Report on Isdb-T Trial

Home , PAL, Temple Hill (Hong Kong), Tsz Wan Shan

APPENDIX 1

REPORT ON ISDB-T TRIAL

Asia Television Limited (ATV) Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA)

HONG KONG July 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction ……….…………………………………………... 1

2. Objective and Scope of the Trial……………………………… 2

3. Field Test ………………………………………………………. 3

3.1 Field Test System …………………………………………………………….. 3 3.2 Field Test Parameters ………………………………………………………… 6 3.3 Equipment Setups and Measurement Procedures for Field Test ……………... 7 3.3.1 Propagation Behaviour and Coverage Test …………………………………... 7 3.3.1.1 Fixed Reception Test …………………………………………………………. 7 3.3.1.2 Indoor Reception Test ………………………………………………………... 14 3.3.1.3 Mobile Reception Test ……………………………………………………….. 15 3.3.1.4 Tidal Fading Test ……………………………………………………………... 16 3.3.2 In-Building Coaxial Cable Distribution System (IBCCDS) Test ……………. 16 3.3.3 Single Frequency Network (SFN) Test ………………………………………. 17 3.4 Field Test Results …………………………………………………………….. 18 3.4.1 Propagation Behaviour and Coverage Test Result …………………………… 18 3.4.1.1 Fixed Reception Test Result …………………………………………………. 18 3.4.1.2 Indoor Reception Test Result ………………………………………………… 23 3.4.1.3 Mobile Reception Test Result ………………………………………………... 24 3.4.1.4 Tidal Fading Test Result ……………………………………………………... 31 3.4.2 In-Building Coaxial Cable Distribution System (IBCCDS) Test Result …….. 35 3.4.3 Single Frequency Network (SFN) Test Result …………………….…………. 37

4. Laboratory Test ……………………………………………….. 38

4.1 Objectives of Laboratory Test ………………………………………………... 38 4.2 Equipment Setup for Laboratory Test ………………………………………... 39 4.3 Technical Characteristics of Test Signals …………………………………….. 40 4.4 Measurement Procedures for Laboratory Test ……………………………….. 43 4.4.1 PAL into ISDB-T Interference ……………………………………………….. 43 4.4.2 ISDB-T into PAL Interference ……………………………………………….. 44 4.4.3 ISDB-T into ISDB-T Interference …………………………………………… 46 4.4.4 Encoding/Decoding Delay …………………………………………………… 47 4.5 Results Summary of Laboratory Test ………………………………………… 48

5. Summary of Results …………………………………………... 50 1. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this trial was to assess the performance of the Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting - Terrestrial (ISDB-T) standard in Hong Kong environment. The trial consisted of two parts: the field test and the laboratory test. The aim of the field test was to find out the performance of the ISDB-T system under different reception conditions with reference to the PAL-I system and the aim of the laboratory test was to find out the practical protection ratios required for future planning.

The ISDB-T trial was successfully conducted from May to June 1999. The aim of this report is to present the test results of the ISDB-T trial. Firstly, the objective and scope of the trial are set out in Section 2. Secondly, the configuration of the field test system as well as the equipment setups and measurement procedures for the field test are described in Section 3. The field test results are presented in Section 3 as well. Section 4 describes the equipment setups and measurement procedures for the laboratory test and presents the test results. Finally, the results of the field test and laboratory test are summarized in Section 5.

1 2. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF THE TRIAL

The objective of the trial was to find out the performance of the ISDB-T system in the real environment of Hong Kong.

The following aspects were assessed during the field test and laboratory test:

(i) the propagation behaviour and coverage of the ISDB-T transmission;

(ii) the ability of the ISDB-T signal to be conveyed by in-building coaxial cable distribution systems and the compatibility with the existing analogue television equipment and NICAM service;

(iii) the support for single frequency network operation;

(iv) compatibility with the existing analogue television transmission, co-channel, adjacent channel and image channel performance;

(v) picture and sound quality; and

(vi) the effect of overall encoding/decoding delay.

2 3. FIELD TEST

3.1 Field Test System

The field test system mainly consisted of three parts: the Master Station, the Slave Station and the Survey Vehicle (Figure 1).

Master Station : Temple Hill Antenna Height : 496 m Test Channel : 32 (558 - 566 MHz) ERP : 100 watts

Survey Vehicle About 9 km

Kowloon

Victoria Harbour

Slave Station : Sai Wan Shan Antenna Height : 199 m Hong Kong Test Channel : 32 (558 - 566 MHz) Island ERP : 10 watts

Figure 1 - Field Test System

The Master Station was located at Temple Hill (about 496 m above sea level) and its effective radiated power (ERP) was 100 W. The Slave Station was located at Sai Wan Shan, Chai Wan (about 199 m above sea level) and its ERP was 10 W. The distance between the Master Station and the Slave Station was about 9 km. The antennas of the Master Station and the Slave Station were pointing to southeast and east respectively. Their radiation patterns are shown in Figures 2 and 3. Horizontal polarization was used in the field test and the test signals were transmitted on Channel 32 (558 - 566 MHz).

3 Figure 2 - Radiation Pattern of the Master Station (Temple Hill)

Figure 3 - Radiation Pattern of the Slave Station (Sai Wan Shan, Chai Wan)

The Slave Station was set up for the purpose of testing the single frequency network (SFN) operation. The schematic diagram of the ISDB-T SFN is shown in Figure 4. A PAL-I transmitter of ERP 100 W operating on the test channel (Channel 32) was also set up at Temple Hill. The picture and sound quality and the field strength of the PAL-I signal at the test sites was used as reference.

4 Note 1: PAL-I Channel 32 of 100 watts ERP was used as reference. Note 2: The gain of the ISDB-T transmitting antenna system was about 10 dB measured from point (A).

Figure 4 - Schematic Diagram of ISDB-T Single Frequency Network

5 3.2 Field Test Parameters

Table 1 shows the field test parameters used for the ISDB-T trial.

ISDB-T (6 MHz) SDTV HDTV Mobile Mobile Number of carriers 2k 2k 2k 2k Modulation 64QAM 64QAM 16QAM DQPSK Guard interval 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/8 Code rate 2/3 7/8 1/2 1/2 Information rate ( Mbit/s ) 16.227 21.298 8.114 4.057 ERP of Master Station ( dBW ) 20 20 20 20 ERP of Slave Station ( dBW ) 10 10 10 10 Number of TV programmes 1-3111

Table 1 - Field Test Parameters

6 3.3 Equipment Setups and Measurement Procedures for Field

Test

3.3.1 Propagation Behaviour and Coverage Test

Test was carried out to evaluate the performance of the ISDB-T system under different reception conditions including fixed reception, indoor reception, mobile reception and tidal fading.

3.3.1.1 Fixed Reception Test

Fixed reception test was carried out on both street level and rooftop level. During the test, field strength, bit error rate (BER), carrier-to-noise (C/N) ratio, margin of threshold were measured and picture and sound quality was assessed.

Measurements Taken on Street Level The equipment setups for measurements taken on street level are shown in Figures 5 - 7.

