HDTV satellite broadcasting in the EHF domain: Feasibility Study and Quality Assessment

In this work we propose a simulation-based feasibility study for the efficient exploitation of W band (75-110GHz) for high quality HDTV broadcasting applications. In order to obtain a reliable and realistic simulation environment, we have considered the DVB-S2 standard specifications, introducing the typical W-band impairments such as phase noise, rain attenuation, as well as non-linearities. For testing purposes, we have adopted common High-Definition benchmark video sequences, so as to evaluate the H.264 video quality as a function of the available bit-rate on the channel. During the simulation phase we have taken into account adaptive techniques like ACM (Adaptive Coding and Modulation) and scalable video coding (SVC). Eventually, we have evaluated the achieved results in view of implementing future broadcasting services in the EHF domain. Simulation results have demonstrated the suitability of W-band to efficiently support a reliable HDTV service with an increased number of available channels if compared to DVB-S2 standard using Ku and Ka band. The large bandwidth availability should also improve the system flexibility in terms of trade-off between spectral efficiency and video quality.