Rohde & Schwarz headends used in DVB-T2 pilot project

German network operator Media Broadcast recently launched a DVB-T2 pilot project in the Berlin region, and Rohde & Schwarz is participating in the testbed with its R&S AVHE100 headend and latest-generation transmitters. Broadcasting of DVB T2 programmes is scheduled to start throughout Germany in 2016.

The pilot trial will provide for thorough, real world testing of the interaction between all components from the studio to the receiver. The new HEVC/H.265 video coding standard will be used for transmission.

The advantages of the new DVB-T2 standard lie in its efficiency, which generates improvements for TV viewers at all levels. DVB-T2 enables reception of more programs and high definition television while maintaining the same data rate. It is expected that various alternatives for data rates, programme coverage and video quality will be tested and defined during the trial period. This will also provide manufacturers with a test environment that they can use to develop compatible consumer electronics.

In this testbed, the R&S AVHE100 headend system from Rohde & Schwarz encodes transmitted HD programmes in line with the HEVC standard. It also contains the company’s headend management software, multiplexer and T2MI gateway, which enable generation of an output stream that is compatible with DVB-T2. The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, a Rohde & Schwarz cooperation partner, led the development of the HEVC encoder used for the R&S AVHE100.