Aggressive joint compression for DTV simulcast

Abstract

A complete simulcast on digital TV (DTV) can be complex to implement in some scenarios, such as when the network bandwidth has many limitations. A common solution in such scenarios is to limit the number of duplicate programmes in the simulcast to a minimum. However, this practice slows down the migration to a new generation. This article analyses the causes of this delay and proposes a technique to improve the efficiency of the simulcast. Focusing on the migration from MPEG-2 SD to H.264 HD broadcasts in DVB-T networks, the article presents an efficient solution that can accelerate the transition period.