Log-periodic antenna

10 m RG-214U cable Field strength meter PC

Figure 5 - Field Strength Measurement (Street Level)

7 Log-periodic antenna Spectrum analyzer

10 m RG-214U cable Variable Bandpass attenuator filter Amplifier 4-way splitter OFDM Down converter demodulator FEC decoder

SDTV monitor

BER analyzer

Audio monitor

SDTV decoder QUAD picture VHS VTR displayer DEMUX

HDTV HDTV HDTV monitor interface decoder

Audio monitor

Figure 6 - BER, C/N Ratio, Margin of Threshold Measurements and ISDB-T Picture and Sound Quality Assessment (Street Level)

8 Log-periodic antenna

10 m RG-214U cable Variable Analogue QUAD picture TV monitor VHS VTR attenuator receiver displayer

Figure 7 - PAL-I Picture and Sound Quality Assessment and Margin of Threshold Measurement (Street Level)

The measurement procedures were as follows:

(1) The equipment was connected as shown in Figure 5. (2) The antenna was raised to 10 m above ground level. (3) The antenna was oriented for maximum signal level if there was a clear line-of-sight path to the transmitter. If the test site was obstructed by buildings, the antenna was oriented for best PAL-I picture. (4) The field strength of the ISDB-T signal was measured. If the test signal was transmitted from Temple Hill, the field strength of the PAL-I signal was measured as well. (5) The equipment was reconnected as shown in Figure 6 without altering the height and orientation of the antenna. (6) The variable attenuator reading was set to zero. (7) ISDB-T test signal for BER measurement was transmitted from Temple Hill/Sai Wan Shan. (8) The RS switch of the FEC decoder was set to On and the BER was measured. (Note: The BER was measured after the RS decoder) (9) The RS switch of the FEC decoder was set to Off and the BER was measured. (Note: The BER was measured before the RS decoder) (10) The centre frequency and the measurement bandwidth of the spectrum analyzer were set to 562 MHz and 5.6 MHz respectively. (11) The power levels of the ISDB-T signal and the noise were measured and the C/N ratio was calculated. (12) The variable attenuator was adjusted until the BER was just 2E-4. (13) The variable attenuator reading was recorded and was taken as the margin of threshold.

9 (14) HDTV programme was transmitted from Temple Hill/Sai Wan Shan and the HDTV picture and sound quality was assessed based on ITU five-grade scale. (15) SDTV programme was transmitted from Temple Hill/Sai Wan Shan and the SDTV picture and sound quality was assessed based on ITU five-grade scale. (16) If the test signal was transmitted from Temple Hill, steps (17) - (22) were performed to assess the picture and sound quality of the PAL-I signal and to measure the margin of threshold. Otherwise, step (23) was performed. (17) The equipment was reconnected as shown in Figure 7 without altering the height and orientation of the antenna. (18) The variable attenuator reading was set to zero. (19) PAL-I signal was transmitted from Temple Hill. (20) The picture and sound quality of the PAL-I signal was assessed based on ITU five-grade scale. (21) If the picture quality of the PAL-I signal was above grade 3, step (22) was performed. Otherwise, step (23) was performed. (22) If the PAL-I picture quality was above grade 4, then (i) the variable attenuator was adjusted until the picture quality was degraded to grade 4; (ii) the variable attenuator reading was recorded and was taken as the margin of threshold for picture grade 4; (iii) the variable attenuator was further adjusted until the picture quality was degraded to grade 3; (iv) the variable attenuator reading was recorded and was taken as the margin of threshold for picture grade 3. Otherwise, (i) the variable attenuator was adjusted until the picture quality was degraded to grade 3; (ii) the variable attenuator reading was recorded and was taken as the margin of threshold for picture grade 3. (23) The above steps were repeated at all other test sites.

10 Measurements Taken on Rooftop Level The equipment setups for measurements taken on rooftop level (Figures 8 - 10) were the same as that taken on street level (Figures 5 - 7) except that a "domestic antenna" (typical antenna available in Hong Kong market) was used instead of the log-periodic antenna and a 150-metre cable was required to carry the test signals received on rooftop to the Survey Vehicle and a bandpass amplifier was used to compensate the cable loss.

Yagi antenna

Bandpass filter

Field RG-214U 150m strength Amplifier meter PC

Rooftop of Building

Figure 8 - Field Strength Measurement (Rooftop Level)

11 Yagi antenna

Bandpass filter

Amplifier Spectrum Rooftop of analyzer Building

RG-214U 150m Variable Bandpass attenuator filter Amplifier 4-way splitter OFDM Down converter demodulator FEC decoder

SDTV monitor

BER analyzer

Audio monitor

SDTV decoder QUAD picture VHS VTR displayer DEMUX

HDTV HDTV HDTV monitor interface decoder

Audio monitor

Figure 9 - BER, C/N Ratio, Margin of Threshold Measurements and ISDB-T Picture and Sound Quality Assessment (Rooftop Level)

12 Yagi antenna

Bandpass filter

RG-214U 150m Variable Analogue QUAD picture TV monitor VHS VTR Amplifier attenuator receiver displayer Rooftop of Building

Figure 10 - PAL-I Picture and Sound Quality Assessment and Margin of Threshold Measurement (Rooftop Level)

The measurement procedures were as follows:

(1) The equipment was connected as shown in Figure 8. (2) The height and orientation of the antenna were adjusted for maximum signal level if there was a clear line-of-sight path to the transmitter. If the test site was obstructed by buildings, the height and orientation of the antenna were adjusted for best PAL-I picture. (3) The field strength levels of the ISDB-T signal and the PAL-I signal were measured. (4) The equipment was reconnected as shown in Figure 9 without altering the height and orientation of the antenna. (5) The variable attenuator reading was set to zero. (6) ISDB-T test signal for BER measurement was transmitted from Temple Hill. (7) The RS switch of the FEC decoder was set to On and the BER was measured. (Note: the BER was measured after the RS decoder) (8) The RS switch of the FEC decoder was set to Off and the BER was measured. (Note: The BER was measured before the RS decoder) (9) The centre frequency and the measurement bandwidth of the spectrum analyzer were set to 562 MHz and 5.6 MHz respectively. (10) The power levels of the ISDB-T signal and the noise were measured and the C/N ratio was calculated. (11) The variable attenuator was adjusted until the BER was just 2E-4.

13 (12) The variable attenuator reading was recorded and was taken as the margin of threshold. (13) HDTV programme was transmitted from Temple Hill and the HDTV picture and sound quality was assessed based on ITU five-grade scale. (14) SDTV programme was transmitted from Temple Hill and the SDTV picture and sound quality was assessed based on ITU five-grade scale. (15) The equipment was reconnected as shown in Figure 10 without altering the height and orientation of the antenna. (16) The variable attenuator reading was set to zero. (17) The picture and sound quality of the PAL-I signal was assessed based on ITU five-grade scale. (18) If the picture quality of the PAL-I signal was above grade 3, step (19) was performed. Otherwise, step (20) was performed. (19) If the PAL-I picture quality was above grade 4, then (i) the variable attenuator was adjusted until the picture quality was degraded to grade 4; (ii) the variable attenuator reading was recorded and was taken as the margin of threshold for picture grade 4; (iii) the variable attenuator was further adjusted until the picture quality was degraded to grade 3; (iv) the variable attenuator reading was recorded and was taken as the margin of threshold for picture grade 3. Otherwise, (i) the variable attenuator was adjusted until the picture quality was degraded to grade 3; (ii) the variable attenuator reading was recorded and was taken as the margin of threshold for picture grade 3. (20) The above steps were repeated at all other test sites.

3.3.1.2 Indoor Reception Test

The equipment setup for indoor reception test (Figure 11) was the same as that for fixed reception test carried out on rooftop level except that an indoor antenna was used instead of a Yagi antenna and a bandpass amplifier.

The measurement procedures for indoor reception test were similar to that for fixed reception test carried out on rooftop level (Refer to Section 3.3.1.1).

14 Minimum antenna gain = 0 dB Maximum antenna gain = 30 dB Noise figure = 3.0 dB Indoor antenna

Test equipment was installed in the Survey Vehicle and the equipment setups were the same as that for fixed RG-214U 150 m reception test carried out on rooftop Survey Vehicle level

Figure 11 - Equipment Setup for Indoor Reception Test

3.3.1.3 Mobile Reception Test

The equipment setup for mobile reception test is shown in Figure 12. The ISDB-T signal was fed to the spectrum analyzer, the SDTV decoder and the field strength meter via the 4- way splitter. The received signal level and the receiving location were measured by the field strength meter and the GPS receiver respectively. The measured data were saved in a data file. A VHS video tape recorder (VTR) was used to record the ISDB-T picture, the speed of the Survey Vehicle, the RF spectrum of the received signal and the road condition.

