress made in establishing the planning criteria and parameters for the later second Session, RRC-06, to be held in 2006.
298	Editorial: Revision of the 1961 Stockholm Plan Philip Laven
298	Frequency economy – new convergence Kjell Engström (424 KB)
	Frequency economy in terms of economic efficiency leads to quite different conclusions on how to use the broadcast spectrum than frequency economy in terms of spectrum efficiency. This article discusses some aspects of frequency economy and convergence, as seen from a radio broadcaster’s perspective.
298	Accurate coverage prediction and optimization — for digital broadcasting Bachir Belloul and Simon Saunders (672 KB)
	Digital broadcasting services (e.g. DVB-T and DAB) require higher prediction accuracy than traditional analogue networks, because digital services are planned with tighter margins on the signal strength and interference. This article describes new prediction models, created by the authors, that offer higher accuracy and which can be used to optimize digital broadcasting networks.
294	Estimating the value of spectrum Kris Van Bruwaene (434 KB)
	The auctions of UMTS spectrum in Europe have raised worldwide awareness of the potential value of this natural resource which, over the past decades, has been virtually free to use. Many broadcasters now fear the loss of their spectrum to more valuable telecom applications. In this article we derive expressions for the value of both telecommunications and broadcast spectrum. An investigation of the capacity of the ether leads to the conclusion that, in the rare case of spectrum shortage, it is more reasonable to take spectrum from telecoms and give it to broadcasters than the other way around.
292	Reflections on a near-past T-DAB conference Ken Hunt, Terry O'Leary and Darko Ratkaj (369 KB)
	With the 2002 CEPT Maastricht Conference now behind us, this article provides an insight into some of the more important decisions made on the future spectrum availability for T-DAB services.
290	Editorial: Spectrum planning Philip Laven
290	Reflections on a near-future T-DAB conference — or making "war on this bloody tyrant time" Ken Hunt and Terry O'Leary (103 KB)
	This article gives a brief outline of the topics to be discussed at the forthcoming T-DAB planning meeting, which will be held in Maastricht during June 2002.
290	Revision of ST61 — lessons learned from history Jan Doeven (476 KB)
	Over the next few years, the Stockholm Frequency Plan of 1961 will be revised to produce a new plan for digital broadcasting in the European Broadcasting Area. In this article, the author describes some of the lessons learned from history which must be taken into account when revising the original Stockholm Plan.
290	Revision of ST61 — the key issues to be addressed Nigel Laflin (609 KB)
	Through the auspices of the ITU, many countries of Europe have embarked on a process to revise the arrangements for the planning of terrestrial television for a digital era. Whilst engineers clearly have a vital role to play in providing technical solutions to facilitate the preparation of the new plan, there are other factors that must be resolved before the engineers can proffer a solution. This article seeks to highlight why we are having a Conference and the key issues to be addressed in seeking a successful outcome. It will require the cooperation and expertise from all the parties involved – including administrations and broadcasters who will need to be clear about their requirements in order that technically satisfactory solutions can be achieved.
289	Satellite DSB systems — and their potential impact on the planning of terrestrial DAB services in Europe Franc Kozamernik, Nigel Laflin and Terry O'Leary (304 KB)
	This article deals with both the system and frequency management aspects of digital sound broadcasting by satellite in L-band, and gives a short description of the newer satellite digital audio systems and their possible impact on T-DAB planning and implementation.
289	T-DAB in the UK — overcoming the spectrum planning and interference issues Mark Thomas (614 KB)
	The roll-out of T-DAB in the UK is proceeding rapidly, with a large proportion of the population now within range of a wide choice of digital radio programme services. The main drivers for reaching this stage have been a mixture of industry resolve, consensus, long-term vision and investment – catalysed by well-constructed incentives. This article looks at the background to the UK’s frequency plan, then looks more closely at two areas of work undertaken by the UK Radio Authority to control interference between the transmissions of different multiplex operators.
287	DVB-T — network structures and costs for full coverage Gerd Petke and Jürgen Frank (641 KB)
	Due to the high penetration of cable and satellite TV services in Germany, the take-up of terrestrial TV is currently less than 10% (at least for the main receiver in each home), and with a slowing tendency. Therefore, in order to reverse this trend, viewers of future DVB-T services will have to be offered new incentives such as portable indoor reception, without the need for a classical roof-top antenna. In the present study, the extent to which full area coverage could be achieved – for portable indoor reception – was investigated in the Schleswig-Holstein region. During the transition period, the level of the effective radiated transmitter power will have to be reduced in accordance with the Chester agreement. It is shown that, after conversion of the existing transmitter network in Schleswig-Holstein, a DVB-T coverage probability of 70% could be reached. Higher coverage probabilities, for portable indoor reception, can only be realized in a cost-effective way by the use of single-frequency networks. However, this implies a revision of the Stockholm Agreement 1961.
