Implementation of SDR for Video Transmission
Using GNU Radio and USRP B200
Octarina Nur Samijayani, Pramuditoruni Gitomojati, Dwi Astharini, Suci Rahmatia, Nurul Ihsan Hariz Pratama
Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Science and Technology,
University Al Azhar of Indonesia, Jakarta
email: octarina.nur@uai.ac.id, pramuditoruni@uai.ac.id
Abstract- The development of telecommunications system in
modern technology is increasing widely so that the process can
take place more quickly and efficiently, one of which was the use
of Software Defined Radio (SDR). SDR is a radio communication
system where the components that have been typically
implemented in hardware (mixers, filters, amplifiers,
modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead
implemented by means of software on computer or embedded
system supported by GNU Radio Companion and USRP. This
research is designing the video transmission using based on
Software Defined Radio using GNU Radio and USRP. Some
hardware function is replaced by the software in GRC block in
GNU Radio. USRP B200 is used to translate the signal to the
exact radio frequency. In testing the video transmission, the
parameters of the FFT length of OFDM; 128, 256, and 512 and
with different type of modulation was tested. The video
transmission with the best result was performed using 512 FFT
lengths.
I. INTRODUCTION
Developments in technology, especially telecommunications
increased so that the communication process can take place
more quickly and efficiently, one of which was the use of
Software Defined Radio (SDR). SDR is a rapidly developing
technology and interesting for the telecommunications
industry, technology-based SDR the signal can be processed
on software without the need to replace hardware. This
process is supporting the system to be more reconfigurable.
Video communication is one of rapid development media. It is
used in several industries such as education, economy,
politics, health, and military. Currently, video communication
uses the internet connection for the transmission line and
easily be used as a communication tools.
SDR technology is implemented in several functions in radio
systems, such as modulation / demodulation, signal
processing, programming and link-layer protocol software.
This is very helpful when redesigning the software radio
system in which the parameters are often altered to get the
quality as expected. In the radio system that uses hardware in
all its components, it will be difficult because the parameters
used are fixed, and if the parameter is changed, the hardware
is also need to be replaced. Radio system built using SDR
technology can be developed for a variety of applications
using a different link-layer protocols and techniques of
modulation/demodulation supported by GNU Radio
Companion and USRP as a simulator and control. GNU Radio
can help to simulate and design the hardware and software
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needed to build a real time video transmission using OFDM.
USRP is used to translate the base signal into the radio
frequency and can perform two processes at once, which can
be as transmitter and be as receiver for real time video
transmission.
A. Video System
Video is a technology to capture, record, process, transmit and
rearranging the moving image. Typically it is using celluloid
film, electronic signals, or digital media. Video also can be
regarded as the combined of still images which read
sequentially in a time with a certain speed. The images are
combined is called the frame and image reading speed is
called the frame rate, the unit frames per second (fps).
Digital video has many advantages compared to the analog
video including the high accuracy in the transmission process
(high fidelity) compared with analog signals. In the analog
signal, when the reception end of the transmission will be
difficult to distinguish between the original signal and the
noise that may be introduced during transmission. With the
repeated transmission of the accumulated noise cannot be
avoided.
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a system that used to
transmit or broadcast the TV/Video digital up to the end users
(end-user). DVB was developed based on the background of
the importance of broadcasting system which is open, which is
supported by interoperability, flexibility and commercial
aspects. Digital multiplexing system used in DVB systems are
multiplexed Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex
(OFDM) with several options modulation types QPSK, 16-
QAM, 64-QAM. By using this system, the bandwidth used
(around 6 to 8 MHz) can be streamlined so as to allow the use
of the canal for some content [1].
Before compress and encodes the video signal, there are
several configurations that should be set at the transmitter,
such as dimensions, aspect ratio, and frame rate of the video
which aims to obtain the desired image format. A dimension
refers to the size when displaying video and shows an array of
pixels used to encode the video. This is because many video
standards do not use any type of square pixels, but using the
format width x height (WxH) which has a pixel unit. Aspect
ratio is the ratio between the width and height of the video
represents a single video frame. Aspect ratio is usually written
in the comparison figures such as 4:3, 16:9, 37:20 [1]. Frame
 rate can be defined as the total image produced by means of in
particular the duration and unit frames per second (fps) is
used. There are several standard frame rate that is commonly
used is 15fps, 25fps, 30fps. Model colors like red, green, blue
(RGB) or cyan, magenta, yellow, black (CYMK) must be
determined and mapped in advance using a format such as
RGB color space and Adobe RGB [2].
ffmpegcolorspace ! tee myname=my_videosink ! jpegenc !
avimux ! filesink location=videotx.ts my_videosink ! queue !
autovideosink (for transmitter)
Open a new terminal and giving command:
gst-launch -v playbin uri=file:/home/dito/videorx.ts (for
receiver)

