Investigation into the interference potential of spread-spectrum clock generation to broadband digital communications

Since its inception, spread-spectrum clocks have been a valuable technology for the purposes of EMI reduction and EMC compliance. This study evaluates the interference potential of spread spectrum clocks to broadband digital communications such as high definition television (HDTV). This is accomplished by comparing the spread spectrum clock interference susceptibility of digital television (DTV) receivers to the interference susceptibility of analog television receivers. This study shows that DTV receivers are more immune to the same level of interference than existing analog television receivers by 16 dB. Since industry has shown that analog television has had negligible interference from information technology equipment, including spread spectrum clocks, then the digital systems should have even less.