SFNs to play key role for broadcasters rolling out mobile DTV

Even as full-power broadcasters still on the air in analog make their final preparations to complete the DTV transition next month, an important, new aspect of how they ultimately use their bandwidth and bit budget has emerged as a pressing matter.

How will broadcasters divvy up their 19.4Mb/s bit budget among HD, SD and mobile DTV service to deliver superior over-the-air signals and capitalize on new business opportunities?

The NAB Show last month saw its share of vendors and broadcasters with their own ideas about how best to accomplish just that. Eddy Vanderkerken, Rohde & Schwarz director of sales for the broadcast division, made the case for deployment of single-frequency networks in support of mobile DTV transmission and the company’s approach to transmitter synchronization in SFN networks.

This week’s Sound Off interview with Vanderkerken, recorded April 20 after a Rohde & Schwarz press conference at the NAB Show, is presented as a podcast.

Phil Kurz

Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.