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MICROWAVE LINKS FOR DIGITAL
BROADCASTING APPLICATIONS
An analysis of the requirements and a comparison between the technologies
available on the market to carry MPEG Transport Streams
here are two main types of Microwave Link, based on different standards and
technologies, to transfer MPEG Transport Streams (i.e. Broadcast Video TV and Audio
Radio compressed digital signals).
o Broadcasting Links: are based on modulation standards originally developed for
Digital TV & Radio Broadcasting (e.g. EN 302 307 DVB-S2), employ the ASI interface
but can also be equipped with the Ethernet interface having specific features to carry
Transport Streams over IP (Internet Protocol).
o Telephone / Data Links: are based on standards which were originally and mainly
developed and used in telephony and for data like IP (these are normally TDM / Ethernet
links, they comply with ETSI / FCC standards and employ G703 and/or Ethernet
interfaces).
The main application for these Microwave Links is the connection between Studios and
Transmitters (STL: Studio-Transmitter-Link), that is the connection between the TV and / or Radio
Studios / Head-Ends and the terrestrial broadcasting digital TV / Radio Transmitters; another
application is for fixed or mobile contribution links.
REQUIREMENTS
BROADCASTING
LINKS
TELEPHONE/
DATA LINKS
NOTES
(for Telephone/Data Links)
Capacity (Bit-Rate)
BER (1x10
-11
- QEF)
Additional FEC required to
comply
Transparent Mode Depends on Network Adapters
Latency See text
Uni-directional
operation

Not possible for all equipment
ASI interfaces
Normally only Ethernet and /
or G703
Frequency bands
Flexible channelisation Only fixed channelisation
Efficient spectrum use See text
RF performance
THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS TO CARRY TRANSPORT
STREAMS
First of all we have to analyze the specific requirements needed to transfer, through terrestrial or
satellite Microwave Links, either fixed or mobile, a digital broadcast Transport Stream:
The net capacity requested for a single Transport Stream can be up to around
50Mbit/s, according to the number of services inside the Stream and to the capacity
required for each service (e.g. a High Definition MPEG-4 encoded TV program may
require 7Mbit/s, while a Low Definition TV program for mobile reception may require only
400kbit/s).
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The MPEG Transport Stream for broadcast applications has a fixed bit rate that cannot
be reduced, increased or adapted. Link features like adaptive coding and modulation
cannot be used for this application.
Maximum Bit Error Rate: according to the standards, requires a QEF (Quasi Error Free)
which means less than one uncorrected error-event per transmission hour,
corresponding to a Bit Error Ratio (BER) of around 1x10
-11
. For this reason the link FEC
(Forward Error Correction) performance and precision is a very important feature.
For some applications (e.g. ISDB-T or DVB-T broadcasting in SFN Single Frequency
Network - mode) the Link has to transfer the Transport Stream in transparent mode (i.e.
a single bit cannot be added or deleted, even null packets or stuffing) otherwise it will not
work and / or it will generate errors or issues.
The maximum latency of the Link system (backhauling) to reach every broadcast
Transmitter, when feeding a network operating in SFN mode, must be as low as possible
(normally much less than one second) otherwise it will not work.
In most cases link connections for broadcast applications are uni-directional as there is
no requirement for a return channel (a return channel may be required, with a very small
capacity, only for telemetry purposes).
The best and most common interface for an MPEG Transport Stream is ASI
(Asynchronous Serial Interface). Some pieces of equipment that can be connected with
the Links have (usually as option) an Ethernet interface (e.g. MPEG Encoders,
multiplexers, broadcasting modulators), so an Ethernet interface can be an alternative
requirement.
Frequency Band and Channelisation: there is no specific technical issue around
frequency and channel bandwidth, unless the usual rules (the lower is the frequency
band and the wider is the channel bandwidth, the better is the performance). Usually the
Spectrum Regulator determines the frequency band and channelisation.
Transmitter power, receiver sensitivity, antenna gain, distortions and interference
sensitivity, spurious as well as other RF parameters are common to all types of links
and applications and must provide a stable connection without interfering with other
services.
THE BROADCASTING LINKS
These types of links are used to carry Transport Streams and are based on modulation
standards (such as DVB-S2) developed specifically for this purpose. These links already
implement all the above specifications and features required to properly carry broadcast MPEG
Transport Streams. Among them:
Proper fixed capacity to carry one or more Transport Streams
Efficient and precise FEC codes to have QEF (BER: 1x10
-11
)
Low latency and Transparent mode operation to carry SFN Transport Streams
Usually these links have specific features to carry particular Transport Streams (like
BTS - the Broadcast Transport Stream according to ISDB-T standard)
Uni-directional operation (with option for bidirectional configuration)
Native input/output ASI interfaces (option for Ethernet interfaces)
High performance RF features with very flexible frequency allocation and
channelisation (which can be adapted to nearly any standard or customer / spectrum
regulator requirement)
Broadcasting Links have adjustable symbol rate, modulation scheme, code rate and roll-off
factor, so the channelisation is extremely flexible since it is possible to occupy only the necessary
RF bandwidth, according to the exact capacity (bit-rate) and performance required.

