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BBC R&D White Paper WHP144

A dual polarisation MIMO broadcast TV system
J.D. Mitchell, P.N. Moss and M.J. Thorpe

Keywords
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Abstract
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in the UK has been a great success with high levels of viewer take up. But DTT is severely capacity constrained, limiting opportunities for the continued growth of the platform. However, the likely emergence of revised set top boxes to receive anticipated new services, such as High Definition (HD), allows modifications to be considered to the basic delivery system.

The experimental hardware described here demonstrates a DTT modulation system with much greater spectral efficiency and/or robustness. It employs dual polarised transmit and receive antennas to form a 2-by-2 Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) system offering up to twice the throughput of conventional DVB-T. To achieve this, two DVB-T like signals, each with independent data, are transmitted in a single 8MHz RF channel.

Results from laboratory testing are presented along with data from field trials that provide an insight into the viability of such a system.

This document was originally published in the Proceedings of the International Broadcasting Convention, September 2006.