Testing operational digital TV systems

The rapid growth of digital TV services has raised issues of installation, commissioning, equipment interoperability and monitoring of broadcasts. The complexities of MPEG-2 compression and the DVB transport multiplex has rendered traditional test equipment redundant when problems arise. The MPEG equipment manufacturers are now well served by a variety of specialised test equipment which can provide invaluable diagnostic information in a laboratory environment. As the number of broadcasters transmitting digital television services rapidly increases there is a growing demand to monitor in real time the broadcast to ensure an uninterrupted, high quality service. This paper briefly describes the elements of the transport stream and focuses on the monitoring issues from an operational perspective