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It is also possible to adapt the link to existing channelisations (for example an older analog link)
employing the maximum available bandwidth and realising benefits from the best protection as all
modulation parameters are adjustable. With these types of links it is possible to make the most
efficient use of the electromagnetic spectrum.

LIMITATIONS AND ADAPTATIONS REQUIRED TO USE
TELEPHONE / DATA LINKS
There are several problems in transferring a broadcast Transport Stream using a Telephone /
Data Microwave Link (such as PDH, SDH STM-1, TDM / Ethernet etc.). Telephone / Data Links
are not conceived to do this job but are mainly designed to transfer telephone channels or data
such as Internet Protocol (IP).

The nominal capacity of the link has to be significantly higher with respect to the bit-
rate of the Transport Stream to carry and encapsulate the additional overhead of
Ethernet or G703 (the common interfaces for this type of link) and, usually, to add FEC.
Normal features of Telephone / Data Links like adaptive coding and modulation have to
be disabled since Transport Streams have a fixed capacity that cannot be varied.
Telephone / data links are normally targeted to have a Bit Error Rate (BER) of 1x10
-6

the normal performance required to carry telephony or IP data. To carry broadcast
Transport Streams, a BER in the order of 1x10
-11
is mandatory (QEF - Quasi Error
Free). To obtain a QEF with a Telephone / Data Link is possible, by loosing capacity,
since additional FEC (Forward Error Correction) has to be added, may be, employing
external adapters at additional cost.
Transparent mode is a feature that, in the case of Telephone / Data Links will mainly
depend on network adapters (interface converters); so the total solution has to be verified
in case transparent mode is required.
ABE Elettronica DML Series
Broadcasting Link
Configuration

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Link latency will depend on many factors and must
be verified with the effective operating settings and
conditions; some data links can introduce significant
delay, especially when used at the maximum
capacity.
Telephone / Data Links are normally bi-
directional, so occupying twice the bandwidth
(some links of this type are not designed and cannot
work in a uni-directional mode).
Input / output interfaces are usually G703 and / or
Ethernet: not the best choice for broadcast
applications.
Links are usually available in various frequency
bands but with fixed channelisation and a limited
number of bandwidth options.
ASI Vs. ETHERNET TO CARRY
MPEG TRANSPORT STREAMS
The ASI (Asynchronous Serial Interface) was specifically
developed to transfer MPEG compressed data streams (Transport Streams); of course, ASI is
the best choice for this application and is extremely flexible; it can carry useful data at any
speed (bit-rate) between zero and over 200Mbit/s. The ASI interface is commonly employed as
the native input and / or output interface on broadcast equipment including MPEG encoders,
multiplexers, digital modulators, and so on. Typical input and / or output interfaces of
Telephone/data links are G703 and / or Ethernet, so the Transport Stream has to be
adapted / encapsulated / de-encapsulated to use a different interface, adding overhead and,
particularly with the Ethernet interface, latency. Generally, data infrastructure having Ethernet
interfaces (including Telephone / Data Links), do not warrant a BER of 1x10
-11
, and latency
depends up on many factors including the adopted Ethernet protocol. Using Telephone / Data
Links with Ethernet interfaces, to carry MPEG Transport Streams, brings the strong
recommended that all equipment involved supports RTP (Real Time Protocol the fastest
Ethernet protocol for this kind of application) and that the equipment connected at the inputs and
outputs of the Telephone / Data links can employ a suitable FEC (usually PRO MPEG Code of
Practice 3 Release 2) to correct the poor BER generally warranted by the link itself.
In the case of a Broadcasting Link with Ethernet interfaces, no particular precautions need be
adopted since the link itself warrants a BER of 1x10
-11
and it is also possible to employ different
protocols (e.g. UDP).











