INTERNSHIP REPORT

PTV NEWS NEWS

Introduction:
The skill to apply engineering knowledge is one of the most important aspects that an
engineering graduate must have acquired. The only way to learn this skill practically is to
work in the system physically. Physically working in the system involves organization,
observation, familiarization with various pieces of equipment, working with others, writing
and communicating ideas and information. These are the skills required of an engineer. To
gain this practical experience, I did an internship in Engineering Department of PTV News
Islamabad. This report is based on the experiences and techniques I have learned during my
internship about following:
 Channel Multiplexing
 Optical Transmission
 Satellite Uplinking
 Satellite Downlinking
 Terrestrial TV Broadcasting System
 IPTV Broadcasting System
 Client-Server Network Technology
 Video Switcher
 Audio Console
 Linear & Non-Linear Editing

About PTV:
Pakistan Television Corporation Limited (PTV) is a public limited company. All its shares are
held by Government of Pakistan. The decision to establish a general purpose television service
with the participation of private capital and under the general supervision of the Government
of Pakistan (GOP) was taken in October 1963.
Pakistan Television Corporation is the biggest media organization of Pakistan .It is an
autonomous public sector organization .The main responsibility of Pakistan Television
Corporation is to provide public service broadcasting not only within Pakistan but also outside
Pakistan .It makes programs for all its viewers.

Vision:
PTV shall be the leading news and public information channel in the country.

Mission:
We shall inform, inspire, and empower our people and nation through relevant, trustworthy,
and world-class quality television programs and services.

Core values:
Professionalism, Integrity, Commitment, and Dedication Teamwork, Innovation, and Service,
Excellence Value for God, Country and People.

PTV News’s Profile:

Network: Pakistan Television Corporation
Picture Format: 16:9 (576i, SDTV)
Slogan: Truth with Responsibility
Country: Pakistan
Broadcast Area: Worldwide
Headquarter: Islamabad, Pakistan
Formally Called: PTV World
Sister Channels: PTV Home, PTV National, PTV Sports, PTV World
and PTV Global

Terrestrial Availability: UHF Band

Satellite PAKSAT: 6447.25MHZ
Satellite Dish Network: Channel 616
IPTV: PTCL Smart TV Channel 18
Website: news.ptv.com.pk

KEY LEARNING
Channel Multiplexing:
Channel multiplexing is the process of splitting or sharing the capacity of a high speed
channel/telecommunication link to form multiple low capacity/low speed sub-channels. Each
such sub-channel can then be used by multiple end nodes as dedicated links. Multiplexing can
usually be done in different domains like time, frequency and space (and even combinations of
these).
Time Division Multiplexing:
In TDM, a high speed data channel/link is made to carry data of multiple connections/end nodes
in different time slots, in a round robin fashion. TDM is similar in concept to multitasking
computers, where the main processor carries out multiple tasks simultaneously. In multitasking
processors, though the processor executes only one task at any instant of time and keeps
shuttling between multiple tasks in some order, because of the high speed in which it executes,
each task thinks as though the processor is dedicated only to it.
In TDM, the basic repeating unit is a frame. A TDM frame consists of a fixed number of time
slots. Each time slot inside a frame carries data belonging to a specific end node/connection.
Thus multiple logical sub-channels/links are created inside a single channel. It is also possible
to give multiple slots within a frame to the same user, thereby having the provision of having
different capacity sub-channels within the same link.

In the example given in the figure, the TDM main channel servers a total of four users and hence creates
four sub-channels. Each user’s data is carried in a specific slot inside each frame. For e.g. Channel-1’s
(User 1) data is always carried in the first slot of each frame.
Frequency Division Multiplexing:
In FDM, the spectrum (frequency range) of a high capacity link is divided into different non-
overlapping intervals/carriers. Data of different end nodes are then modulated using these different
carriers, so that the resultant signal of each end node occupies a different region in the frequency
domain. Between each adjacent carriers, a small guard band is left unused, so as not to cause
interference between closely separated carriers.
In FDM, at any instant of time, we would have electromagnetic signals corresponding to each node/sub-
channel, unlike in TDM, where at any instant of time, the channel would only have electromagnetic
signal belonging to one end node/sub-channel. This is shown in the diagram given below. In
Traditional FM Radio and TV Broadcasting FDM is used, where data belonging to each radio
station/ TV channel is modulated over a different carrier frequencies.

Optical Transmission:
Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another
by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier
wave that is modulated to carry information. First developed in the 1970s, fiber-optic
communication systems have revolutionized the telecommunications industry and have played
a major role in the advent of the Information Age. Because of its advantages over electrical
transmission, optical fibers have largely replaced copper wire communications in core
networks in the developed world. Optical fiber is used by many telecommunications companies
to transmit telephone signals, Internet communication, and cable television signals.