286	Editorial: Spectrum pricing P.A. Laven
278	Wiesbaden '95 revisited — T-DAB planning parameters, reference networks and frequency-planning algorithms Terry O'Leary (197 KB)
	As a follow-up to the two previous articles in EBU Technical Review about Wiesbaden ‘95, the author describes the EBU Synthesis computer program that was developed for allotting T-DAB frequency blocks during the Wiesbaden planning process.
267	The CEPT T-DAB Planning Meeting — Wiesbaden, July 1995 K.J. Hunt, T. Cesky, T. Jeacock, M. Mägele, T. O'Leary and G. Petke (155 KB)
	In the Autumn 1995 issue of EBU Technical Review, Ken Hunt offered readers some personal reflections on the CEPT T-DAB Planning Conference which took place at Wiesbaden, Germany, last July. A detailed review of this meeting has now been made and, in this article, several delegates who played leading roles at the Conference offer readers an overview of the preparations and achievements which will permit a smooth introduction of terrestrial Digital Audio Broadcasting.
265	Personal reflections on the CEPT T-DAB Planning Conference: Wiesbaden, 3 – 21 July 1995 K.J. Hunt (244 KB)
	Before terrestrial Digital Audio Broadcasting (T-DAB) services can be introduced, it is vital that suitable frequency blocks are allotted to each country, paying due regard to the possible interference that such services may receive from, or cause to, other existing services. In Europe, this planning task is the responsibility of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). A CEPT T-DAB Planning Conference was held in Wiesbaden, Germany, from 3 to 21 July 1995. In this brief article, the author offers his personal reflections on what was achieved at this conference.
260	The conventional planning approach applied to digital terrestrial television K.J. Hunt (94 KB)
	This article continues and expands upon the discusion started in [3]. It is becoming ever more clear that the future of broadcasting, and that of television in particular, is digital. The transfer to digital is already taking place in the studio; many contribution circuits are already digital; the final stage in this process involves the transmission and reception part of the overall chain. The potential benefits are considerable. The greater spectrum economy of digital signals will provide the capacity for more services, while also providing higher technical quality for the pictures displayed in viewers' homes. The main difficulty lies in finding the spectrum in which to introduce the digital services, while maintaining the existing analogue services in operation for what could be an extended transition period.
257	Planning aspects of digital terrestrial television G. Petke (146 KB)
	New bit-rate reduction techniques and the development of powerful modulation schemes offer the possibility of squeezing one or even more digital television programmes into an 8-MHz wide television channel. The article gives an overview of the availability of frequency bands, including the use of the so-called "taboo channels". The situations in Europe and the United States are compared. Protection ratios and minimum usable field-strength values, including margins for reliable operation of a digital service, are discussed. Using the OFDM technique, a digital service can be operated as a single-frequency network. It is shown that in addition to frequency efficiency, the SFN offers further advantages compared to other approaches.
257	Planning for terrestrial digital television K.J Hunt and R.I. Black (155 KB)
	This article is intended as a companion to that prepared by Mr. Petke and which also appears in this issue of EBU Technical Review. It describes some of the work being undertaken within the general area of EBU Sub-group R2 and, in particular, its Specialist Group R2/DTV. The latter was set up specifically to study the possibilities open to digital television transmission in the bands allocated for terrestrial use by television services. It has rapidly been established that there are short-term as well as long-term possibilities. In the short-term, the limitations imposed by the need for coexistence between analogue and digital services give rise to difficulties which must not be underestimated. In the long term, almost everything seems to be possible!
252	Service planning for terrestrial Digital Audio Broadcasting A. Lau and W. Williams (300 KB)
	As DAB system developers in the Eureka 147 consortium and the EBU move towards the establishment of a complete system specification, and as broadcasters express increasing interest in opening DAB services as soon as 1995, the question of service planning gains in importance. This progress report on service planning studies for DAB single frequency networks (SFN) contains valuable preliminary data concerning required field-strengths and protection ratios for terrestrial DAB services (including protection to and from other broadcast systems such as television and FM radio). DAB SFNs offer greatest spectrum efficiency if they use many closely – spaced low – power transmitters. However the first terrestrial DAB services will most probably be incorporated within the existing broadcast transmitting – station infrastructure and the article presents the results of coverage predictions for practical DAB SFNs serving large regions from existing transmitter sites. Further work is required on many aspects of DAB service planning, to refine the prediction models used and ensure that the launch of DAB programme services is not compromised by inadequate coverage.