ABE Elettronica DML Series
Broadcasting Link
Tripod mounted ODU (OutDoor Unit)
for mobile applications
ABE Elettronica DML Series Broadcasting Link
DVB-S2 Multistream Modulator (DME 5000) IDU (InDoor Unit)

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ABE Elettronica DML Series
Broadcasting Link
Redundant BUC Configuration (1+1)
ODU (OutDoor Unit)
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
As said, in most cases, connections for broadcasting
applications, are uni-directional. The requirement for
a return channel is usually for a very small capacity
for telemetry that is normally made using
inexpensive GSM /UMTS /3G modem
connections It is also advisable
and much better to have
a different and
independent network for
telemetry data (e.g. GSM
/UMTS / 3G): in case of a
fault on the Microwave Link
connection - telemetry still works!
It should be remembered that to carry
particular Transport Streams (like BTS
the Broadcast Transport Stream according to ISDB-T
standard) the network adapters /encapsulators / de-
encapsulators to use interfaces like Ethernet or G703, need specific features, while in
Broadcasting Links, these features are already implemented or available as options.
A consideration concerning the standards; the Telephone / Data Links standards specify a
series of parameters (such as link frequency stability, RF output spectrum mask and so on), but
dont specify the exact modulation characteristics; therefore, as the standards state, there is
no guarantee of compatibility between different producers of the same equipment (a modulator
produced by company A, most probably, will not work with a demodulator produced by company
B). This is not the case when employing Broadcasting Links having modems according to
standard specifications (i.e. DVB-S2) to carry Transport Streams. The advantage is the non-
dependence of the operator from a manufacturer having proprietary modulation algorithms.

CONCLUSIONS
It is clear that to carry MPEG Transport Streams, the
Broadcasting Links, based on modulation
standards purposely developed for this scope
(i.e. DVB-S2), with ASI interfaces are much
more suitable and efficient for this
application with respect to
Telephone/Data Links whose
main application is quite
different and with different
requirements.
Taking into consideration all the
above, of course it makes sense to
employ a Telephone / Data
Link in case of a mixed
application (telephony / IP data +
Broadcasting MPEG Transport Stream),
with widely prevalent telephony / IP data
use. In this case the proper capacity for
the Broadcasting MPEG Transport




ABE Elettronica DML
Series Broadcasting Link
BUC (Block Up-Converter)
ODU (OutDoor Unit)

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ABE Elettronica
DML Series Broadcasting Link
LNB (Low Noise Block Down Converter) - ODU (OutDoor Unit)
Stream must be reserved without the possibility of the link
multiplexer reducing it from congestion of the network.
Of course you must also consider all of the
precautions mentioned above; the proper network
adapters / interface converters with FEC, latency
problems, etc..




































2014 ABE Elettronica S.r.l. - Author: Roberto Valentin - March 2014





ABE Elettronica
Via Leonardo da Vinci, 224
24043 CARAVAGGIO (BG) Italy

Tel. +39-0363-351.007 FAX +39-0363-50.756
www.abe.it