DIPOL Weekly Review - TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

Ukraine won... DVB-T2.

In October, Zeonbud company, the operator responsible for the implementation of digital terrestrial television in Ukraine, launched dozens of digital transmitters.
It would be nothing extraordinary (the process of digitization of radio and television is taking place throughout Europe), but it is interesting that Ukraine has launched digital broadcasting in the latest DVB-T2 standard, leaving behind Western European countries such as Germany and Spain, which fell into the trap of too rapid implementation of DVB-T/MPEG2 standard, and now are forced to think seriously about the next hardware revolution.

Zeonbud began to test DVB-T2 transmissions in summer 2011, and is continuously expanding the broadcasting coverage. In early November, the operator plans to operate 150 of the target 166 transmitters. They will provide the signals to 95 percent of the population of the country. Four multiplexes broadcast a total of 20 FTA channels. There are plans for eight HD channels in the future.

It's hard to believe that one and a half years ago the prices of the first DVB-T2 receiver on the British market oscillated around 180 pounds, and since then they have declined drastically to the current level of 50 pounds. Manufacturers from Asia, seeing increasing market demand, already offer models supporting both DVB-T standards. This means a further, rapid price decline. It is estimated that in 2012 the cost of the receivers on the Ukrainian market will be about $35.
While a few years ago many experts could have a lot of doubts concerning the need for implementation of DVB-T2, this solution seems to be the most reasonable now. It is estimated that within 10 years DVB-T2 will cover the whole Europe.

And what about the countries using "outdated" DVB-T versions? They will certainly incur a lot of expenses for modernization of broadcasting equipment and their citizens will have to change televisions or at least buy new STB receivers.

The very first DVB-T2 broadcasts began from the Winter Hill transmitting station in Great Britain
(source: wikipedia.en)

DVB-T2 broadcasts were started in several European countries, on a largest scale in the UK and Sweden. Currently, it is estimated that 70% of new digital terrestrial television transmitters in Europe use DVB-T2 standard. First in line for implementation of this standard are countries using inefficient MPEG2 compression.
Several European countries are carrying DVB-T2 tests (including France, Italy, Czech Republic and Slovakia), the next will be Austria and Moldova (since the end of 2011). In addition, two other countries have chosen to implement the DVB-T2 system: Russia (switching off analog TV in 2015), and Serbia, planning to start digital broadcasting in 2012.

Construction site surveillance.

The task for the security systems installer was to deploy a video monitoring system at a construction site, easy to mount and dismantle/move. The construction company required to record video from three cameras - two fixed outdoor cameras and one PTZ camera. The DVR and cameras were to be mounted in places with access to AC power network, the transmission line between the place with DVR and the PTZ camera located in the central point of the construction site should use the spare pairs of existing UTP cable spanning the two locations.

As the fixed cameras there were chosen compact devices n-cam 250 M11249 with powerful IR illuminators, providing clear pictures even in the absence of visible light. The n-cam 250 M11249 camera employs very good 1/3" Super HAD CCD II sensor, has a high resolution of 600 TVL and superior sensitivity (0.01 lx in B/W mode). The capability of providing detailed images has a major impact on the effectiveness of the system. HLC function improves image quality in areas close to light sources like car headlights (in this case it allows for recognition of license plate numbers of the vehicles entering the site, even after nightfall).

The construction site surveillance system based on Trend 250x04 M72504 DVR

The PTZ camera PH-10H M1192 was placed in the center of the site. It has been programmed to patrol the site and surrounding area. With 10x optical zoom, it can provide either a general view of any part of the site, or a tight close-up of some fragment of the construction works carried out there. The control and video signals are sent via UTP cable. The active baluns Etrix 1VADA-T M16742 and 1VADA-R M16743 match the impedances of the unsymmetrical inputs and outputs of the equipment and symmetrical transmission line.

The recordings are stored on the 1 TB hard drive M89260 mounted in TREND 250x04 M72504 DVR. The capacity of the HDD allows for continuous recording of video in 4CIF resolution from all three channels at 6 fps for over 25 days. The operation of the system is simple and does not require a qualified operator. The access to the system resources is protected by password. The devices can be easily relocated at this construction site, as well as transferred to a new site.

Antenna system combining satellite and DVB-T signals, with distribution to 4 outlets.

The proposed system uses two antennas for UHF band. This configuration is suitable for anyone who wants to receive signals from two transmitters, when the local one broadcasts only one multiplex or there is a possibility to watch foreign channels in border areas. Otherwise, one of the antennas and the antenna multiplexer will not be needed.

Thanks to the application of A98257 quatro LNB and Terra MSR-504 R70604 multiswitch, the combined SAT and DVB-T signals can be provided to each of the four Signal TV/SAT outlets R694100. Each user can watch any available satellite or terrestrial channel.

The receivers that can be used:

Apartment building surveillance.

Building owners are increasingly interested in ensuring the safety of residents and visitors by installing security cameras in stairwells and corridors. In modern solutions, the backbones of buildings are based on fiber optic riser cable. Optical cables take up much less space than copper wires, are resistant to electromagnetic interference, have a much greater bandwidth. The installed fiber optic cables can be used both for monitoring, as well as for television, Internet or phone network. Therefore, the cabling in new buildings is redundant, to enable the service providers to connect various end-user devices, depending on the future needs.

