FLASH-TV: a flexible bit-rate transmission system for digital HDTV outside broadcasting by satellite

FLASH-TV is a European project (RACE 2064), aiming at developing a digital high definition television (HDTV) system for outside broadcasting by satellite, allowing to connect a small transportable up-link station to the TV studios. The innovative principle of the system is the use of a variable bit-rate HDTV coder and a modem capable of modifying the modulation and channel coding scheme according to the propagation conditions. The real-time bit-rate control is based on the use of a return link. The paper describes the variable bit-rate modem, based on QPSK and 8-PSK modulations and on a concatenated coding scheme. This consists of convolutional and pragmatic TCM inner codes and a Reed-Solomon outer code. Complete computer simulation results are reported. A complete hardware prototype of the FLASH TV chain is now under development for a planned integration and test at the beginning of 1994