The measurement procedures were as follows:

(1) The equipment was connected as shown in Figure 12. (2) The ISDB-T transmitter at Temple Hill was switched on. (3) The type of modulation was set to 16 QAM/DQPSK. (4) The Survey Vehicle was driven along the test route. (5) The signal level, the location of the Survey Vehicle, the ISDB-T picture, the speed of the Survey Vehicle, the RF spectrum of the received signal and the road condition were recorded during the trip. (6) For SFN test carried out in Whampoa Garden, Kwun Tong Bypass and Eastern Corridor, both ISDB-T transmitters at Temple Hill and Sai Wan Shan were switched on. (7) Steps (3) to (5) were repeated. (8) The video tape for each route was examined and the success rate (the percentage of time that satisfactory reception was obtained) was measured.

15 Record road condition Video camera

Record speed-meter's reading Video camera

Omni-directional UHF antenna

Spectrum analyser

QUAD picture RG-214U 10m VHS VTR Variable Bandpass displayer attenuate filter Amplifier 4-way splitter OFDM SDTV decoder Down converter demodulator FEC decoder

GPS antenna PC

NTSC - PAL Field SDTV monitor colour system strength converter GPS receiver meter

SDTV Speed- picture meter

RF Road spectrum condition

Picture screen of the monitor

Figure 12 - Equipment Setup for Mobile Reception Test

3.3.1.4 Tidal Fading Test

The equipment setups and the measurement procedures for the tidal fading test were similar to that for fixed reception test carried out on street level (Refer to Section 3.3.1.1). However, the antenna height was adjusted to see the tidal fading effect instead of setting the antenna height to 10 metres above ground level (Step (2) of the measurement procedures for fixed reception test carried out on street level refers).

3.3.2 In-Building Coaxial Cable Distribution System (IBCCDS) Test

The equipment setup for the IBCCDS test is shown in Figure 13. The test signals were received by the antenna of the IBCCDS on rooftop. The test signals at the headend/TV outlet of the IBCCDS were carried to the Survey Vehicle for measurement via a 150-metre coaxial cable. The measurement procedures were similar to that for fixed reception test carried out on rooftop level (Refer to Section 3.3.1.1).

16 Test signals from rooftop antenna

IBCCDS headend

Temporary 2-way splitter

To building distribution

RG-214U cable 150m

TV TV Survey Vehicle outlet outlet

Test equipment was installed in the Survey Vehicle and the equipment setups were similar to that for fixed reception test TV carried out on rooftop level outlet TV outlet

Building

Figure 13 - Equipment Setup for IBCCDS Test

3.3.3 Single Frequency Network (SFN) Test

The equipment setups and measurement procedures for SFN test were similar to that for fixed reception test carried out on street level (Refer to Section 3.3.1.1). Both transmitters at Temple Hill and Sai Wan Shan were switched on to test the SFN operation.

17 3.4 Field Test Results

3.4.1 Propagation Behaviour and Coverage Test Result

3.4.1.1 Fixed Reception Test Result

Measurements were taken at 19 test sites of which 11 sites were line-of-sight to the Temple Hill or Sai Wan Shan and 8 sites were obstructed by buildings (Figure 14). The results revealed that the picture and sound quality of SDTV and HDTV received at the test sites was excellent and was much better than that of the PAL-I system, especially at sites obstructed by buildings. ISDB-T had a lower reception threshold as compared to PAL-I. The test results are summarized in Table 2. It was noted that no adverse effect was caused to the analogue reception and no complaint was received from the public during the trial period.

Temple Hill 15&19 12 8

11 1 9 16 17 Kowloon

2 5 Victoria Harbour

10 7 4 6 18 13& Hong Kong 14 Sai Wan Shan Island 3

Test site which was line-of-sight to the transmitter Test site which was obstructed by buildings

Figure 14 - Test Sites (Fixed Reception Test)

18 Location Conditions Test Items PAL-I SDTV HDTV Remarks (Notes 1 & 2) (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) 1. Kowloon Bay • Line-of-sight to Field strength 80.0 88.0 88.0 (near Auxiliary Temple Hill (dBµV/m) Police Headquarter) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 44 44 Picture grade 5 5 5 Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold 6.5 (picture 46 (BER --- (dB) quality degraded increased to to grade 4); 2E-4 with RS 11 (picture Off) quality degraded to grade 3) 2. Sceneway Garden, • Line-of-sight to Field strength 73.0 78.7 78.7 Lam Tin Temple Hill (dBµV/m) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 48 48 Picture grade 4 5 5 Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold 6 (picture 31 (BER --- (dB) quality degraded increased to to grade 3) 2E-4 with RS Off) 3. Chai Wan Park, • Line-of-sight to Field strength --- 93.0 93.0 Chai Wan Sai Wan Shan (dBµV/m) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 56 56 Picture grade --- 5 5 Sound grade --- 5 5 Margin of threshold --- 42 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off) 4. Clear Water Bay, • Line-of-sight to Field strength --- 78.0 78.0 Sai Kung Sai Wan Shan (dBµV/m) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 40.8 40.8 Picture grade --- 5 5 Sound grade --- 5 5 Margin of threshold --- 28 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off)

Note 1: Average field strength/RF level of the PAL-I signal was measured. A correction factor of about 6 dB should be added to the average value to obtain the peak sync value. Note 2: The subjective assessment of picture and sound quality was based on the ITU five-grade scale:

Grade Quality Impairment 5 Excellent Imperceptible 4 Good Perceptible, but not annoying 3 Fair Slightly annoying 2 Poor Annoying 1 Bad Very annoying

Table 2 - Fixed Reception Test Results

19 Location Conditions Test Items PAL-I SDTV HDTV Remarks (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) 5. Hong Kong • Line-of-sight to Field strength 71.5 78.0 78.0 Coliseum, Temple Hill (dBµV/m) Hung Hom • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 40 40 Picture grade 3.5 (slight 55 interference observed on picture) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold 5.5 (picture 26 (BER --- (dB) quality degraded increased to to grade 3) 2E-4 with RS Off) 6. Sai Ying Pun • Line-of-sight to Field strength 60.0 68.0 68.0 Temple Hill (dBµV/m) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 26 26 Picture grade 2 (serious 55 interference observed on picture) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold --- 17 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off) 7. Tai Koo Shing, • Line-of-sight to Field strength 67.0 77.0 77.0 Lei King Wan Temple Hill (dBµV/m) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 42.8 42.8 Picture grade 3.5 (slight 55 interference observed on picture) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold 5 (picture 27 (BER --- (dB) quality degraded increased to to grade 3) 2E-4 with RS Off) 8. Fung Lai Court, • Line-of-sight to Field strength 77.0 86.0 86.0 Tsz Wan Shan Temple Hill (dBµV/m) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) 4.3E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 54 54 Picture grade 5 5 5 Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold 7 (picture 36 (BER --- (dB) quality degraded increased to to grade 4); 2E-4 with RS 14 (picture Off) quality degraded to grade 3) 9. Kowloon City Ferry • Line-of-sight to Field strength 73.0 82.0 82.0 Pier, Kowloon City Temple Hill (dBµV/m) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- 50 50 Picture grade 4.5 5 5 Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold 4 (picture 32 (BER --- (dB) quality degraded increased to to grade 4); 2E-4 with RS 12 (picture Off) qaulity degraded to grade 3)

Table 2 (Continued)