B. OFDM
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is
among popular modulation technique that has widely used
recently. By applying this modulation technique, a wideband
signal can be converted into multiple serial independent
narrowband signals. The main aim of OFDM is to provide a
multiple number of n parallel data stream by translating an
outgoing data into OFDM symbols. There are several
fundamental terms in OFDM symbols that need to be
identified such as subcarriers, occupied bandwidth, pilot
carrier, cyclic prefix and etc. In OFDM modulation, the
allocated bandwidth is occupied by the total number of
subcarrier determine at the transmitter [3].
(a)

II. IMPLEMENTATION

The first step is designing the GRC block process of video

transmission in GNU Radio software to simulate the process
of modulation and demodulation. In implementing the real
transmission, the USRP and daughterboard also the antenna is
connected to the GNU Radio software. The GNU Radio is set
up as the transmitter and receiver with its GRC block. A
operating system is using Ubuntu 12.04. First create a GRC
file at the GNU Radio Companion for the transmission
process, as shown in Fig.1. It includes some function of: (b)
x File Source Fig.1. GRC block for video transmission in GNU Radio (a) transmitter (b)
receiver
x Packet Encoder/Decoder
x OFDM Modulator/Demoduator
x Multiply Constant
x Low Pass Filter
x UHD: USRP Sink/Source

Before running the GRC block, install the gstreamer library in

synaptic manager and connect the USRP by giving command
in terminal uhd_find_devices, after that create the pipeline, by
giving some command at the terminal:
x mkfifo videotx.ts ( for transmitter)
x mkfifo videorx.ts (for receiver)
make sure the webcam has connect with the system by giving
some command :
x guvcview –device=/dev/video0
if all step above has done the next step is running the GRC
block, by giving command:
gst-launch –e –v v4l2src device=”/dev/video0” ! video/x-raw-
yuv,width=640,height=480,framerate= 15/1 ! timeoverlay !
Fig.2. Video Transmission Configuration
Some tools used in designing the video transmission are:
x Webcam
A webcam is used to capture picture, can be an internal
camera or using external webcam via USB port.
x Gstreamer
A Gstreamer is used for everythng related to video
processing. This include capturing the video frames from
the camera, adding text overlay, compresing, encoding,
and multiplexing into transport stream [5].
x GNU Radio

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 Software Defined Radio (SDR) transmitters and receivers
are created using GNU Radio software.
x USRP
Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) can be used
to provides necessary transmitter and receiver hardware to
get our signal on the air.
x Antenna
An antenna that used as an antenna logs periodic
directional that can be worked on frequencies 850 MHz
up to 6.5 GHz in range with amplifier in 5 dbi to 6 dbi.
In order to analyze the level of power received, experiment of
real video transmission is tested with different distance
between transmitter and receiver, 30 cm, 60 cm, 90 cm. The
power received is ranging from -61dB to -88dB. The higher
power is achieve by placing close distance between transmitter
and receiver. The average power received is -66.2 dB with 30
cm distance between transmitter and receiver. The power level
is decreased when the distance is getting further. The result of
FFT power received is presented on Table 1, and its frequency
spectrum is presented on Fig.5. The experiment is done with
different type of modulation.