252	Results of the WARC-92 Conference C. Terzani, D. Sauvet–Goichon and K.J. Hunt (225 KB)
	WARC-92 was the first opportunity since 1979 for broadcasters – and indeed other users of radio spectrum – to state their case for modifications or additions to the existing frequency allocations for certain of the services for which they have a responsibilty. The intervening twelve years had seen some significant changes in the bands falling under the scrutiny of WARC-92. These were, most notably an increase in congestion in the HF bands allocated to international broadcasting (especially below 10 MHz), and the development – at least in prototype form – of two major new broadcasting systems: Digital Audio Broadcasting, requiring frequencies in the UHF range, and wide RF band HDTV for which a new frequency band in the vicinity of 20 GHz was deemed approporiate. Broadcasters were therefore especially concerned, at WARC-92, to safeguard their future in these three important areas, whilst remaining attentive to all other aspects of the Conference which might have a influence on present or future broadcasting services.
Standardization
307	The worldwide ITU dimension to DTV standards — the impossible took a little longer! Stanley Baron and David Wood (387 KB)
	This article describes the progress made in the ITU-R during the 1980s and 90s to prepare international standards for digital terrestrial television systems. The last ITU-R meeting on this project was held in November 1996 – almost 10 years ago – at which a set of Recommendations for digital broadcasting systems was agreed, laying the foundations for the global roll-out of DTV and HDTV terrestrial broadcast services.
304	Rec. 601 — the origins of the 4:2:2 DTV standard Stanley Baron and David Wood (284 KB)
	The year 2005 marks the 25th anniversary of the development of the 4:2:2 component DTV standard. This standard – as documented in SMPTE 125, several EBU Recommendations and ITU-R Recommendation 601 – was the first international standard adopted for interfacing equipment directly in the digital domain, avoiding the need to first restore the signal to an analogue format. This article – one of three published in this edition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Rec. 601” – presents an overview of this historic achievement. It provides a history of the standard’s origins, explaining how it came into being, why various parameter values were chosen, the process that led the world community to an agreement, and how the 4:2:2 standard led to today’s digital high-definition production standards.
304	The dawn of Rec. 601 ... 25 years on David Wood (166 KB)
	David Wood interviews pathfinder Peter Rainger (ex-BBC and a former Chairman of the joint EBU-SMPTE Task Force) on his major contribution to the standardization of 4:2:2 digital video, aka ITU Recommendation BT.601
304	Rec. 601 — the move to components Chris Clarke and Andrew Oliphant (763 KB)
	In the late 1970s it was clear that the time was right to standardize the sampling parameters for digital video signals. This would allow the emerging digital “islands” to be connected over the course of time, to form a complete digital programme chain. However, many broadcast engineers preferred composite digital video standards, with the sampling frequency linked to the PAL or NTSC subcarrier, while others looked forward to a universal standard based on sampling separate luminance and colour difference components. The resolution came from work at BBC Research Department on standards conversion. The BBC became convinced that digital component standards were the way forward and was able to demonstrate how composite signals can be accommodated in a component world – based on line-locked orthogonal sampling patterns.
277	Everyone needs standards D. Wood (142 KB)
	In this short article, based on a presentation given to the ABU Technical Assembly in Shanghai, China, the Author argues for a rationalization of the ITU-R in order to strengthen its position as a major standards body in the audio-visual field.
266	The DAVIC Project — Rationale and goals L. Chiariglioni (72 KB)
	In this article, the author gives the reasons for the founding of the Digital Audio-Visual Council (DAVIC). Its structure, the way it operates and the nature of the specifications it produces are described. Also, the contents of Version 1.0 of the specification are explained and the programme of work for 1996 is outlined.
255	Technical standards and regulations for broadcasting — Role of the international organizations A. Brown (53 KB)
	In the new era of deregulation in telecommunications, it may be seen as ironic that several new regulatory and standardization bodies should have been created in Europe in recent years. In the meantime, in an attempt to respond more effectively to the rapid technological changes affecting all branches of the telecommunications industry, the international organizations – the ITU in particular – are having to adapt their working structures and devise new ways of reaching consensus. As an association of broadcasting organizations, and also in its capacity as network manager for the world's largest and most-complex point-to-point television transmission network, the EBU has an important rôle to play in both the worldwide and regional (European) standards arena. The article explains how the various standardization and regulatory organizations work together, and the EBU's relationships with them.
