Dvb-H - the Emerging Standard for Mobile Data Communication

DVB-H - The emerging standard for mobile data communication

Michael Komfeld

Abstract - DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting -

Transmission .$stem./& Handheld Terminals) is U new digital

hroadcasr standard developed by the international D VB

Project which aims at reception o f broadcast conteril with

handheld ternrinal devices. Based on the DVB-T standard,/br

digital terrestrial Irlevision. the DVB-ll standard takes into

uccoiint the special reqiiirernents oJthis class qfdevices. This

paper presents an overview ?f the en?erging DVB-H

rechno1ogJ and an anal,vsis ofthe per:/urniancechorucreristics

of the DVB-H transniission system.

'

Index Terms - DVB-H, digital broadcast,

terminal, mobile reception.

I.

handheld

INTRODUCTION

T

HE process of digitizing the traditional broadcast systems

has expcricnced great progress in recent years. Standards

for broadcasting digital content to the end user are available

and have been proven in large scale commercial deployments

or, at least, extensive trial networks. This development can be

observed recently also with regard to the standard for digital

terrestrial television, DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting -

Tcrrestrial), which is already in operation in inany countries

throughout the world. Currently, the system is rolled out in

Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Italy; further countries

have announced to start services in the near future. The

technology decision on the digital terrestrial television system

was in many countries based on very peculiar features of the

DVB-T standard, among them the possibility to receive

broadcast services also with portable and even mobile devices.

Meanwhile the benefits of a powerful terrestrial broadcast

system