Product category:
Stand-Alone Instruments
News Release from: Digital TV Labs | Subject: RF Test Suite
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 22 November 2007
Test suite checks TV receiver
performance
RF test suite benchmarks digital terrestrial receivers against the top 50 DVB-T troublespots across Europe.
Digital TV manufacturers can now guarantee front-end receiver performance in Europe's most challenging DVB-T locations, with the launch of the first lab-based RF test suite for benchmarking digital terrestrial receivers against the top 50 DVB-T troublespots across Europe Launched by Digital TV Labs, the RF Test Suite consists of benchmarked RF captures that will enable chip and receiver manufacturers to validate front-end performance for Europe's most difficult field conditions in reproducible and repeatable lab conditions, in any worldwide location
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 15 Jun 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Test service covers all European DVB-T flavours
Digital TV Labs, the DVB-T conformance specialists has launched the first European-wide DVB-T field testing service.
Test suite ensures DVB-T receiver compliance
Digital TV Labs will cut a major hurdle to market for receiver suppliers with the launch of the world's first pan-European DVB-T test suite, Evora, at this year's IBC.
As a result, manufacturers can for the first time address a major cause of product return rates and minimise the need for lengthy and costly field testing in locations across Europe.
Conventional lab test equipment can never replicate the complex real network reception conditions across Europe, so manufacturers need to field test receivers to validate RF performance.
However, with ever-changing network conditions and switchover programmes in full swing across 20 European countries, finding and visiting the RF troublespots to field test every receiver variant is a huge undertaking.
Further reading
DVB-T test suite covers all European variations
Pan-European DVB-T test suite offers complete country-by-country software conformance tests, giving manufacturers the advantage of early market entry, with high-quality products and minimal returns.
Virtual RF tests cut down on field work
Digital TV Labs has dramatically cut the cost of DVB-T testing with the launch of the world's first virtual radio frequency (RF) field testing service.
Digital TV testing meets latest RF standards
Digital TV Labs has upgraded its state-of-the-art facility to comply with the latest versions of the standard D-Book V5 and NorDig 1.03.
The Digital TV Labs' RF Test Suite allows manufacturers to "virtual field test" their receivers, accurately reproducing field conditions in a lab environment and ensuring products work effectively in Europe's biggest DVB-T troublespots.
Fresco Microchip, a developer of leading edge RF, mixed-signal and digital signal processing ICs, has already used the Digital TV Labs RF Test Suite to hone its ultrasmall FM2080, the industry's first single-chip hybrid receiver for DVB-T markets.
"As the evolution from analogue to digital broadcasting gathers pace, digital TV manufacturers are demanding leading edge chips that will guarantee a high level of performance across Europe", says Mike Gittings, VP Marketing, Sales and Applications of Fresco Microchip.
"Digital TV Labs' field test services and Virtual Test Suite enabled Fresco Microchip to accurately reproduce a variety of difficult European reception conditions to optimise our FM2080 single-chip hybrid demodulator for every DVB-T region".
"Using DTV Labs Virtual Test Suite, Fresco's FM2080, exceeded a number of known challenging performance benchmarks, each important to high quality digital television broadcast", says Keith Potter, CEO of Digital TV Labs.
"As digital TV manufacturers expand into new European markets, brand perception is key to gaining an advantage in this highly competitive sector".
"DVB-T troublespots can significantly hamper the performance of front-end receivers, leading to high product return rates and customer churn, and lasting damage to a brand's reputation".
"By taking advantage of our lab-based RF testing, manufacturers can ensure products work in even the most challenging DVB-T locations in Europe, while reducing costs and speeding up time to market in all European regions", adds Potter.
Digital TV Labs is continuously touring Europe, collecting static and mobile analogue, DVB-T and DVB-H recordings across the complete spectrum in order to identify and record the most difficult RF conditions or trouble-spots.
Companies with suitable playout equipment can purchase the RF Test Suite as a library of RF captures or can submit their receivers for a Virtual Field Test at the Digital TV Labs Bristol Test Centre.
• Digital TV Labs: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
