Digital radio platforms in Europe

1
Digital radio platforms in Europe

• Radio Assembly Dublin April 2007
• Mathias Coinchon
• EBU Technical department

2
Presentation plan

• Overview of digital systems
• Aspects to consider, categorisation, frequencies
• Focus on European digital radio broadcasting
  systems
• DAB family of standards DAB/DAB/(T-DMB)
• Digital Radio Mondiale
• Future and conclusion

3
Analogue broadcasting
4
Digital systems...
ISDB-T
and more to come ....
5
Aspects to consider

• Network costs
• Coverage objectives country/population,
  audience, indoor reception
• Number of programmes / audio quality
• User
• Simplicity of use/installation, portability,
  receiving costs, battery life
• Zapping time, service following
• Associated data
• Pictures, text, interactivity, (video)
• Other information traffic information,
  announcements

6
Nature of systems

• Terrestrial small to large scale coverage,
  indoor
• Radio DAB, DRM, IBOC/HD radio (USA)
• TV DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB, MediaFlo, ISDB-T
• Satellite large scale coverage, no indoor
• Radio Worldspace, XM/Sirius (USA), ESA
• TV DVB-S
• Telecommunication systems designed for one to
  one
• Mobile phones 3G UMTS
• Internet using Wifi, Wimax,....

7
Resources frequencies

• Long, medium and short waves (
• Band I (47-68MHz) (DRM)
• Band II (87.5-108MHz) FM, (DRM)
• Band III (174-230MHz) DAB, DVB-T
• Band IV V (470-862MHz) DVB-T/DVB-H
• Band L (1452-1490MHz) DAB, Satellite radio

Antennasize
Transmittersdensity

• Low frequencies large scale terrestrial coverage
• High frequencies local terrestrial coverage

All European countries now have band III spectrum
available for DAB
8
The DAB Family
1993
2005
2007
2005

• Eureka-147/DAB Family
• Initially Audio.
• Now Audio, video other data services.
• Common DAB transmission system
• Bouquet of services (Multiplex) on a single DAB
  frequency
• Coexistence of different types of services is
  possible

9
DAB

• Terrestrial Digital Audio Broadcasting
  transmission system
• Robust for Mobile (up to 300km/h)
• Single Frequency Network no frequency changes,
  combined power
• Audio services with MPEG Layer II
• 192-256kbps for good quality stereo, 128kbps for
  moderate quality
• Data services
• PAD Program associated data (text, pictures,
  web, guide)
• Announcements, traffic information
• 350 receiver models, starting from 50

10
DAB

• System for transporting MPEG-4 AAC audio over DAB
• Good audio quality at low bitrates more audio
  or other services
• Inherits all DAB features designed for radio
• DAB receivers are incompatible but DAB ones will
  receive DAB
• First receivers in 2007, chipset already
  available
• Good option for new comers
• Australia has already chosen DAB
• Others migration plans can be considered
• New services with DAB

11
DAB/DAB Capacity

• DAB stereo audio at 128kbps
• up to 9 services per multiplex

• DAB stereo audio at 64 kbps
• up to 18 services per multiplex

12
DAB Audio at 48kbps

• DAB Audio at 48kbps
• Audio demonstration
• Normal DAB at 48kbps (stereo)
• DAB at 48kbps
• Original extract
• Audio quality improvement
• Higher bitrate necessary for Hi-Fi
• Planned EBU listening tests (B/DABA group)

24 audio services
13
T-DMB Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting

• Mobile television system over DAB
• MPEG-4 video and audio (BSAC or AAC)
• 150 receivers models Car GPS, mobile phone,
  portable devices
• Can be used for radio with pictures but
• Increased overhead less programs (normal DAB)
• Video component is necessary for the receivers
• Longer zapping time
• T-DMB receivers include normal DAB reception

14
DAB multiplex composition example
15
DRM Digital Radio Mondiale

• Digital system for long, medium and shortwave
• Improved audio quality compared to AM (but lower
  than FM)
• Easy tuning
• Large scale coverage with few transmitters
• Limited capacity, sensitivity to interferences
• DAB()/DRM receivers (alliance)
• Complementary to DAB standards
• DRM project of modified DRM for frequency bands
  I (TV) and II (FM band)

16
Digital world

• The digital world construction.....
• (Picture The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel,
  1563)

17
Software defined radio

• Software defined radio
• Similar hardware for different standards
• Software demodulation/decoding
  updates/adaptations possible
• Issue costs of standard patents (IPR licences)

FM/DAB/DAB/WifiReceiver module
18
Conclusions

• Consider the objectives for radio and network
  costs
• Availability of frequencies
• European radio broadcasting standards
• DAB/DAB national/regional/local coverage, large
  audience, multimedia
• DRM international/national/(local) coverage,
  large audience
• Dont get confused with plethora of systems
• Marketing overload
• Interoperability with multi-standard receivers
  (DVB-H/DMB/DAB)