DIGITAL SATELLITE NEWS GATHERING

Eric Norton DiviCom Inc. USA

ABSTRACT In the analog world, satellite news gathering (SNG) has been expensive and equipment intensive. A large crowded van typifies a remote operation. Furthermore, video quality has been unpredictable, and compatibility among individual components from different vendors is unlikely. Digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) equipment offers broadcasters many advantages over analog. Digital compression provides superior video quality in only a fraction of the bandwidth used by analog systems. Adherence to international standards maintains vendor inter-operability. New advancements in technology allow these systems to fit into size sensitive installations, some as small as two rack units in height. These ultracompact systems can be stowed into overhead bins of commercial aircraft, or installed into station wagons or mini-vans. How much will these advances cost broadcasters? Surprisingly, DSNG actually costs less than the older analog systems. Advanced features, improved portability, and better price/petformance open up new markets for DSNG. Broadcasters in both private and government sectors are now taking advantage of this new technology for real-time mobile communications.

International Broadcasting Convention, 12-16 September 1997 Conference Publication No. 447, 0 IEE, 1997

56 INTRODUCTION
Digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) equipment offers broadcasters many advantages over analog. Digital compression provides superior video quality in only a fraction of the bandwidth used by analog systems. Adherence to international standards maintains vendor interoperability. New advancements in technology allow these systems to fit into size sensitive installations, some as small as two rack units in height. The IF nominal output of the modulator is then fed into an up-converter which produces the satellite frequency of interest. Usually this is a two step conversion: first to L-band (1 GHz) and then to Cband (6 GHz) or Ku-band (14 GHz). The upconverter output is then fed into a high power amplifier (HPA) which is connected to the transmit antenna.

DIGITAL SNG OVERVIEW

There are two major differences between the equipment needed for analog SNG and the equipment needed for DSNG. The first is the f addition o a digital compressor, and the second is the use of a digital video modulator instead of the analog video modulator.

ANALOG SNG REVIEW

The core of the analog SNG equipment is a video modulator which takes analog composite video as an input (NTSC or PAL) and modulates the signal to fit into a satellite transponder on a 70 or 140 MHz (IF) nominal carrier. With a 54 MHt transponder, Yz of the transponder can be used for each analog video. With 36 MHz or less transponders, the video quality will suffer if less than a full transponder is used per channel. This is mainly due to a linear reduction in the signal bandwidth without a corresponding reduction in the noise thus affecting the signal-to-noise ratio of the transmission.

Digital Video Compressor

The digital compressor receives video, either in analog or digital format, and produces a compressed digital output stream. International standards for Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) specify that this compressor should create an output that is compliant with MPEG-2 specifications, i.e., an MPEG-2 transport stream. It is interesting to note that MPEG-2 is actually a decoding specification, and there is substantial room for compression algorithms to create different quality video. The first area where video quality can be affected is the conversion from analog composite video (PAL or NTSC) to sampled to digital video. To preserve signal quality, 4:2:2 sampling using 10 bits of resolution is preferred. In addition, a comb filter should adapt to the picture to give the best possible filter algorithm. This adaptive filtering will reduce the extraneous video components that are unrelated to the picture activity, and thus reduce the complexity of the compression required.