20 Location Conditions Test Items PAL-I SDTV HDTV Remarks (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) 10. Pier 3 for outlying • Line-of-sight to Field strength Not measured 77.0 77.0 islands, Central Temple Hill (dBµV/m) District • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- Not measured Not measured Picture grade 3.5 (picture 5Not measured noisy and with ghosting) Sound grade 5 5 Not measured Margin of threshold Not measured Not measured --- (dB) 11. Stonecutters Island • Line-of-sight to Field strength 58.0 64.0 64.0 Temple Hill (dBµV/m) • Measurements BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) were taken on < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) street level C/N ratio (dB) --- Not measured Not measured Picture grade 2 (noisy picture) 5 Not measured Sound grade 5 5 Not measured Margin of threshold Not measured Not measured --- (dB) 12. Fung Lai Court, • Test signals from Field strength 66.0 75.8 75.8 Tsz Wan Shan Temple Hill (dBµV/m) • Test site was BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) obstructed by < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) buildings C/N ratio (dB) --- 49 49 • Measurements Picture grade 3 (noisy picture) 5 5 were taken on Sound grade 5 5 5 street level Margin of threshold --- 48.8 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off) 13. Heng Fa Chuen, • Test signals from Field strength 36.0 (antenna 57.0 (antenna 57.0 (antenna Chai Wan Temple Hill (dBµV/m) height = 10 m); height = 10 m); height = 10 m); • Test site was 57.0 (antenna 64.0 (antenna 64.0 (antenna obstructed by height = 9 m) height = 8.2 m) height = 8.2 m) buildings BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) • Measurements < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) were taken on C/N ratio (dB) --- 33.3 33.3 street level Picture grade 2 (noisy picture) 5 5 Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold --- 12 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off) 14. Heng Fa Chuen, • Test signals from Field strength --- 77.5 (antenna 77.5 (antenna Chai Wan Sai Wan Shan (dBµV/m) height = 6.5 m) height = 6.5 m) • Test site was BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) 2.73E-5 (RS obstructed by < 1E-8 (RS On) Off) buildings < 1E-8 (RS On) • Measurements C/N ratio (dB) --- 38 38 were taken on Picture grade --- 5 5 street level Sound grade --- 5 5 Margin of threshold --- 25 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off) 15. St. Bonaventure • Test signals from Field strength 65.5 71.4 71.4 College & High Temple Hill (dBµV/m) School, Wong Tai • Test site was BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Sin obstructed by < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) buildings C/N ratio (dB) --- 41 41 • Measurements Picture grade 3 (noisy picture) 5 5 were taken on Sound grade 5 5 5 street level Margin of threshold --- 23 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off)

Table 2 (Continued)

21 Location Conditions Test Items PAL-I SDTV HDTV Remarks (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) 16. Kowloon Bay Sport • Test signals from Field strength 65.0 69.0 69.0 Centre, Kowloon Temple Hill (dBµV/m) Bay • Test site was BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) 5.98E-7 (RS obstructed by < 1E-8 (RS On) Off) buildings < 1E-8 (RS On) • Measurements C/N ratio (dB) --- 37 37 were taken on Picture grade 2 (picture noisy 55 street level and with ghosting) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold --- 13 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off) 17. Tsui Yeung House, • Test signals from Field strength 55.0 62.0 62.0 Tsui Ping Estate, Temple Hill (dBµV/m) Kwun Tong • Test site was BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) obstructed by < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) buildings C/N ratio (dB) --- 30 30 • Measurements Picture grade 2 (noisy picture) 5 5 were taken on Sound grade 4 5 5 street level Margin of threshold --- 11 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off) 18. Sai Wan Ho • Test signals from RF signal level 40.8 46.1 46.1 Domestic Temple Hill (dBµV) receiving • Test site was antenna was obstructed by used buildings BER --- 4.5E-7 (RS Off) 3E-3 (RS Off) • Measurements < 1E-8 (RS On) < 6.2E-6 (RS were taken on On) rooftop level C/N ratio (dB) --- 23.7 23.7 Picture grade 1 (serious 55 interference existed) Sound grade 5 5 5 (blocky picture occurred intermittently) Margin of threshold --- 12 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off) 19. St. Bonaventure • Test signal from RF signal level 50.0 61.5 61.5 Domestic College & High Temple Hill (dBµV) receiving School, Wong Tai • Test site was antenna was Sin obstructed by used buildings BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) • Measurements < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) were taken on C/N ratio (dB) --- 39.2 39.2 rooftop level Picture grade 3 (picture noisy 55 and with slight interference) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold --- 33 (BER --- (dB) increased to 2E-4 with RS Off)

Table 2 (Continued)

22 3.4.1.2 Indoor Reception Test Result

Measurements were taken in three public housing estates with an indoor antenna. The quality of the PAL-I pictures received at the test sites was poor but satisfactory ISDB-T pictures could be obtained at the same sites. Better reception could be obtained with 16 QAM or DQPSK modulation. The test results are summarized in Table 3.

Location Conditions Test Items PAL-I SDTV HDTV (Notes 1 & 2) (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) 1. Room 1234, 12/F., • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 37.0 40.0 40.0 Block 1, Mei Tung Temple Hill BER --- Not measured Reception failed Estate, Kowloon C/N ratio (dB) --- Not measured --- City Picture grade 2 (ghosting) Picture froze --- frequently when 64 QAM was used (picture grade was 5 when 16 QAM was used) Sound grade 5 5 --- Margin of threshold (dB) --- Not measured --- 2. 17/F., Tsui Yeung • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) --- 35.6 35.6 House, Tsui Ping Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) 5.4E-4 (RS Off) Estate, Kwun Tong < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) C/N ratio (dB) --- 22 22 Picture grade 2 (picture noisy) Picture froze Picture froze occasionally when occasionally 64 QAM was used (picture grade was 5 when 16 QAM was used) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 6 (BER increased to --- 2E-4 with RS Off) 3. 1/F., Ching Tak • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 49.0 58.0 58.0 House, Tsz Ching Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) 5.1E-5 (RS Off) Estate, Tsz Wan < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) Shan C/N ratio (dB) --- 35 35 Picture grade 3 (picture noisy and Picture froze Picture froze with interference) occasionally when occasionally 64 QAM was used (picture grade was 5 when 16 QAM was used) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 30 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off)

Note 1: Average RF level of the PAL-I signal was measured. A correction factor of about 6 dB should be added to the average value to obtain the peak sync value. Note 2: The subjective assessment of picture and sound quality was based on the ITU five-grade scale.

Table 3 - Indoor Reception Test Results

23 3.4.1.3 Mobile Reception Test Result

Four different routes in the urban areas of Hong Kong were chosen for the field tests, one on the Eastern Corridor, one on the Kwun Tong Bypass, one in Whampoa Garden and one in Diamond Hill. During the test, the survey vehicle was travelling at speeds less than 70 km/hour which was the typical safety speed for the roads of Hong Kong. Figure 15 shows an example of a measured curve (RF signal level versus time) of the DQPSK case. Figures 16 - 20 show the routes for mobile reception test. The test results are summarized in Table 4. The reception of PAL-I signal along the test routes was unstable and the picture was noisy. The reception of the ISDB-T signal was much better and satisfactory picture quality could be obtained.

50 RF signal level ( dBuV ) 45

30 18:34:24 18:34:30 18:34:36 18:34:42 18:34:48 18:34:54 18:35:00 18:35:06 18:35:12 18:35:18 18:35:24 18:35:30 18:35:36 18:35:42 18:35:48 18:35:54 18:36:00 18:36:06 18:36:12 18:36:19 18:36:25 18:36:31 18:36:37 18:36:43 18:36:49 18:36:56 18:37:02 18:37:08 18:37:14 18:37:20 18:37:26 18:37:33 18:37:39 18:37:45 18:37:51 18:37:57 18:38:03 Time

Figure 15 - An Example of a Measured Curve

24 Temple Hill

Diamond Hill

Kwun Tong Bypass Kowloon

Whampoa Garden Victoria Harbour

Eastern Corridor

Hong Kong Island Sai Wan Shan

Figure 16 - The Routes for Mobile Reception Test

25 S

S Starting Point

Figure 17 - Test Route 1 (Kwun Tong Bypass)

26 S

S Starting Point

Figure 18 - Test Route 2 (Eastern Corridor)

27 S

S Starting Point

Figure 19 - Test Route 3 (Diamond Hill)

28 S

S Starting Point

Figure 20 - Test Route 4 (Whampoa Garden)