TABLE 1. AVERAGE OF FFT POWER WITH DIFFERENT DISTANCE

BETWEEN TX AND RX

Modulation FFT Power (dB)

Type 30cm 60cm 90cm
BPSK -66 -63 -88.2
QPSK -61.6 -76.8 -78.1
Fig.3. Pipeline Configuration 8PSK -66.6 -86.7 -81.4
16QAM -70.9 -83.4 -72.7
III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION 64QAM -65.9 -76.9 -78
Video transmission with SDR based is implemented using Average: -66.2 -77.4 -79.7
GNU Radio and USRP B200. The transmission is analyzed by
performing real video transmission, and analyzing its FFT
power received. Video transmission is tested using different
type of modulation including BPSK, QPSK, 8-PSK, 16-QAM,
and 64-QAM. The simulation is also done by changing the
FFT length of 128, 256, and 512. Frequency spectrum resulted
with different FFT length is shown in Fig.4.

Fig.5. Frequency Spectrum of received signal with different distance between

transmitter and receiver.

When the transmitter and receiver is 30cm, 60cm, and 90 cm,

the power level received are -66.2 dB, -77.4dB, and -79.7dB
respectively. Fig.6 shows its declining when the distance is
further away.

Fig.4. Frequency spectrum of received signal with different FFT Length.

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 Based on the result shown in Table 3 and Fig.7, there is no
significant changing in power received when the position is
changed, however the average power is decrease when the
positon is in parallel, the power is decreased about 5 dB.

IV. CONCLUSION

The video transmission based on Software Defined Radio

(SDR) concept has been implemented using GNU radio and
USRP. Video transmission is tested using OFDM modulation
with different FFT Length 128, 256, and 512, and with
different type of modulation. Real transmission is tested by
changing the distance and position of antenna between
Fig.6. FFT power with different distance between transmitter and receiver transmitter and receiver. The result shows that the average
FFT power in transmission is ranging from -61dB to -88dB,
and it is higher by placing the transmitter and receiver in close
Another experiment is done by changing the antenna position. distance and in line of sight in confront position, with average
The transmitter is directly opposed to receiver (1800) and the power received is about -66.2dB.
second position is transmitter and receiver is in parallel
position (900). Result of FFT Power received are presented in
Table 2. The experiment is also done with different type of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
modulation.
Thanks to Research and Public Service Institute of University
Al Azhar Indonesia for publication funding.
TABLE.2. AVERAGE OF FFT POWER WITH DIFFERENT POSITION OF
TX AND RX. REFERENCES
Modulation Power FFT (dB) [1] Setiawan, Denny. ALOKASI FREKUENSI (Kebijakan dan Perencanaan
type Confront Parallel
Spektrum Indonesia). Jakarta: Departemen Komunikasi dan Informatika,
Direktorat Jendral Pos dan Telekomunikasi. October 2015.
(180°) (90°) [2] Aspectratio, http://www.equasys.de/aspectratio .html November 2015.
BPSK -66 -68 [3] Stallings, W., Data and Computer Communications, Prentice-Hall, New
Jersey, Sixth Edition, 2000.
QPSK -61.6 -61 [4] Avinash Kumar Jha; Himanshu Shekhar, A SDR based trans-receiver for
8-PSK communication of image and video, 2016 International Conference on
-66.6 -74.7 Signal Processing, Communication, Power and Embedded System
16-QAM -70.9 -93.4 (SCOPES), 2016.
[5] G. Eason, B. Noble, and I.N. Sneddon, “On certain integrals of
64-QAM -65.9 -63.6 Lipschitz-Hankel type involving products of Bessel functions,” Phil.
Trans. Roy. Soc. London, vol. A247, pp.529-551, April 1955.
Average: -66.2 -72.14 http://www.oz9aec.net/index.php/gnu-radio/gnuith- radio- blog/361-
simple-dvb-with-gstreamer-and-gnu radio.

Fig.7. Frequency Spectrum of received signal with different position of

transmitter and receiver.

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