DVB-S2 FAQs

White Paper
February 2009

White Paper

DVB-S2 FAQs

What is DVB-S2? DVB-S2 is a second generation modulation and coding standard for Digital Video Broadcast over satellite. Standard number EN 302 307 was released in 2004 and is the first new satellite transmission standard since the DVB-S universal framework for transmission of MPEG- 2-based digital television services was adopted in 1994. How does DVB-S2 differ from DVB-S? The DVB-S2 standard enables delivery of significantly higher throughput in a given satellite transponder bandwidth than DVB-S. It also supports a much wider variety of input data formats, including multiple transport streams, generic data formats and more. Why was DVB-S2 created? Using traditional standards, even premium subscription fees cannot support the satellite costs associated with HDTVs bandwidth requirements. A new standard was needed to maximize bandwidth usage efficiency and ensure operator profitability. What benefits does DVB-S2 offer for network operators and broadcasters? Much higher rates of channel efficiency than past standards are enabled by new channel coding schemes. Together with higher order modulation, this increases satellite transponder throughput by about 30% at a given transponder bandwidth and transmitted EIRP relative to DVB-S/DVB-DSNG. Differential error protection and modulation for service components or transport streams (e.g. SDTV, HDTV, audio, multimedia) are made possible by Variable Coding and Modulation (VCM). This further enhances bandwidth efficiency while maintaining desired quality. Satellite capacity for interactive and point-to-point applications may be increased by 100%-200% by combining VCM functionality with the use of a return channels to achieve closed-loop Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM). ACM improves channel protection and dynamic link adaptation capabilities and may potentially reduce service provisioning costs substantially. In areas with variable receiving capabilities or conditions, DVB-S2 can improve transmission quality substantially. Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) varies the level of channel protection and modulation on an individual transport stream level, with dynamic adjustment to environmental conditions. A wide range of formats may be simultaneously transmitted on the same transport medium. Supported input data formats include continuous bit-streams, single or multiple MPEG transport streams and IP as well as ATM packets. This represents a substantial improvement over DVB-S and DVB-DSNG, which support only MPEG transport streams. To a great extent, this future-proofs DVB-S2. Will DVB-S2 lower our bandwidth costs? Yes! With DVB-S2 30% more content can be transported using the same bandwidth, for the same cost. Or the same content can be transmitted using 30% less bandwidth, for cost savings of 30%. Either way, network operators and broadcasters benefit. DVB-S2s higher power efficiency results in additional savings. DVB-S2 signals require an average of 2.5 dB less link margin than a DVB-S signal with the same error protection overhead. This means smaller antennas, less unlink power and/or cheaper satellites. Will DVB-S2 enable transmission of higher quality video? Broadcasters may choose to utilize the bandwidth capacity freed by the switch from DVB-S to DVB-S2 to increase the forward error correction (FEC) rate for improved quality. DVB-S2 enables the broadcaster to choose among a wide range of alternative transmission modes that combine bandwidth saving and improvement in picture quality. Are proprietary coding solutions necessary to get the most out of DVB-S2? Not at all! DVB-S2 is an open standard, so superior performance does not depend on proprietary coding solutions.
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White Paper

DVB-S2 FAQs

What input formats can DVB-S2 transmit? MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and HDTV transport streams, as well as data streams comprised of IP packets and ATM cells. What modulation schemes are supported by DVB-S2? DVB-S2 supports a wide range of modulation schemes, including QPSK (2 bits/symbol), 8PSK (3 bits/symbol), 16APSK (4 bits/symbol) and 32APSK (5 bits/symbol). These APSK modulation schemes provide superior compensation for transponder non-linearities than QAM. What network equipment is necessary to broadcasting with the DVB-S2 standard? At the transmission site, a DVB-S2 modulator either standalone or integrated in an encoder is needed to modulate the content. Terrestrial and cable headends must be equipped with DVB-S2 receivers, while DVB-S2 set-top boxes are required for DBS subscribers. Is gradual migration to DVB-S2 possible or must the transition take place all at once? DVB-S2 provides both backward-compatible and non-backward compatible modes. The backward-compatible mode allows legacy DVB-S receivers to decode a portion of the transmitted bouquet and new DVB-S2 receivers to decode the entire bouquet. It provides somewhat lower bandwidth savings than the non-backward-compatible mode, but enables DTH operators to distribute the capital and labor expense associated with replacement of the installed base of set-top-boxes over a longer period. Direct transition to non-backward-compatible mode is most suitable for contribution solutions and distribution to terrestrial, cable and satellite headends. A number of video network equipment providers have developed encoder/modulators and receivers that simultaneously support DVB-S and DVB-S2. These devices are ideal for systems that are in the process of migrating to DVB-S2. Is DVB-S2 suitable for DSNG applications? DSNG applications benefit from the lower bandwidth requirements of DVB-S2 as well as from its superior link resilience. DVB-S2 advantages that are particularly critical for DSNG include narrower frequency slots for identical service bit rates or higher bit rates for the same frequency allocation; point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission; increased availability; and reduced uplink power requirements. What is the difference between DVB-S2s DSNG professional mode and its broadcast mode? The broadcast services mode of DVB-S2 is most suitable for Direct-to-Home (DTH) services, collective antenna systems and cable television headends. It supports only QPSK and 8PSK modulations and does not make use of very low FEC rates that are targeted to extremely difficult professional reception conditions. It supports constant coding and modulation (CCM) for transmission. Variable coding and modulation (VCM) may be applied to multiple transport streams requiring differentiated error protection for different services. The digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) mode of DVB-S2 is optimized for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications. It is targeted for low symbol rate, narrow band signals of usually less than 5 MHz. In order to transmit high quality video content with relative high bit rates in a low symbol rate, 16APSK and 32APSK modulations may be used together with synchronization pilots. 16K short FEC blocks, in addition to the 64K normal FEC blocks in the broadcast profile, may be used for low latency in the channel. In order to maintain reliable signal reception even in bad weather conditions and using small up-link dishes mounted on a DSNG truck, very low FEC rates may be used.

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