29 Route Transmitter(s) Parameters used Success rate (%) (Note) 1. Kwun Tong Bypass Temple Hill 16 QAM, 28.6 code rate = 1/2, guard interval = 1/8 2. Kwun Tong Bypass Temple Hill DQPSK, 97.2 code rate = 1/2, guard interval = 1/8 3. Kwun Tong Bypass Temple Hill and 16 QAM, 42.8 Sai Wan Shan code rate = 1/2, (SFN) guard interval = 1/8 4. Kwun Tong Bypass Temple Hill and DQPSK, 100 Sai Wan Shan code rate = 1/2, (SFN) guard interval = 1/8 5. Diamond Hill Temple Hill DQPSK, 100 code rate = 1/2, guard interval = 1/8 6. Diamond Hill Temple Hill 16 QAM, 97.2 code rate = 1/2, guard interval = 1/8 7. Whampoa Garden Temple Hill DQPSK, 26.1 code rate = 1/2, guard interval = 1/8 8. Whampoa Garden Temple Hill and DQPSK, 46.6 Sai Wan Shan code rate = 1/2, (SFN) guard interval = 1/8 9. Eastern Corridor Temple Hill 16 QAM, 99.8 code rate = 1/2, guard interval = 1/8 10. Eastern Corridor Temple Hill DQPSK, 100 code rate = 1/2, guard interval = 1/8 11. Eastern Corridor Temple Hill and 16 QAM, 100 Sai Wan Shan code rate = 1/2, (SFN) guard interval = 1/8 12. Eastern Corridor Temple Hill and DQPSK, 100 Sai Wan Shan code rate = 1/2, (SFN) guard interval = 1/8

Note: Success rate was the percentage of time that satisfactory reception was obtained.

Table 4 - Mobile Reception Test Results

30 3.4.1.4 Tidal Fading Test Result

Measurements were taken at Sai Wan Ho Ferry Pier and Chivas Godown, Chai Wan (Figure 21). At these locations, the antenna could receive strong reflections from the sea as well as the direct signal. Typical field strength variations are given in Figures 22 and 24. Severe multipath fading was experienced at Sai Wan Ho Ferry Pier and the PAL-I picture was unstable. For ISDB-T, blocky picture and frozen picture occurred during the measurement periods. The frequency of occurrence of blocky picture or frozen picture decreased when 16 QAM was used instead of 64 QAM. Even better reception was obtained when DQPSK was used. The results are summarized in Table 5.

Temple Hill

Kowloon

Victoria Harbour

Sai Wan Ho Ferry Pier

Hong Kong Sai Wan Shan Island Chivas Godown

Test Site

Figure 21 - Test Sites (Tidal Fading Test)

31 85

65 Field strength ( dBuV/m ) 60

50 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76 81 86 91 96 101 106 111 116 121 126 131 136 141 146 Time ( s )

Figure 22 - Typical Field Strength Variation (Chivas Godown, Antenna Height = 10 m)

68 Field strength ( dBuV/m ) 66

62 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61 65 69 73 77 81 85 89 93 97 101 105 109 113 Time ( s )

Figure 23 - Typical Field Strength Variation (Sai Wan Ho Ferry Pier, Antenna Height = 10 m)

32 72

Field strength ( dBuV/m ) 62

56 1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64 67 70 73 76 79 82 85 88 91 94 Time ( s )

Figure 24 - Typical Field Strength Variation (Sai Wan Ho Ferry Pier, Antenna Height = 6 m)

33 Location Conditions Test Items PAL-I SDTV HDTV (Notes 1 & 2) (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) 1. Chivas Godown, • Test signals from Field strength (dBµV/m) 77.0 80.7 80.7 Chai Wan Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) • Height of antenna < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) was 10 m C/N ratio (dB) --- 42 42 Picture grade 3.5 (picture with 55 interference) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) 7 (picture quality 34 (BER increased --- degraded to grade 3) to 2E-4 with RS Off) 2. Sai Wan Ho Ferry • Test signals from Field strength (dBµV/m) 65.0 72.0 72.0 Pier Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) 1.02E-7 (RS Off) • Height of antenna < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) was 10 m C/N ratio (dB) --- 31 31 Picture grade 3 (picture noisy and Blocky picture Blocky picture with interference) occurred occurred intermittently intermittently Sound grade 3 (disturbance Disturbance Disturbance occurred occurred occurred intermittently) intermittently intermittently Margin of threshold (dB) --- 11 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off) Sai Wan Ho Ferry • Test signals from Field strength (dBµV/m) 58.0 64.0 64.0 Pier Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) • Height of antenna < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) was 6 m C/N ratio (dB) --- 32 32 Picture grade 3 (picture with 5 Blocky picture interference) occurred intermittently Sound grade 5 5 Disturbance occurred intermittently Margin of threshold (dB) --- 14 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off)

Note 1: Average field strength of the PAL-I signal was measured. A correction factor of about 6 dB should be added to the average value to obtain the peak sync value. Note 2: The subjective assessment of picture and sound quality was based on the ITU five-grade scale.

Table 5 - Tidal Fading Test Results

34 3.4.2 In-Building Coaxial Cable Distribution System (IBCCDS) Test Result

Tests were carried out to evaluate whether the ISDB-T signal could be received through the existing IBCCDSs. Measurements were taken at the headends and TV outlets of the IBCCDSs of a commercial building, a university, a hotel and three public housing estates. The results indicated that the ISDB-T signal could be received well through the IBCCDSs under test when sufficient signal level was available. The picture quality of SDTV and HDTV was excellent. Better reception was obtained using ISDB-T system as compared with the PAL-I system. The results are summarized in Table 6. It was noted that no adverse effect was caused to the reception of PAL-I channels via the IBCCDS and no complaint was received from the public during the trial period.

Location Conditions Test Items PAL-I SDTV HDTV (Notes 1 & 2) (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) 1. 36/F., Podium • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 35.6 42.7 42.7 Commercial Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) 1.6E-3 (RS Off) Building, Tsim Sha < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) Tsui C/N ratio (dB) --- 21 21 (Headend of the Picture grade 2 (picture noisy and 55 SMATV/CABD with interference) system) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 11 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off) G/F., Podium • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 31.0 39.0 39.0 Commercial Temple Hill BER --- 1.2E-7 (RS Off) 2E-3 (RS Off) Building, Tsim Sha < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) Tsui C/N ratio (dB) --- 17 17 (TV outlet) Picture grade 2 (picture noisy and 55 with interference) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 7 (BER increased to --- 2E-4 with RS Off) 2. 3/F., Block S, Hong • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 30.6 38.0 38.0 Kong Polytechnic Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) 2.6E-7 (RS Off) University < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) (Headend of the C/N ratio (dB) --- 26 26 SMATV/CABD Picture grade 2 (picture noisy) 5 5 system) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 7 (BER increased to --- 2E-4 with RS Off)

