ntl Asia Pacific

1
ntl Asia Pacific

• Designing and Testing a Digital Mobile System for
• Singapore
• By
• Henry Cheong
• Managing Director - ntl Asia Pacific

2
Digital TV Mobile

• Introduction
• System
• Problem areas and considerations
• Results
• Commercial Considerations
• Technical Review
• Conclusions

3
Introduction

• Singapores vision for DTV
• A DTV service by end 2000
• MRT trials
• ntls involvement

4
System - General

• SBS route No 7
• 5 buses - 2 double decker, 3 single decker
• 0600H- 2400H operation
• Multiple LCD with audio
• Programs supplied by TCS
• System management, planning, integration and
  implementation by ntl

5
Singapore City
6
Bus route coverage
7
Singapore - Bus Route 7 coverage
8
Technical Details - General

• DVB-T with 2K COFDM
• 4 transmitter on SFN
• QPSK Modulation
• FEC of 1/2
• GI of 1/4
• Ch 37

9
System - Studio Installation
TCS Studio Technical Centre
Philips QPSK Modulator
Snell Wilcox Video A to D
Video
SPI
70Mhz
Philips Video Encoder
3-Way Splitter
Audio
Philips Audio A to D
CML Microwave Transmitter
CML Microwave Transmitter
CML Microwave Transmitter
Philips Token MUX
GPS Antenna
Bukit Batok
Great World City
Bedok (via Raffles Ciry)
ASI
PTV SFN Adaptor
10MHz 1PPS
Rapco GPS Receiver
Mode 2K QPSK FEC 1/2 Guard Interval 1/4 Max
Network Delay 200mS
10
System - Transmission Site Installation
CML Microwave Receiver 11GHz
Microwave Link From Tech Centre
Bukit Batok 350W Clementi
50W Bedok 50W Great World City 50W
70MHz
Global IF Upconvertor 70-1140mhz
Antenna System
Set top box
1140MHz
Philips IRD MPEG2 Decoder
Audio
GPS Antenna
Audio
SPI
Mode 2K QPSK FEC 1/2 Guard Interval 1/4 Offset
0.0uS
PTV COFDM Modulator
10MHz 1PPS
Rapco GPS Receiver
36.0/36.2 Mhz 0dbm
10MHz
Transmitter Exciter
RF Ch7 Centre Freq 602MHz
11
Technical details - Bus installation
Antenna
Pre-Amplifier
Video Distn Amp
NDS Alteia Receiver
Audio Amp Speakers
12
System - Bus installation
13
Technical Details - Bus antenna
14
Problem Areas

• Time Constraint
• Constraints on site availability
• restricted access to sites and towers
• Constraints on equipment availability
• transmitters, antennas, microwave links

15
Results - Technical

• Excellent - over 99 availability
• System very robust
• able to predict problem areas

16
Results - surveys

• Survey - 2 parts
• Part 1 - self-completed questionnaires on board
  bus
• Part 2 - face to face interviews at bus
  interchanges.

17
Research findings

• 85 of commuters like the idea
• English was the preferred choice of programs
• Comedy was 1st choice followed by Variety/Music
  and news
• Other comments
• Broadcast English programs only
• introduce headsets
• increase size of LCD screens
• increase program variety
• increase news content

18
Main concerns

• Audio level and system
• Choice of language and programming content

19
Commercial Considerations

• Technical Infrastructure Costs
• Revenue
• Commercial considerations

20
Infrastructure Costs

• Transmission Costs - US2,000,000
• Bus Installation Costs - US10,000 per bus

21
Installation Costs - Double Deck Vehicle
22
Bus Installation Costs - Comparision
23
Revenue

• ? ? ?

24
Business considerations

• Business partnerships between content provider,
  transmission operator and the bus companies.
• Roll out plan
• to be done in phases??
• Programming content
• basic materials
• innovative advertisement

25
Technical review

• Mobile TV System within the constraints of the
  Singapore environment.
• Review of the various variants for DVB-T Mobile

26
Mobile DVB-T

• Vertical polarisation preferred
• Very high availability required - 99 locations
• Good performance receive aerials
• Three possible variants
• 2k QPSK rate 1/2 1/4 guard interval
• 8k QPSK rate 1/2 1/8 guard interval
• 2k 16QAM rate 1/2 1/4 guard interval

27
Present Progress of TV Mobile implementation

• TCS has issued a competitive tender for the
  Design, installation and implementation of the TV
  Mobile Service on a turnkey basis.
• Expected Start of service - end 2000
• Uncertainties??
• License issues
• monopoly status
• Government incentives/support