Applications:
Optical fiber is used by many telecommunications companies to transmit telephone signals,
Internet communication, and cable television signals. Due to much lower attenuation and
interference, optical fiber has large advantages over existing copper wire in long-distance and
high-demand applications. However, infrastructure development within cities was relatively
difficult and time-consuming, and fiber-optic systems were complex and expensive to install
and operate. Due to these difficulties, fiber-optic communication systems have primarily been
installed in long-distance applications, where they can be used to their full transmission
capacity, offsetting the increased cost. Since 2000, the prices for fiber-optic communications
have dropped considerably. The price for rolling out fiber to the home has currently become
more cost-effective than that of rolling out a copper based network. Wavelength mainly use for
fiber communication are 1300, 1310 and 1550.
Technologies:
Modern fiber-optic communication systems generally include an optical transmitter to convert
an electrical signal into an optical signal to send into the optical fiber, a cable containing
bundles of multiple optical fibers that is routed through underground conduits and buildings,
multiple kinds of amplifiers, and an optical receiver to recover the signal as an electrical signal.
The information transmitted is typically digital information generated by computers, telephone
systems, and cable television companies.
Transmitters:
The most commonly used optical transmitters are semiconductor devices such as light-emitting
diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes. The difference between LEDs and laser diodes is that LEDs
produce incoherent light, while laser diodes produce coherent light. For use in optical
communications, semiconductor optical transmitters must be designed to be compact, efficient,
and reliable, while operating in an optimal wavelength range, and directly modulated at high
frequencies. In its simplest form, a LED is a forward-biased p-n junction, emitting light through
spontaneous emission, a phenomenon referred to as electroluminescence. The emitted light is
incoherent with a relatively wide spectral width of 30-60 nm. LED light transmission is also
inefficient, with only about 1% of input power, or about 100 microwatts, eventually converted
into launched power which has been coupled into the optical fiber. However, due to their
relatively simple design, LEDs are very useful for low-cost applications.
Receivers:
The main component of an optical receiver is a photo detector, which converts light into
electricity using the photoelectric effect. The primary photo detectors for telecommunications
are made from Indium gallium arsenide the photo detector is typically a semiconductor-based
photodiode. Several types of photodiodes include p-n photodiodes, p-i-n photodiodes, and
avalanche photodiodes. Metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photo detectors are also used due
to their suitability for circuit integration in regenerators and wavelength-division multiplexers.
Optical-electrical converters are typically coupled with a trans impedance amplifier and a
limiting amplifier to produce a digital signal in the electrical domain from the incoming optical
signal, which may be attenuated and distorted while passing through the channel. Further signal
processing such as clock recovery from data (CDR) performed by a phase-locked loop may
also be applied before the data is passed on.
Amplifiers:
The transmission distance of a fiber-optic communication system has traditionally been limited
by fiber attenuation and by fiber distortion. By using opto-electronic repeaters, these problems
have been eliminated. These repeaters convert the signal into an electrical signal, and then use
a transmitter to send the signal again at a higher intensity than was received, thus counteracting
the loss incurred in the previous segment. Because of the high complexity with modern
wavelength-division multiplexed signals (including the fact that they had to be installed about
once every 20 km), the cost of these repeaters is very high.
An alternative approach is to use an optical amplifier, which amplifies the optical signal
directly without having to convert the signal into the electrical domain. It is made by doping a
length of fiber with the rare-earth mineral erbium, and pumping it with light from a laser with
a shorter wavelength than the communications signal (typically 980 nm). Amplifiers have
largely replaced repeaters in new installations.
Satellite Communication:
Satellite communication is a communication of the satellite in space with large number of
earth stations on the ground. Users are the ones who generate baseband signals, which is
processed at the earth station and then transmitted to the satellite through dish antennas. Now
the user is connected to the earth station via some telephone switch or some dedicated link.
The satellite receives the uplink frequency and the transponder present inside the satellite
does the processing function and frequency down conversion in order to transmit the
downlink signal at different frequency. The earth station then receives the signal from the
satellite through parabolic dish antenna and processes it to get back the baseband signal. This
baseband signal is then transmitted to the respective user via dedicated link or other terrestrial
system. A satellite communication system operates and works in the millimeter and
microwave wave frequency bands from 1 GHz to 50 GHz. There are various frequency bands
utilized by satellites but the most recognized of them is the uplink frequency of 6 Ghz and
the downlink frequency of 4 GHz. Actually the uplink frequency band is 5.725 to 7.075 GHz
and the actual downlink frequency band is from 3.4 to 4.8 GHz.
Satellite Uplink and Downlink:
Satellite down link is the link from a satellite down to one or more ground stations or
receivers while satellite uplink the link from a ground station up to a satellite.

