This book, intended for electronics and communications engineers, describes how all of the individual developments of today's Direct Broadcast Satellites (DBS) came together to provide an overall communication system capable of delivering more than 200 audio-video services.
The state-of-the-art in communications technology is changing so rapidly that it is difficult for anyone associated with electronic communications to remain current. The developments in compression, in particular, are proceeding at a pace that exceeds even the staggering rate of Moore's law, which predicts the increasing capabilities of semiconductors that underlie almost all current technologies.
This book starts with a specific communication system, Direct Broadcast Satellite services, and then shows how the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 standards were used to implement this system. Thus, the book provides the reader with not just an MPEG or communications satellite discussion, but a complete discussion of how the MPEG standards are used to implement a modern satellite broadcast system. Organization of the Book
The book is divided into the following five parts:
Part 1 provides an overview of DBS. This includes Chapter 1, History of Communication Satellites; Chapter 2, Regulatory Framework, including international and Federal Communication Commission regulations; and Chapter 3, Overview of the DBS System.
Part 2 describes the key subsystems for DBS. These include Chapter 4, Key Elements of the Radio Frequency Subsystem; Chapter 5, Forward Error Correction; and Chapter 6, Conditional Access. Part 3 describes the key elements of the MPEG-2 international standards as they apply to DBS. It includes Chapter 7, Systems; Chapter 8, Video Compression; and Chapter 9, Audio Compression. Part 4 describes the terrestrial subsystems that connect the customer to the satellite: Chapter 10, DBS Uplink Facilities and Chapter 11, Integrated Receiver Decoder.
Part 5 explores some future digital satellite services and technologies. These include Chapter 12, Spaceway and the Global Broadcast Service and Chapter 13, The Future of Compression: MPEG-4 Standard. Using This Book
This book is intended for a diverse group of readers, ranging from those who want to obtain a general overview of Direct Broadcast Satellite to those who want to delve deeply into one or all of the technical facets of DBS systems. To accommodate this diversity, sections within the book are annotated by an icon system:
No icon means the material is suitable for all readers. The triangle icon means the section contains some technically difficult material. A square icon means the section contains serious technical material and probably should only be read by those desiring to gain in-depth knowledge of the subject.
Certain reference materials, which make the book more self-contained for communications engineers, are included in the appendices. Technical decisions made by DIRECTV(TM) and the international Digital Video Broadcast standard are used as case studies throughout the book.
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With its higher power and superior video and audio quality, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) communications is proliferating worldwide. Many new DBS systems are evolving and with the introduction of HDTV, DBS technology is predicted to become even more prevalent.
Written by a leading DBS authority, this book is required reading for anyone involved in this burgeoning field. This comprehensive reference describes the history and structure of DBS systems, the regulatory environment, the subsystems that support it, and the underlying compression technology that makes it commercially feasible. Direct Broadcast Satellite Communications can be read as a broad overview of DBS systems or can serve as a detailed technical description.
In particular, the author thoroughly explains how MPEG compression standards are used to implement modern satellite broadcast systems. You will find complete information on key topics such as:
International and FCC regulations Radio frequency components of DBS systems, including the shaped reflector antenna Forward error correction, looking at block codes, interleaving, and Viterbi decoding The use of cryptography for conditional access to subscription services MPEG system and transport layer MPEG-2 video and audio compression Connecting terrestrial systems and DBS uplinks The Integrated Receiver Decoder In addition, the book explores future developments, including the Spaceway and the Global Broadcast Service, as well as the MPEG-4 compression standards. Numerous case studies involving DIRECTV(TM) and the European DVB standard appear throughout the book.