6-14 GHz

UP-CONVERTER
~~~~

70 MHz

VIDEO MODULATOR
~~

If the video signal is already in serial digital format, then the compressor simply uses this as the input, rather than performing the analog to digital conversion. In addition, if audio channels are embedded in the serial digital input, then the compressor should extract them and process them accordingly.

Composite video

Figure 1. Typical Analog SNG Setup Analog audio inputs are modulated as sidebands to the video channel carrier, using additional transponder bandwidth. Any additional data services, such as RS-232, are also modulated as sidebands to the video carrier.

Once the 4:2:2 signal has been passed to the video compressor, resultant video quality is dependent on the compression algorithm. Thus a compressor with a superior compression algorithm will yield better quality pictures at lower data rates. The areas where algorithms usually differ are in motion estimation, edge detection, image smoothing, image stabilization, and noise removal.

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Audio and data inputs are sampled, compressed, and multiplexed into the MPEG-2 transport stream with the compressed video. Thus the output can be modulated on a single carrier, removing the need for sidebands. DVB specifies a standard output format for input into the next stage, the digital video modulator. The DVB Asynchronous Serial Interface (DVB-ASI) provides up to 270 Mbps of data on a standard 75 Q BNC connector, with no requirements for reverse clocking. The first step in the modulation is the DVB-AS1 adaptation, followed by energy dispersal circuitry following the IESS-309 specifications. The modulator also adds two kinds of forward error correction, which sacrifice the amount of data transmitted to reduce the total bit error rate of the link. The outer coding, or Reed-Solomon, adds 16 extra bytes of error correction to each 188 byte MPEG-2 packet to yield 204 byte packets in the MPEG-2 transport stream. The correction capacity of the outer coding is 8 symbols per 188 byte packet. The inner coding, or Viterbi rate, effectively sends duplicate information to ensure the total bit error rate (BER) is acceptably low for the link, usually lo'* for good quality. In between the outer coding and the inner coding, a convolutional interleaver is inserted to uniformly distribute any potential errors. Since a perfect square wave cannot be maintained over a transmission, the pulses are "rolled-off using a pulse shaping technique known as square-root raised cosine before they are fed into the IF section. This "roll-off" is specified by DVB to be 0.35, which means a 35% reduction in the amount of bandwidth available, as a compromise between high data rate and small signal distortion caused by the HPA. MEDIUM POWER AMP
6-14 GHz

I I

QPSK MODULATOR &

UP-CONVERTER
DVB-AS1

VIDEO COMPRESSOR
Composite or digital video

1 I

Finally, the pulses are modulated to IF nominal carrier output using the appropriate phase information. Each of the four QPSK symbols is separated by 90" of phase shift. The ability of a demodulator to easily recognize 90" phase shifted symbols makes QPSK the optimal modulation technique for satellite communications. Up-Converter & Amplifier The up-converter can be the same one used in the analog SNG equipment, as long as it meets with the IESS specifications for phase noise. The upconverter function can be combined in the same box as the QPSK modulator, yielding a cost-effective one rack unit box that receives an MPEG-2 transport stream in DVB-AS1 format and outputs a single satellite RF signal carrying video, audio, and data. Because only a fraction of the satellite transponder will be illuminated, the amplifier used with DSNG can be smaller in power (and thus in size & heat output) than the high power amplifier used for analog SNG.

Figure 2. Optimized DSNG Setup

Digital Video Modulator The digital video modulator takes the MPEG-2 transport stream input from the digital video compressor, and produces an IF output for input to an up-converter. The conversion from digital to analog is done with Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation, which produces an output symbol for every two bits of digital input. Thus every decoded symbol at the receiver will represent two bits of data. It should be noted that 8PSK, which produces one symbol for every three bits of data, has potential to succeed in applications where large antennae can be deployed, but QPSK offers the best compromise of data rate, power, and dish sizes.

Useful Data Rates vs. Satellite Bandwidth Useful data rate, or available data rate, is the total MPEG-2 transport stream rate which includes video, audio, data, Program Clock Reference (PCR)

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insertion, Service Information (SI) data, and any other compression overhead. There is a linear relationship between the amount of required transponder bandwidth and available data rate. It is necessary to also introduce symbol rate as this is the output rate of the modulator and is often used in lieu of data rate or bandwidth. To go from transponder bandwidth to available data rate, use equation (1) below to get the available symbol rate, and then equation (2) to get the available date rate:

(NTSC). If the number of pixels per line, or horizontal resolution, is reduced, then the compressor has less information to process, and can thus work at a lower bit rate. Of course there is a resultant softening in the video picture as not all of the sharpness is preserved. This effect is not desirable for fast motion pictures such as sports, but for low activity events the softening is not perceived as picture degradation. In addition to limiting the horizontal resolution, horizontal filters for both the luminance (brightness & contrast) and chrominance (hue & saturation). Turning up the luminance filter reduces the amount of black & white information that is passed to the compressor which makes it easier to compress, but at the cost of lower picture quality. Likewise turning up the chrominance filter reduces the sharpness of the picture color, but for the best quality it should be left off. Assuming an FEC of %, the following table contrasts the satellite transponder bandwidth (BW) required for various types of picture content, varying bit rate, horizontal resolution, and horizontal filters for luminance and chrominance:

S = BW / 1.35 D = S 2 * (188/204) * FEC

(1) (2)

S = Available symbol rate (in Mbaud) D = Available data rate (in Mbps) BW =transponder bandwidth (in MHz), -3 dB FEC = inner code forward error correction Assumes roll-off per DVB of 0.35

Examples: FEC = 94 and BW = 36 MHz, then D = 36.9 Mbps FEC = % and BW = 36 MHz, then D = 24.6 Mbps To go from available data rate to required satellite transponder bandwidth, use equation (3) below to get required symbol rate and equation (4) to get required bandwidth:
S = D * (l/FEC) * (204/188) * (112) BW = S * 1.35

(3) (4)
Film

Examples: FEC = % and D = 8 Mbps, then BW = 7.8 MHz FEC = % and D = 15 Mbps, then BW = 14.6 MHz
I

3Mbps 2Mbps

544
480

Medium Maximum

2.9 MHz 1.9 MHz

I

News

SAVINGS IN TRANSPONDER BANDWIDTH The bottom line of video compression is using less bandwidth to send equivalent Or better quality pictures. Whereas the analog SNG equipment uses one-halfOr an entire transponder, the DSNG equipment Only a small portion Of the transponder.

Cost Savings There are considerable differences in pricing beween satellite s .i e e,c Full transponders, from 27 MHz to 36 MHz, have a market value range from $100K to $200K per month. A fair assumption is that a full transponder will cost no less than $1M per year. Using this assumption, an approximation of cost savings can be calculated.
Twnsmission Format
Satellite BW

Factors Affecting Bandwidth

As discussed, digital video compressors can vary in their compression efficiency and video quality. Thus, one DSNG solution might need 8 Mbps to produce a picture that an advanced DSNG solution might produce in only 4 Mbps.

Cost
per Year

Digital, 8 Mbps Digital, 4 Mbps

7 . 8 ~ ~ 2$ 2 1 7 ~ 3.9MHz $108K

There are several key variables that can be used to reduce the required bandwidth. A full resolution

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While these figures are approximations and rates will vary considerably, it can be safely concluded that a DSNG system that uses advanced compression techniques can save the broadcaster significant amounts over analog SNG. INTEGRATED RECEIVER DECODERS (IRDS) At the destination, usually a news studio, the DSNG signal is received on a dish with an low-noise block downconverter (LNB). The LNB converts the satellite RF signal to L-band (about 1 GHz), for input into the IRD. The IRD tunes to the appropriate frequency and performs the QPSK demodulation necessary to recreate the MPEGQ Transport Stream. The next step is demultiplexing the Transport Stream into separate video, audio, and data information. If multiple programs are in the stream, the IRD is programmed to select the desired program. The video, audio, and data outputs are now decoded into analog outputs which are sent to a television monitor, or other appropriate devices.

MULTIPLE CHANNELS PER CARRIER (MCPC) While not historically applicable to satellite news gathering, it should be noted that the MPEGQ Single Program Transport Stream (SPTS) generated by a Digital Video Compressor can be easily multiplexed with outputs from other Digital Video Compressors to create a Multiple Program Transport Stream (MPTS). The bandwidth needed for transmission of this MPTS is simply the sum of the bandwidths needed for each SPTS. Since the multiplexing is performed digitally, no additional satellite space for carrier guardbanding is wasted. An MCPC application for DSNG can be imagined where several trucks from an area gather at a single event, for example a sporting match. Rather than use separate satellite carriers for the transmissions, the trucks can combine Transport Streams together and use a single carrier to optimize their satellite usage.

CONCLUSIONS Satellite New Gathering providers and broadcasters can reduce the amount of transponder bandwidth required for transmission by a substantial amount by using real-time MPEG-2 compression equipment. The picture quality is maintained while the costs of the satellite link are dramatically reduced. Advanced filtering and compression techniques increase these savings even further.

PORTABILITY Recent advances in silicon have significantly reduced the size of the equipment needed for DSNG operation. The complete analog to digital conversion, video pre-filtering, horizontal sampling, video compression, and conversion to DVB-AS1 can be performed within a one rack unit high (1.75 or 4.45 cm) chassis. The QPSK modulation and conversion to satellite RF frequency can be accomplished within another one rack unit high chassis. Thus a two rack solution lends itself well to the two main DSNG applications: mobile vehicles and flyaway cases. In mobile vehicles, the equipment is mounted in a rack. Since the space requirement is small, a mini-van or even a station wagon could be used as the transport vehicle. Because the data rates are smaller, the required power of the HPA is lower, and thus the need for cooling inside the transport vehicle is reduced. For fly-away applications, where all of the equipment needs to be broken down into rugged transport cases, the compressor and modulatorhp-converter are small enough for commercial aircraft overhead bin storage. A portable antenna that can be disassembled into sections completes the package.

REFERENCES 1. Euroconsult 1996. World Satellite Communications and Broadcastincl Markets Survey, August 1996. pp. 84-6, Bll-12, 862-63.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank his colleagues for their contributions to his work. He would also like to thank LNR Communications, Inc. of Hauppauge NY for their assistance.