Table 6 - IBCCDS Test Results

35 Location Conditions Test Items PAL-I SDTV HDTV (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) 3. 12/F., Block 1, Mei • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 53.0 62.0 62.0 Tung Estate, Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Kowloon City < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) (Headend of the C/N ratio (dB) --- 29.0 29.0 SMATV/CABD Picture grade 3 (picture noisy) 5 5 system) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 33 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off) 4/F., Block 1, Mei • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 44.6 55.0 55.0 Tung Estate, Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Kowloon City < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) (TV outlet) C/N ratio (dB) --- 30.4 30.4 Picture grade 2.5 (picture noisy) 5 5 Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 24 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off) 4. 18/F., Tsui Yeung • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 59.0 62.6 62.6 House, Tsui Ping Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Estate, Kwun Tong < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) (Headend of the C/N ratio (dB) --- 49 49 SMATV/CABD Picture grade 4.5 5 5 system) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) 7.5 (picture quality 35 (BER increased --- degraded to grade 4) to 2E-4 with RS Off) 14.5 (picture quality degraded to grade 3) Room 103, Tsui • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 36.9 45.4 45.4 Yeung House, Tsui Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Ping Estate, Kwun < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) Tong C/N ratio (dB) --- 36 36 (TV outlet) Picture grade 2 (picture noisy) 5 5 Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 17 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off) 5. 15/F., Hotel Nikko • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 69.0 79.0 79.0 Hong Kong, Tsim Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Sha Tsui East < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) (Headend of the C/N ratio (dB) --- 39 39 SMATV/CABD Picture grade 3.5 (picture with 55 system) slight interference) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) 24.5 (picture quality 52 (BER increased --- degraded to grade 3) to 2E-4 with RS Off) Room 1505, Hotel • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 43.0 47.8 47.8 Nikko Hong Kong, Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Tsim Sha Tsui East < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) (TV outlet) C/N ratio (dB) --- 34 34 Picture grade 3 (picture noisy and 55 with slight interference) Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 18 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off) 6. 26/F., Ching Tak • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 50.0 60.0 60.0 House, Tsz Ching Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Estate, Tsz Wan < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) Shan C/N ratio (dB) --- 36 36 (Headend of the Picture grade 3.5 (picture noisy) 5 5 SMATV/CABD Sound grade 5 5 5 system) Margin of threshold (dB) 4.5 (picture quality 31 (BER increased --- degraded to grade 3) to 2E-4 with RS Off) 1/F., Ching Tak • Test signals from RF signal level (dBµV) 40.0 49.0 49.0 House, Tsz Ching Temple Hill BER --- < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) Estate, Tsz Wan < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) Shan C/N ratio (dB) --- 34 34 (TV outlet) Picture grade 3 (picture noisy) 5 5 Sound grade 5 5 5 Margin of threshold (dB) --- 20 (BER increased --- to 2E-4 with RS Off)

Table 6 (Continued)

36 3.4.3 Single Frequency Network (SFN) Test Result

Both transmitters at Temple Hill and Sai Wan Shan were switched on to test the SFN operation. Measurements were taken at Chivas Godown, Chai Wan and Sai Wan Ho Ferry Pier (Figure 21). The results are summarized in Table 7. The results revealed that SFN operation was feasible using ISDB-T system and the picture and sound quality was excellent provided that the ratio of desired to undesired field strength (D/U ratio) and the delay time of delayed signals were not exceeded the limits of the system. For the setting of this test, the limits of the D/U ratio and the delay time were 6 dB and 25 µs respectively.

Location Test Items SDTV HDTV SDTV HDTV (Note) (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, (2k, 64 QAM, GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) GI = 1/8, CR = 2/3) GI = 1/8, CR = 7/8) Antenna pointed to Temple Hill Antenna pointed to Sai Wan Shan 1. Chivas Godown, Field strength (dBµV/m) 80.7 80.7 93.0 93.0 Chai D/U ratio332222 BER < 1E-8 (RS Off) 4.66E-3 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) 2.44E-4 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS On) 3.14E-4 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) C/N ratio (dB) 49 49 59 59 Picture grade 5 5 (picture froze 55 occasionally) Sound grade 5 5 (disturbance 55 occurred occasionally) Margin of threshold (dB) 33 (BER increased --- 46 (BER increased --- to to 2E-4 with RS Off) 2E-4 with RS Off) 2. Sai Wan Ho Ferry Field strength (dBµV/m) 83.0 83.0 72.0 72.0 Pier D/U ratio292966 BER < 1E-8 (RS Off) 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS Off) < 1E-8 (RS On) 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) < 1E-8 (RS On) C/N ratio (dB) 53 53 41 41 Picture grade 5 5 (picture froze 55 occasionally) Sound grade 5 5 (disturbance 55 occurred occasionally) Margin of threshold (dB) 35 (BER increased --- 22 (BER increased --- to to 2E-4 with RS Off) 2E-4 with RS Off)

Note: The subjective assessment of picture and sound quality was based on the ITU five-grade scale.

Table 7 - SFN Test Results

37 4. LABORATORY TEST

4.1 Objectives of Laboratory Test

The objectives of the laboratory tests were as follows:

• to evaluate the performance of ISDB-T signal in the presence of analogue co- channel/adjacent channel/image channel interference (PAL into ISDB-T interference - Table 11);

• to evaluate whether modifying the vestigial sideband (VSB) mask of existing PAL-I system to that of PAL-I1 could improve the spurious interference performance (PAL into ISDB-T interference - Table 11);

• to evaluate the performance of domestic analogue VCR/TV receivers in the presence of ISDB-T co-channel/adjacent channel/image channel interference (ISDB-T into PAL interference - Table 12);

• to evaluate the performance of ISDB-T signal in the presence of ISDB-T co- channel/adjacent channel interference (ISDB-T into ISDB-T interference - Table 13); and

• to measure the overall video and audio delay time caused by ISDB-T encoding/decoding and to evaluate the effect of this delay time on live broadcast (Encoding/Decoding Delay - Table 14).

38 4.2 Equipment Setup for Laboratory Test

Figure 25 shows the setup of the test rig for the PAL into ISDB-T interference, ISDB-T into PAL interference and ISDB-T into ISDB-T interference measurements.

Ch21 Analogue TV Signal System I / I1 / K -10 to -15 dBm UHF TV (Ch21) Modulator Select I / I1 / K VSB

PAL-I A1 FM Sound FM Sound Local Oscillator UHF UHF Up- (A1) IF I1 / K Up-Converter Converter System I / K A1 System I1 / K VSB Select Filter A1 IF A1 Input Local Input Ch 23/31/32/33 BPF Combiner PAL-K A1 Local Oscillator NICAM IF

RF Communication Nicam Encoder Test Set 27dB Gain Amplifier

ISDB-T Signal Combiner Level Adjust VR1 Analogue TV / ISDB-T Signal Level Adjust VR2 ISDB-T Test Gear

O/P 3 O/P 4 Divider

O/P 1 O/P 2

Analogue TV Level Spectrum Analyzer 0 - 94dBuV

TV/VCR Samples / ISDB-T Printer receiver

Figure 25 - Setup of the Test Rig

39 4.3 Technical Characteristics of Test Signals

The technical characteristics of the ISDB-T signal used for the laboratory test are shown in Table 8. To simulate 8 MHz channel spacing, the ISDB-T carrier frequencies were offset by plus or minus 0.93 MHz in the test. The ISDB-T system BERs were measured before the Reed Solomon (RS) decoder.

Parameters SDTV HDTV Numbers of Carriers 2k (1405) 2k (1405) Modulation Mode COFDM, 64 QAM COFDM, 64 QAM Symbol Duration 256 µs 256 µs Guard Interval 1/8 1/8 RS Code Rate 188/204 188/204 FEC Rate 2/3 7/8 Information Rate 16.227 Mbps 21.298 Mbps IF Center Frequency ( 0 Offset ) 37.15 MHz 37.15 MHz IF 3 dB Bandwidth 5.6 MHz 5.6 MHz Number of TV Channel for Test 1 1

Table 8 - Technical Characteristics of ISDB-T Signal for Laboratory Test

The technical characteristics of the audio and video signals used for the laboratory test are shown in Table 9. The technical characteristics of the PAL-I, PAL-I1 and PAL-K signals and the VSB specifications of PAL-I, PAL-I1 and PAL-K used for the laboratory test are shown in Figures 26 - 28 and Table 10.

