FREESAT AND DVB INFORMATION.

FREESAT AND DVB INFORMATION.

FREESAT AND DVB INFORMATION answers a number of questions which has been confusing to those new to freesat and DVB and as one caller put it; reading most of the forums has been very confusing. We hope this little information thread will enlighten and clear up confusion and uncertainty.
DVB stands for Digital Video Broadcasting - DVB works by turning analogue T.V. pictures into a digital data-stream. This data stream is then compressed using digital techniques based on the industry standard MPEG 2. Several digital channels are then combined into a much larger data stream called a multiplex.
Digital compression allows many digital channels to be transmitted on the same frequency band as just one analogue T.V. channel.
The exact figure depends on the type of programme being transmitted - sport, movies, news, cartoons etc... but on average roughly eight (8) to ten (10) digital channels can be transmitted in the place of one (1) analogue channel.
In technical terms, a single satellite transponder has a bandwidth of, typically, 33 MHz. This bandwidth can be used for a single analogue T.V. channel.
Using the same bandwidth digitally can deliver a data rate of twenty (20) to thirty (30) Megabits per second (Mb/s) or even more, depending on the exact parameters used by the broadcasters. Since DVB can compress a T.V. channel to as little as 2 Mb/s, this means that many more digital channels can be transmitted on the same transponder.
Freesat - digital T.V. - DVB - thus vastly increases the choice of viewing and also opens the way for a whole new range of exciting interactive services which will very soon be adopted by freesat T.V. and be possible to the majority of U.K. homes via satellite.
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