Subtitling
252	EBU subtitling data exchange standard A. Ahl (105 KB)
	Subtitling has become one of the "growth areas" of European broadcasting, as television services take in increasing numbers of programmes from outside their own countries. Subtitling offers significant advantages compared to sound dubbing, especially in the case of specialist programmes, where the cost of dubbing would be out of proportion to the potential television audience. Seizing the opportunities presented by this relatively new market, several companies have independently developed subtitling systems of varying complexities. Faced with increasing diversity in the data file formats delivered by these systems, the EBU has taken the initiative of establishing a standard for the exchange of subtitle lists. The EBU standard leaves system manufacturers free to offer any operational features which they believe will give them a competitive lead in the market, while ensuring that the subtitle data which is essential for the correct display of the subtitles can be exchanged without ambiguity between broadcasters.
Super Hi-Vision
2009-SE	Beyond HDTV – television ‘on the run’?
	David Wood (42 kB)
2009-SE	Super Hi-Vision — the star of the show!
	Yoshiaki Shishikui, Yoshihiro Fujita and Keiichi Kubota (1089 kB)
	On 12 September 2008, at 10 o’clock in the morning, more than 100 members of the press packed into the 50-seat NHK Theatre at IBC Amsterdam to witness the world’s first international transmission of Super Hi-Vision programming. In the sweltering room, the potential and feasibility of Super Hi-Vision were demonstrated by the images displayed on the 275-inch screen, which were transmitted live from London City Hall and also as pre-recorded programming from Turin. An experiment – born of meticulous planning and cooperation by eight organizations over the course of a year – was very successful and it was the most eye-catching demonstration at IBC-2008. This article describes the collaboration between members of the Broadcast Technology Futures (BTF) group that made these demos possible.
2009-SE	Super Hi-Vision — the London-Amsterdam live contribution link
	John Zubrzycki, Thomas Davies, Peter-Calvert Smith, Paul Styles, Bill Whiston, Yukihiro Nishida and Masaru Kanazawa (1301 kB)
	The first international Super Hi-Vision (SHV) contribution link took place in September 2008. Live pictures from London were shown in a specially-built theatre, constructed in Amsterdam for the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC-2008). The link used standard telecommunications circuits to demonstrate that, in principle, it is feasible to backhaul contribution-quality SHV signals from anywhere in the world that has access to broadband telecommunications. This article gives an overview of the SHV system and then describes the transmission equipment used, the operations at the outside broadcast site in London, the link to Amsterdam and the reception in the SHV Theatre. Finally, the application of a new coder – called Dirac – to SHV, and other further work, are outlined.
2009-SE	Super Hi-Vision — delivery perspectives
	Alberto Morello, Vittoria Mignone, Kazuyoshi Shogen and Hisashi Sujikai (882 kB)
	Super Hi-Vision – the 4320 line x 7680 pixels/line TV system under development by NHK, the Japanese public broadcaster – offers an astonishing user experience, thanks to a picture resolution which is sixteen times that of what we presently call ‘High Definition’ (HDTV). There are 60 progressively-scanned frames every second and, for the audio, 22.2 three-dimensional surround channels – nine at ceiling height, including one directly overhead; ten channels at the centre height of the screen; three front channels at floor level and, for the rolling thunder and other low-frequency effects, two channels at the front. Since the bitrate of the native Super Hi-Vision signal is a massive 24 Gbit/s, the major part of the technical challenge is in developing ways of delivering the service to the final user. One of the highlights of IBC-2008 in Amsterdam was the first live transmission of Super Hi-Vision from the RAI Research uplink station in Turin to Amsterdam, via a Eutelsat Ku-band satellite using DVB-S2. This article summarizes the studies under development at the NHK Laboratories and at the RAI Research Centre ... towards the evaluation of various SHV delivery systems, via both satellite and terrestrial broadband channels.
2008-Q2	Super Hi-Vision — research on a future ultra-HDTV system
	Masayuki Sugawara (546 kB)
	This article briefly describes the current status of R&D on the “Super Hi-Vision” television system in Japan. The R&D efforts on Super Hi-Vision are intended to explore the next-generation television system to succeed HDTV at some point in the future, and it consists of ultra-HD images and three-dimensional multichannel sound. The conceptual ideas behind the research project and the status of the technological developments are described. The collaboration between various EBU Members and NHK is also mentioned.
