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 ultra-
compact 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.
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.
t 6-14 GHz
I UP-CONVERTER
~~~~
I then the compressor simply uses this as the input,
70 MHz
VIDEO MODULATOR
~~
I compressor should extract them and process them
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.
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 C-
band (6 GHz) or Ku-band (14 GHz). The up-
converter 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
addition of a digital compressor, and the second is
the use of a digital video modulator instead of the
analog video modulator.
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.
If the video signal is already in serial digital format,
rather than performing the analog to digital
conversion. In addition, if audio channels are
embedded in the serial digital input, then the
accordingly.
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.
 57
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.
MEDIUM POWER AMP
6-14 GHz
I QPSK MODULATOR &
UP-CONVERTER
DVB-AS1
1 information. Each of the four QPSK symbols is
I VIDEO COMPRESSOR
Composite or
I technique for satellite communications.
digital video
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.
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.
Finally, the pulses are modulated to IF nominal
carrier output using the appropriate phase
separated by 90" of phase shift. The ability of a
demodulator to easily recognize 90" phase shifted
symbols makes QPSK the optimal modulation
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 up-
converter 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.
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)
 58

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:
S = BW / 1.35 (1)
D = S 2 * (188/204) * FEC (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
(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:

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) (3)

BW = S * 1.35 (4)
Film 3Mbps 544 Medium 2.9 MHz
Examples:
FEC = % and D = 8 Mbps, then BW = 7.8 MHz
News 2Mbps 480 Maximum 1.9 MHz
FEC = % and D = 15 Mbps, then BW = 14.6 MHz
I I

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.
Factors Affecting Bandwidth
Cost Savings
There are considerable differences in pricing
beween satellite se.,ice 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 Satellite Cost

As discussed, digital video compressors can vary in
Format BW per Year
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. Digital, 8 Mbps 7 . 8 ~ ~ 2$ 2 1 7 ~

There are several key variables that can be used to Digital, 4 Mbps 3.9MHz $108K
reduce the required bandwidth. A full resolution
 59
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.
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 fly-
away 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.
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.
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.