TABLE OF CONTENTS Jerry C. Whitaker, Editor-in-Chief
The introduction of a new television system must be viewed as a chain of elements that begins with image and sound pickup and ends with image display and sound reproduction. The DTV receiver is a vital link in this chain. By necessity, the ATSC system places considerable requirements upon the television receiver. The level of complexity of a DTV-compliant receiver is unprecedented, and that complexity is made possible only through advancements in large-scale integrated circuit design and fabrication.
The goal of any one-way broadcasting system, such as television, is to concentrate the hardware requirements at the source as much as possible and to make the receivers which greatly outnumber the transmitters as simple and inexpensive as possible. Despite the significant complexity of a DTV receiver, this principal has been an important design objective from the start.
One of the more important specifications that receiver designers must consider is the noise figure (NF). A number of factors enter into the ultimate carrier-to-noise ratio within a given receiver. For example, the receiver planning factors applicable to UHF DTV service are shown in Table 7.2.1 [1]. A consumer can enhance the noise performance of the installation by improving any contributing factor; examples include installation of a low-noise amplifier (LNA) or a high-gain antenna.
| Planning Factors | Low VHF | High VHF | UHF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antenna impedance (ohms) | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| Bandwidth (MHz) | 6 | 6 |