Surround Sound
2004-Q1	Microphone systems for Surround Sound pickup — and their use at Wimbledon tennis and The Proms
	Bill Whiston (246 kB)
	This article briefly describes some of the microphones developed specifically for Surround Sound pickup, along with several of the main Surround acquisition systems on which the majority of the dedicated Surround mics are based. It offers some personal advice on whether a particular system is suitable for use in this recording environment or that. Some microphone systems are obviously more intrusive “in shot” than others, depending on the location. The author also describes two major outside broadcasts that have involved Surround Sound mixes – the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the BBC Proms Concerts from the Royal Albert Hall in London.
308	Prix Europa — results of the 2006 media streaming trial Franc Kozamernik and Marco de Giorgi (374 KB)
	The Prix Europa 2006 opening concert was given on 14 October 2006 in Berlin by a Portuguese World Music group called Gaiteros de Lisboa. On the occasion of this one-hour long concert, the EBU organized a technical experiment to distribute multichannel 5.1 audio – coded in HE AAC (High Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding) over the internet using a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) technology from Octoshape. This experiment is significant because, for the first time, an event was “broadcast” live in 5.1 multichannel format across the Internet, potentially addressing large audiences with high-quality surround sound.
307	Multichannel audio — a review of the work of EBU Focus Team B/MCAT John Couling and Franc Kozamernik (174 KB) German (FKT) version (160 KB)
	Over the years many EBU Members have experimented with multichannel audio (MCA) within radio and television services. In more recent times, since the advent of DVB digital broadcasting, multichannel audio has become an integral part of Members’ transmissions, improving the quality and user enjoyment of many different types of programming. The Focus Team B/MCAT (MultiChannel Audio Transmission) was formed to allow EBU Members to share their experiences of multichannel audio broadcasting and to address any transmission issues arising. The final output of the group is EBU Tech doc. 3311, EBU Guidelines for Multichannel Audio in DVB. This article describes the efforts and studies that lay behind the creation of this document.
306	Audio in next-generation DVB broadcast systems Roland Vlaicu (196 KB)
	Broadcasters have significant new requirements for audio delivery in next-generation broadcast systems such as High-Definition Television. These include the capability to deliver soundtracks ranging from mono to 5.1 channels and beyond – with greater efficiency than with current systems, but also to maintain compatibility with existing consumer home cinema systems. A new audio delivery system, referred to as Enhanced AC-3 (marketing name: Dolby Digital Plus), has been developed to meet these requirements, and has been standardized in DVB and ATSC, referring to ETSI TS 102 366 V1.1.1 (2005-02).
305	MPEG-4 HE-AAC v2 — audio coding for today's digital media world Stefan Meltzer and Gerald Moser (395 KB)
	Delivering broadcast-quality content to consumers is one of the most challenging tasks in the new world of digital broadcasting. One of the most critical aspects is the highly efficient use of the available transmission spectrum. Consequently, a careful choice of compression schemes for media content is essential – for both the technical and the economical feasibility of modern digital broadcasting systems. In the case of audio content, the MPEG-4 High Efficiency AAC v2 profile (HE-AAC v2) has proven, in several independent tests, to be the most efficient audio compression scheme available worldwide. It has recently been selected within DVB as part of its overall codec toolbox. HE-AAC v2 comprises a fully-featured tool set for the coding of audio signals in mono, stereo and multichannel modes (up to 48 channels) – at high quality levels using a wide range of bitrates.
301	Digital multichannel audio — live transmission of Prix Europa concert in Dolby AC-3 by RBB, and in Dolby E via the Eurovision Network Nicholaus Löwe, Franc Kozamernik and Vlastimil Benovsky (1130 KB)
	The Eurovision network is continuing its evaluation of different technical options for multichannel audio (MCA) and, in October 2004, it broadcast a live concert from Prix Europa in Berlin using the Dolby E format. The 5.1 surround sound production was carried out by the German radio station RBB Radio Multikulti in Berlin. Part I of this article describes some of the problems in a 5.1 live mixing situation and how the mix was transported via a wide-area network to the satellite uplink in Potsdam for multicast distribution. In addition, some current issues on DVB signalling and set-top box compatibility are discussed, and a perspective on lessons learned for the future is given. Part II reports on the experience gained by the EBU from the Prix Europa 2004 Dolby E experiment. It also describes the technical and operational aspects of the trial in some detail and gives a short description of Dolby MCA technology..

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