Performance evaluation of DVB-S2 and DVB-S2X systems

Recently, Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) has evolved to improve the spectrum efficiency of current multimedia communications. This paper summarizes the main features and presents the error performance for the second generation of satellite DVB (DVB-S2) utilizing an upgraded MATLAB simulation model. In addition, the paper makes a validation of the developed simulation model by comparing between model results and field measurements. Furthermore, a new version of DVB-S2 (DVB-S2X) is simulated to evaluate its performance. The validity of simulation is tested by comparing with the standard error performance for different modulation and coding (MODCOD). The results show that the actual bit error rate (BER) of the measured DVB-S2 system is higher than those obtained in simulation due to variations in realistic satellite link channel conditions. The simulation results showed that DVB-S2X improves the capacity and the spectral efficiency at very high signal to noise ratio (SNR) by including a new higher order Amplitude Phase Shift Keying (APSK) modulation. Moreover, the new coding ratios for DVB-S2X were found to increase the granularity for more capacity options, and provide certain MODCOD optimized only for linear satellite channel. Finally, the new smaller roll-off factors added to DVB-S2X increase the bitrate capacity for the same bandwidth, but it needs a high complex filter design.