Video picture 625 PAL EBU Color Bars Audio for FM sound 400 Hz, 0 dBm tone FM sound deviation 17.74 kHz Audio for NICAM sound 1 kHz, 0 dBm tone

Table 9 - Technical Characteristics of Audio and Sound Signals for Laboratory Test

40 Figure 26 - Technical Characteristics of PAL-I and PAL-I1 Signals for Laboratory Test

Figure 27 - Technical Characteristics of PAL-K Signal for Laboratory Test

Figure 28 - Typical Composite Test Signal for Laboratory Test

41 From Vision Carrier Maximum Minimum Frequency ( dB ) ( dB ) ( MHz ) PAL-I -5.5 -20 -4.43 -30 -4 -20 -3 -20 -2 -8 -10 -1 -1.25 -2.5 0 +1.5 -0.5 +1 +9.5 -0.5 +2 Reference PAL-I1 < -1.45 -45 -1.25 -20 -0.75 +0.5 -4 -0.5 +0.5 -1.5 0 +0.5 -0.5 +1.5 Reference PAL-K -4.33 ± 0.1 MHz -30 -1.25 -20 -0.75 +0.5 -4 -0.5 +0.5 -1.5 0 +0.5 -0.5 +1.5 Reference

Table 10 - PAL-I, PAL-I1 and PAL-K VSB Specifications for Laboratory Test

42 4.4 Measurement Procedures for Laboratory Test

4.4.1 PAL into ISDB-T Interference

The measurement procedures were as follows:

(1) The ISDB-T mode was set to SDTV. (2) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I. (3) The ISDB-T frequency was set to 562 + 0.93 MHz (Channel 32). (4) The ISDB-T power level at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was set to -50 dBm by adjusting variable attenuator VR1 (Figure 25). (5) The vision carrier frequency of the analogue signal was set to 567.25 MHz (Channel 33). (6) The power level of the analogue signal at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was set to -50 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR2 (Figure 25). The variable attenuator reading (R1) was recorded. (7) The power level of the analogue signal at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was adjusted until BER of 2E-4 was reached. The variable attenuator reading (R2) was recorded and R2 - R1 was calculated. (8) The ISDB-T frequency was set to 562 - 0.93 MHz (Channel 32). (9) The ISDB-T power level at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was set to -50 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. (10) The vision carrier frequency of the analogue signal was set to 551.25 MHz. (Channel 31). (11) Steps (6) and (7) were repeated. (12) The vision carrier frequency of the analogue signal was set to 559.25 MHz (Channel 32). (13) Steps (6) and (7) were repeated. (14) The ISDB-T frequency was set to 490 - 0.93 MHz (Channel 23). (15) The ISDB-T power level at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was set to -50 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. (16) Steps (6) and (7) were repeated. (17) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I1. (18) Steps (3) to (16) were repeated. (19) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-K. (20) Steps (3) to (16) were repeated. (21) The ISDB-T mode was set to HDTV. (22) Steps (2) to (20) were repeated.

43 4.4.2 ISDB-T into PAL Interference

The measurement procedures were as follows:

Upper Adjacent Channel Interference (1) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I. (2) The vision carrier frequency of the analogue signal was set to 551.25 MHz (Channel 31). (3) The power level of the analogue signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was set to -43 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR2. (4) The ISDB-T frequency was set to 562 - 0.93 MHz (Channel 32). (5) The power level of the ISDB-T signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was set to -43 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. The variable attenuator reading (R3) was recorded. (6) The power level of the ISDB-T signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was adjusted until the picture, the FM sound or the NICAM sound quality of the analogue signal was degraded to grade 4. The variable attenuator reading (R4) was recorded and R4 - R3 was calculated. (7) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I1. (8) Steps (2) to (6) were repeated. (9) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-K. (10) Steps (2) to (6) were repeated.

Lower Adjacent Channel Interference (1) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I. (2) The vision carrier frequency of the analogue signal was set to 567.25 MHz (Channel 33). (3) The power level of the analogue signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was set to -43 dBm by adjusting variable attenuator VR2. (4) The ISDB-T frequency was set to 562 + 0.93 MHz (Channel 32). (5) The power level of the ISDB-T signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was set to -43 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. The variable attenuator reading (R5) was recorded. (6) The power level of the ISDB-T signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was adjusted until the picture, the FM sound or the NICAM sound quality of the analogue signal was degraded to grade 4. The variable attenuator reading (R6) was recorded and R6 - R5 was calculated. (7) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I1. (8) Steps (2) to (6) were repeated.

44 (9) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-K. (10) Steps (2) to (6) were repeated.

Co-Channel Interference (1) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I. (2) The vision carrier frequency of the analogue signal was set to 559.25 MHz (Channel 32). (3) The power level of the analogue signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was set to -43 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR2. (4) The ISDB-T frequency was set to 562 - 0.93 MHz (Channel 32). (5) The power level of the ISDB-T signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was set to -43 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. The variable attenuator reading (R7) was recorded. (6) The power level of the ISDB-T signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was adjusted until the picture, the FM sound or the NICAM sound quality of the analogue signal was degraded to grade 4. The variable attenuator reading (R8) was recorded and R8 - R7 was calculated. (7) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I1. (8) Steps (2) to (6) were repeated. (9) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-K. (10) Steps (2) to (6) were repeated.

Image Channel Interference (1) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I. (2) The vision carrier frequency of the analogue signal was set to 487.25 MHz (Channel 23). (3) The power level of the analogue signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was set to -43 dBm by adjusting variable attenuator VR2. (4) The ISDB-T frequency was set to 562 + 0.93 MHz (Channel 32). (5) The power level of the ISDB-T signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was set to -43 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. The variable attenuator reading (R9) was recorded. (6) The power level of the ISDB-T signal at the input of the TV set/VCR was adjusted until the picture, the FM sound or the NICAM sound quality of the analogue signal was degraded to grade 4. The variable attenuator reading (R10) was recorded and R10 - R9 was calculated. (7) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-I1. (8) Steps (2) to (6) were repeated.

45 (9) The analogue TV system was set to PAL-K. (10) Steps (2) to (6) were repeated.

4.4.3 ISDB-T into ISDB-T Interference

The measurement procedures were as follows:

(1) The ISDB-T mode was set to SDTV for both wanted and unwanted signals. (2) The frequency of the wanted signal was set to 562 + 0.93 MHz (Channel 32). (3) The power level of the wanted signal at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was set to -50 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. (4) The frequency of the unwanted signal was set to 570 - 0.93 MHz (Channel 33). (5) The power level of the unwanted signal at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was set to -50 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR2. The variable attenuator reading (R11) was recorded. (6) The power level of the unwanted signal at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was adjusted until BER of 2E-4 was reached. The variable attenuator reading (R12) was recorded and R12 - R11 was calculated. (7) The frequency of the wanted signal was set to 562 - 0.93 MHz (Channel 32). (8) The power level of the wanted signal at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was set to -50 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. (9) The frequency of the unwanted signal was set to 554 + 0.93 MHz. (Channel 31). (10) Steps (5) and (6) were repeated. (11) The frequency of the wanted signal was set to 562 MHz (Channel 32). (12) The power level of the wanted signal at the input of the ISDB-T receiver was set to -50 dBm by adjusting the variable attenuator VR1. (13) The frequency of the unwanted signal was set to 562 MHz (Channel 32). (14) Steps (5) and (6) were repeated. (15) The ISDB-T mode was set to HDTV for both wanted and unwanted signals. (16) Steps (2) to (14) were repeated.

46 4.4.4 Encoding/Decoding Delay

The measurement procedures were as follows:

(1) A video signal with time (or frame count) information was prepared. (2) The video signal was fed to the ISDB-T encoder. After the whole ISDB-T transmission path, the video signal was obtained from the ISDB-T decoder. (3) The original video signal and that passed through the ISDB-T system were observed at the same time on a picture by means of a 4-to-1 video combiner. The delay time of the ISDB-T system was estimated by measuring the time difference between the two video signals.

47 4.5 Results Summary of Laboratory Test

The results of the laboratory test are summarized in Tables 11 - 14. The results in Table 11 indicated that better protection ratio for upper adjacent channel interference could be obtained using modified VSB mask of PAL-I1 system as compared with that of PAL-I system.

