Writing for readers with a background in electronics, some knowledge of analog television, and a basic digital background, Benoit (Philips Semiconductors, France) intends this book as a summary and starting point rather than a handbook for experts. He describes the complex problems that had to be solved in order to define reliable standards for broadcasting digital pictures, and he explains the solutions chosen for the European digital video broadcasting (DVB) system based on the international MPEG-2 compression standard. The book ends with a description of a digital integrated receiver decoder, or set-top box, and a discussion of future prospects. Adapted and translated by the author from a 1996 work published in French (Paris: Dunod). The second edition adds a chapter on software interoperability. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

Digital technology for the production, transmission, and reception of television is expected to replace analogue transmission throughout the world. The timetable for this transition is uncertain and different projections have been made for virtually every country in the world. This book gives the exhaustive details of the issues of this changeover in Europe and elsewhere. The details are placed within the context of the massive changes, which the television industry has been subjected to over the past 25 years. The rollout of digital terrestrial television (DTTV) in Europe is a significant issue for every country included in this survey. It is of such importance because DTTV is the centerpiece of many governments' policies toward making Europe the world leader in new information and communication technologies. These same governments are all wrestling with the issues of how to use the technology in ways that create both commercial and non-commercial value. European perspectives on the social, cultural, and political nature of broadcasting vary significantly from those in other parts of the world and require that the introduction of DTTV should be handled differently to its introduction elsewhere. There are enormous technical, political, and economic aspects to be considered and these vary from country to country in Europe. The two editors bring a perspective to this study as media economists who come to the European scene from other parts of the world. The book covers DTTV in depth, and it also includes discussions of cable, satellite, broadband, and Internet technology for comparison.

In the past decades, traditional television broadcasting has been an autonomous field which was largely independent of the world of telecommunications and computers. The analog television standards PAL, SECAM and NTSC have remained almost untouched with regard to their picture information. Whatever development took place was essentially in support of programming and was based on the existence of a certain redundancy in the representation of the signal in the time and fre quency domain. In the 70S, for example, the teletext system was introduced throughout Europe. A further supplementary digital service in television, intro duced in the early 80S, was the Video Programme System (VPS) which utilizes part of the TV data line and ensures that programmes can be recorded with the correct timing on video recorders even when the programmes are delayed. There is no doubt that as far as the transmission from the studio to the view er is concerned, the future belongs to digital video broadcasting (DVB) which is about to be implemented in the satellite, cable and terrestrial radio transmission media. The European DVB Project finalized its specification for channel coding and modulation for the digital broadband transmission channels at the begin ning of 1996.

This essential text for any technician in broadcasting deals with all the most important digital television, sound radio and multimedia standards. The book provides an in-depth look at these subjects in terms of practical experience. In addition it contains chapters on the basics of technologies such as analog television, digital modulation, COFDM or mathematical transformations between time and frequency domains. The attention in each respective field under discussion is focused on aspects of measuring techniques and of measuring practice, in each case consolidating the knowledge imparted with numerous practical examples. Since the entire field of electrical communications technology is traversed in a wide arc, those who are students in this field are not excluded either.

This second edition provides first-hand information about the most recent developments in the exciting and fast moving field of telecommunications media and consumer electronics. The DVB group developed the standards which are being used in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, and many other parts of the world. Some 150 major TV broadcasting companies as well as suppliers for technical equipment are members of the project. This standard is expected to be accepted for worldwide digital HDTV broadcasting. This book is readable for non-experts with a background in analog transmission, and demonstrates the fascinating possibilities of digital technology. For the second edition, the complete text has been up-dated thoroughly. The latest DVB standards are included in three new sections on Interactive Television, Data Broadcasting, and The Multimedia Home Platform.

A concise yet detailed guide to the standards applying to fixed-line and mobile digital television and the underlying principles involved.

With the milestones of Digital TV and HDTV, there arelots of questions to be asked about television of today...Understanding Digital Television explains complex technical systems and solutions in an easyto comprehend manner along with visual 3D graphics. It helps non-technical individuals such asmanagers, executives, general media professionals, as well as TV and home cinema enthusiastsgain a practical understanding of the equipment, technical aspects of digital television, and various