Satelli
te

Downli
Upli nk
nk

Earth Earth
Station Station

Terrestrial Terrestrial
Sys. Sys.

User User

Earth stations Communicate by sending signals to the satellite on an uplink. The satellite then
repeats those signals on a downlink. The broadcast nature of downlink makes it attractive for
services such as the distribution of TV programs.
Satellite Transmission Bands
Frequency Band Downlink Uplink
C 37000-42000 MHz 5925-6425 MHz
 Ku 11.7-12.2 GHz 14.0-14.5 GHz
Ka 17.7-21.2 GHz 27.5-31.0GHz

Terrestrial TV Broadcasting System:

Terrestrial television is a term which refers to modes of television broadcasting which do not
involve satellite transmission or via underground cables. Terrestrial television broadcasting
dates back to the very beginnings of television as a medium itself and there was virtually no
other method of television delivery until the 1950s with the beginnings of cable television, or
community antenna television (CATV). The first non-terrestrial method of delivering
television signals that in no way depended on a signal originating from a traditional terrestrial
source began with the use of communications satellites during the 1960s and 1970s of the
twentieth century.

Analogue TV encodes the image and sound information and transmits them as an analogue
signal in which the message transmitted by the broadcasting signal is composed of amplitude
and/or frequency variations and modulated into a VHF or UHF carrier.

IPTV Broadcasting System:

The recent introduction of Television over Internet Protocol technology, commonly known as
IPTV, made a revolution on the distribution networks for TV signals, allowing eliminate many
of the problems associated with a distribution network based on coaxial cables, in particular
those related with the degradation of signal, interference, signal levels, and capacity of the
transmission of the channel’s band.

Client-Server Network Technology:

The term client-server refers to a popular model for computer networking that utilizes both
client hardware devices and servers, each with specific functions. The client-server model
can be used on the Internet as well as local area networks (LANs). Examples of client-server
systems on the Internet include Web browsers and Web servers.
One server supports many clients, and multiple servers can be networked together in a server
pool to handle increased processing loads as the number of clients grows. A client computer
and a server computer are usually two separate units of hardware each customized for their
designed purpose. For example, a Web client works best with a large screen display, while a
Web server does not need any display at all and can be located anywhere in the world. In
some cases, however, a given device can function both as a client and a server for the same
application. Additionally, a device that is a server for one application can simultaneously act
as a client to other servers, for different applications.
Video switcher:
A video switcher (or video mixer) is a device or software program that selects
between multiple incoming video signals from various sources (camera, PowerPoint feed,
etc.) and directs one of those signals to a single output, including a streaming device, video
recorder, or a display device (i.e. a monitor or screen).
Video switcher or vision mixers can also generate a variety of transitions, from
simple dissolves to pattern wipes. Additionally, most vision mixers can
perform keying operations and generate color signals (called mattes in this context). Most
vision mixers are targeted at the professional market, with newer analog models
having component video connections and digital ones using Serial Digital Interface (SDI).
They are used in live television stream.

Audio Console:
An audio console is a mixing board which is an electronic device for combining, (aka mixing),
routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix
analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer. The modified signals (voltages or
digital samples) are summed to produce the combined output signals.
It has number of channels. Its one channel strip includes input jack, gain control, auxiliary
sends, equalizer, panning control and level control. Input jack is where the input signal is
introduced to your Mixer. This board also has a mixer insert input, which is similar in function
to the Auxiliary Send which we will discuss.
It has volume faders. On an analog mixing board, will often have a ‘”u” or unity gain section
which will not amplify or attenuate the signal. The volume faders basically regulate the volume
of the signal of all the channels that will go to the main bus. The output of all the tracks gets
combined on our master bus or master section. The LEDs will give us the level setting of
feedback so trims can be set based on this.

Linear and Non-linear Editing:

Linear Editing uses sequential storage (Video Tapes) to store video sequences. Linear video
editing describes a process in which scenes are copied from one video tape to another, using
two tape VCRs, in the order required. The new tape is thus created in a linear fashion. The
disadvantage of this method is that it is not possible to insert or delete scenes from the new tape
without re-copying all the subsequent scenes. Linear editing was the method originally used
with analogue video tapes.
Non-linear video editing is achieved by loading the video material into a computer from
analogue or digital tape. The editing process creates a new 'tape' by storing all the commands
entered by the operator. This method allows the operator to cut, copy and paste scenes in any
order and make any changes desired. At the completion of the editing process the computer
can then build a new file by applying the commands to the original digital image stored on the
disk. The original digital image on the disk is unchanged. The new video file can then be
outputted to a video tape, attached to an email or posted to the web.

Conclusion:
During the internship period at PTV, I was able to achieve the main difference between
theoretical work and practical work. I was able to implement and learn on practical level of my
theoretical knowledge that I learned from my university.