The transmission core of the monitoring system is optic cable with easy fiber access L7136_1 containing 36 single-mode fibers. The choice was dictated by the capacity of the cable, quick and easy installation, compact size, and G.657A fibers with a minimum bending radius of 10 mm. The camera points, except the megapixel IP cameras K1443 have been equipped with Ethernet media converters to change the electrical signals connected through UTP patch cables to optical form distributed in the optical network. The ULTIMODE M-207M L11521 media converters (100 Mb/s) cooperate with the single-mode fibers. In the basement there is 19" RACK adapter L5215 for housing and powering a set of the ULTIMODE media converters. The signals from the converters are sent to the 16-port switch TP-LINK N29926 and then to the network video recorder NUUO K4116 .

Retail store video surveillance.

A shop owner sent out inquiry letters to a number of installation companies. The CCTV system should cover his store and parking lot, ensuring close supervision of checkouts in order to record the flow of goods and cash. He chose to implement the solution outlined below.
The monitoring system has been based on 4-channel H.264 DVR HIKVISION DS-7204HVI-ST/E M71041. The video is recorded on 500 GB HDD M89255, which allows for continuous recording of the four video channels at the highest resolution (4CIF) at 8 frames per second for almost 2 weeks. An important feature of the DVR is the ability to view live images and access the recordings via the Internet, either using a computer or mobile phone. Any moment, the owner can monitor the functioning of the store.

The interior of the store is monitored by vandal-proof cameras v-cam 500 M10772, and the external area by cameras u-cam 630 M11192 placed in Marathon MH-806/12 M5406 housings. The cameras provide excellent image quality thanks to Sony ExView HAD CCD II image sensors and Sony Effio-E digital signal processors. Their high quality auto iris lenses can cope perfectly with variable and artificial light.

Diagram of the store monitoring system recording fiscal transactions
and enabling remote access via the Internet

The investor has been most satisfied with the solution for monitoring the checkouts. It has been based on POS video text inserter FG-4 M1720 and RS-232 to RS-485 converter SNIF-42 M1721. Any accidental or intentional errors can be found in the archive recordings. The recorded image from the camera monitoring the products being sold and the overlaid text identical to that printed by the fiscal printer enable the owner to clearly check the correctness of each transaction.

An example of POS data displayed on a CCTV monitor

Free streaming to multiple users.

Pixord cameras K1532, K1533, K1550, K1551 can generate three independent video streams with different parameters. The main stream recorded on the HDD should have the highest parameters, in order to provide video coverage with maximum detail. Another stream can be used to broadcast the video on the Internet, with simultaneous access from multiple Internet users. For this purpose, the owner of the camera should install on a computer with Internet access the Justin software. After running the application, the computer becomes a transcoding server and sends the processed data stream to the streaming server on the Internet. The Internet users access the video by connecting with Justin.TV website. Having own website, the camera's owner can also paste the video directly there.

Short video how to do live streaming on Justin.tv

The principle of operation is as follows: two video streams are transmitted to a computer that is used as recording and transcoding server; one of them (main) is recorded on the hard drive (e.g. using the recording software NUUO), while the second is processed and sent to Justin.tv, thanks to application downloaded from our website . The conditions for successful transmission of the video to Justin.tv are the creation of a user account and Internet connection with upload speed at least 2 Mb/s. This solution enables fast and free video transmission.

Installation of a home GSM repeater without sacrificing living space.

The aim of the installation was to strengthen the signal of one of the GSM operators in a new detached house (2 floors plus attic). The investor did not want any cables and antennas installed in the rooms. So the installer could place the equipment in the attic only. There, he mounted the GSM repeater and antennas. It was necessary to adjust the gain of the repeater, and location and characteristics of the antennas, to improve connectivity throughout the house but not exceed the standards.

After analyzing the possibility of routing the cables and locating the antennas, the installer from Dipvision company chose the least intrusive option. The repeater has been installed on a wall and connected to the internal antenna located in the technological hole of the ventilation system, via the cable hidden under a false floor. The system has reached the desired effect - the signal level is improved not only throughout the house, but also in the garden, where previously it was not possible to conduct conversations.

Installation components:

Dipvision company gets "Chameleon mug".
How to get "Chameleon mug?

Worth reading:

Cable TV on a few televisions - problems with the signal. When choosing a device to split the signal from a cable television outlet, it is important to pay attention to the differences in requirements for digital and analog signals.
The acceptable level of digitally modulated signal (64QAM) is only 45 dBuV, while the minimum level of analog signal (AM) is 57-60 dBuV. There are also different minimum requirements for the C/N parameter: 43 dB for analog signal, 28 dB for digital signal (to obtain sufficiently low BER)...

Building amplifier with active return path
TERRA HA-129R65 R82316

Video adjustments in active video baluns of Etrix series. Etrix 1VADA-T M16742 is an active video-audio-data balun (transmitter) for sending CCTV signals (video, sound, data - e.g. alarm signal) from one camera via 8-wire CAT5e UTP cable, over longer distances (up to 2400 m), preserving the original quality. The device matches the 75 ohm impedance of the unbalanced video source...

The combination of active transmitter and receiver
allowing transmission of video, audio, and data

GSM repeater in a wind power plant. A wind power plant operator in Hruszowice, Poland, had a problem with low and unstable GSM signal which had to be used to transmit the data needed to monitor the performance of the system.
The data from sensors deployed in the wind towers should be transmitted to an automated control room and then to the turbine factory located in Germany...

The GSM repeater Signal GSM-505 A6775
allows for sending data of a wind turbine to a central computer

Index of published issues