CRC has recently teamed up with industry partners Rohde & Schwarz and Moseley Broadcast to establish a test bed for evaluating mobile digital television (DTV) in the Ottawa area. The collaboration comes in the wake of the October 16, 2009 approval, by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), of a North American standard for mobile DTV, known as ATSC-M/H for Mobile and Handheld.

Before broadcasters can begin transmitting programs to ATSC-M/H-enabled smart phones and netbooks, the CRC and its industry partners are going to "test drive" the specifications to ensure unobstructed delivery for consumers on the move. "This research collaboration between CRC and its partners will allow us to assess the performances and service coverage of ATSC-M/H technology, and demonstrate the technology to broadcasters and industry," says Gilles Gagnon, Research Manager of CRC's Television Networks and Transmission group.

The test bed will consist of a network of DTV transmitters using an experimental TV channel in Ottawa. One of the transmitters is located at CRC, which is also home to the head-end or Studio-to-Transmitter (STL) link of the network that will transport the video and audio feed to the various transmitter sites. A wireless wide-area-network was installed at each of the Ottawa transmitter sites to enable remote control and monitoring of site equipment, via Internet, from remote labs or field measurement vehicles.

Rohde & Schwarz will provide equipment and expertise in ATSC mobile/handheld DTV Single Frequency Transmission Network (SFN), while Moseley Broadcast will supply the point-to-point microwave communication systems that will serve as an STL to the SFN sites.

An SFN is most suited for areas where reception would otherwise be blocked by buildings or terrain. In such a network, multiple towers send the same program content at exactly the same time and on the same frequency. This configuration allows for a more uniform power distribution over the service coverage area than that of a single high-power transmitter, such as the Camp Fortune, Quebec, or Manotick, Ontario, transmitter, where the signal level is highest near the antenna and decreases as one moves away from it.

What differentiates mobile TV currently offered on some handheld devices using proprietary technology, with mobile TV that will be available under the new standard is that the "packaged" content now accessible seldom includes local programming. "Broadcasters who will offer ATSC-M/H services will be able to offer their local programming as well as other free or subscribed services to enhance the viewer's experience," says Gagnon. "As an added value, broadcasters should be able to recover some of the publicity revenues they have lost to other mobile telecom services."

The adoption of a standard results in harmonization, interoperability and economies of scale. With the added advantage of CRC's testing, the future of mobile DTV looks bright. "Given the players involved in this field, such as cell phone manufacturers and the telecom industry, we are likely to see cell phones and laptops with ATSC-M/H capabilities in the near future, so users of the service will be able to access their preferred programs via a single device," adds Gagnon.

With thanks to Tech Media Reports.