Upper Adjacent Channel Lower Adjacent Channel Co-channel Image Channel Interference Interference Interference Interference ISDB-T (wanted) Channel 32/562 + 0.93 MHz Channel 32/562 - 0.93 MHz Channel 32/562 - 0.93 MHz Channel 23/490 - 0.93 MHz Analogue TV (unwanted) Channel 33/567.25 MHz Channel 31/551.25 MHz Channel 32/559.25 MHz Channel 32/559.25 MHz PAL-I PAL-I1 PAL-K PAL-I PAL-I1 PAL-K PAL-I PAL-I1 PAL-K PAL-I PAL-I1 PAL-K SDTV (64 QAM, CR = 2/3) -38 < -43 < -40 -31 -31 < -40 3 4 4 < -42 < -42 < -41 HDTV (64 QAM, CR = 7/8) -26 -41 < -40 -31 -31 -33 21 22 21 < -42 < -42 < -41

Table 11 - PAL into ISDB-T Interference

Sample Number Upper Adjacent Channel Lower Adjacent Channel Co-channel Image Channel Interference Interference Interference Interference ISDB-T (unwanted) ISDB-T (unwanted) ISDB-T (unwanted) ISDB-T (unwanted) Channel 32/562 - 0.93 MHz Channel 32/562 + 0.93 MHz Channel 32/562 - 0.93 MHz Channel 32/562 + 0.93 MHz Analogue TV (wanted) Analogue TV (wanted) Analogue TV (wanted) Analogue TV (wanted) Channel 31/551.25 MHz Channel 33/567.25 MHz Channel 32/559.25 MHz Channel 23/487.25 MHz PAL-I PAL-I1 PAL-K PAL-I PAL-I1 PAL-K PAL-I PAL-I1 PAL-K PAL-I PAL-I1 PAL-K 1 -7.3 5.7 3.3 3.3 40.3 -14.3 2 -4.0 -6.3 -7.0 -8.0 45.7 -12 3 -11.0 -10.0 -9.7 -5.7 -4.7 -2.7 43.0 44.7 46.0 -15 -12.0 -13.0 4 -10.7 -0.3 1.0 1.3 46.3 -10.7 5 -11.0 1.3 -0.3 -0.3 41.7 -15.3 6 -6.0 -6.3 -5.0 -5.7 44.3 -12.7 7 -10.7 -5.3 -5.0 -4.7 43.0 -12.7 8 -8.3 -8.3 -9.7 7.7 7.0 7.3 43.0 45.0 45.0 -15 -13.7 -15.3 9 -5.0 2.7 1.7 0.0 45.7 -13.7 10 -10.7 1.0 0.3 0.3 44.3 -15 11 -12.0 -11.3 -12.7 -5.7 -6.3 -6.3 44.3 44.7 44.3 -13 -13.3 -12.7 12 -4.0 -4.0 -10.3 -7.0 -7.0 -8.0 45.3 43.7 45.7 -12.3 -9.7 -11.0 13 -11.0 -10.0 -10.3 -0.7 -2.3 -2.0 47.0 49.0 48.3 -12.7 -9.7 -11.0 14 -11.3 -11.0 -12.0 -4.7 -3.7 -6.0 46.7 47.3 45.3 -14 -9.0 -12.7 15 -12.0 -11.7 -13.3 0.3 -1.3 -3.0 41.0 43.7 44.3 -14.7 -10.0 -11.0 16 -9.0 -6.0 -9.0 2.0 1.0 -3.3 45.3 45.3 45.3 -12 -13.0 -13.3 17 -9.7 -6.7 -8.0 5.0 2.7 1.3 45.0 49.0 46.3 -14.3 -9.7 -9.7 18 -5.7 -7.7 -6.0 -9.3 42.0 -16.3 19 -15.7 3.0 4.7 1.7 42.3 -18.7 20 -11.0 4.0 3.7 1.0 40.3 -18.7 21 -4.0 -6.3 -5.0 -6.7 40.0 -16.7 22 -13.7 -8.3 -8.0 -11.3 37.7 -17 23 -14.0 -7.0 -6.3 -7.7 40.0 -15.7 Count: 23 9 9 23 23 23 23 9 9 23 9 9 Maximum: -4.0 -4.0 -8.0 7.7 7.0 7.3 47.0 49.0 48.3 -10.7 -9.0 -9.7 Minimum: -15.7 -11.7 -13.3 -8.3 -8.0 -11.3 37.7 43.7 44.3 -18.7 -13.7 -15.3 Average: -9.5 -8.8 -10.6 -1.7 -1.8 -3.0 43.2 45.8 45.6 -14.5 -11.1 -12.2 Standard Deviation: 3.4 2.7 1.8 5.0 4.4 4.6 2.5 2.1 1.2 2.1 1.9 1.7

Table 12 - ISDB-T into PAL Interference

Upper Adjacent Channel Lower Adjacent Channel Co-channel Interference Interference Interference (non-correlation) ISDB-T (wanted) Channel 32 (562 + 0.93 MHz) Channel 32 (562 - 0.93 MHz) Channel 32(562 MHz) ISDB-T (unwanted) Channel 33 (570 - 0.93 MHz) Channel 31 (554 + 0.93 MHz) Channel 32 (562 MHz) SDTV (64 QAM, CR = 2/3) -24 -27 20 HDTV (64 QAM, CR = 7/8) -15 -18 23

Table 13 - ISDB-T into ISDB-T interference

48 Item Signal Path Decoder Modulation Code Rate Interleave Delay Time (frame) (seconds) 1 Encoder - Decoder R&S N/A N/A N/A 22 0.73 2 Through the whole system R&S 64 QAM 2/3 0 25 0.83 3 Through the whole system R&S 64 QAM 2/3 16 39 1.30 4 Through the whole system R&S 64 QAM 2/3 32 53 1.77 5 Through the whole system R&S 64 QAM 7/8 0 24 0.80 6 Through the whole system R&S 64 QAM 7/8 16 38 1.27 7 Through the whole system R&S 64 QAM 7/8 32 52 1.73 8 Through the whole system Toshiba 64 QAM 2/3 0 20 0.67 9 Through the whole system Toshiba 64 QAM 2/3 16 34 1.13 10 Through the whole system Toshiba 64 QAM 2/3 32 48 1.60 11 Through the whole system Toshiba 64 QAM 7/8 0 20 0.67 12 Through the whole system Toshiba 64 QAM 7/8 16 34 1.13 13 Through the whole system Toshiba 64 QAM 7/8 32 47 1.57

Table 14 - Encoding/Decoding Delay

49 5. SUMMARY OF RESULTS

The results of the field test and the laboratory test are summarized as follows:

(1) Field Test

(a) Fixed Reception The quality of the ISDB-T picture and sound (SDTV and HDTV) received at the test sites was excellent and was much better than that of the PAL-I system used in Hong Kong, especially at receiving locations obstructed by buildings. ISDB-T had a lower reception threshold as compared to PAL-I.

(b) Indoor Reception

At all the measurement locations, satisfactory SDTV picture and sound quality could be obtained using 16 QAM. However, it was found that frozen picture occurred intermittently in both SDTV and HDTV modes with 64 QAM. The result might be due to the technical limitation of the test equipment used in the field test and additional technical evaluation would be required to further demonstrate the indoor reception of ISDB-T.

(c) Mobile Reception The test result indicated that ISDB-T supported mobile reception. Satisfactory picture and sound quality could be obtained, whereas mobile reception using the PAL-I system was not feasible.

(d) Tidal Fading With 64 QAM, reception of ISDB-T signal close to the shore was blocky and frozen picture occurred frequently which was caused by the tidal fading. The frequency of occurrence of blocky or frozen picture decreased when 16 QAM was used instead of 64 QAM. Even better reception could be obtained when DQPSK was used.

(e) Reception through IBCCDS ISDB-T signal could be received well through the IBCCDSs under test when sufficient signal level was provided. The picture quality of SDTV and HDTV was excellent. Better reception was obtained with ISDB-T system as compared with the PAL-I system. It was noted that no adverse effect was caused to the reception of PAL-I channels through the IBCCDSs and no complaint was received during the trial period.

50 (f) SFN Operation The result indicated that SFN operation was feasible.

(2) Laboratory Test

(a) Protection Ratios The practical protection ratios for co-channel interference, adjacent channel interference and image channel interference were found.

(b) VSB Mask of PAL-I1 The result of laboratory test revealed that better protection ratio for upper adjacent channel interference for ISDB-T interfered with by PAL-I1 signal could be obtained using modified VSB mask.

(c) Encoding/Decoding Delay The overall encoding/decoding delay of the test system was found to be ranging from 0.67 to 1.77 seconds.