A 34 Mbit/s codec for high quality television transmission

The authors present a 34-Mb/s coder/decoder for the transmission of a full television programme on a digital 34-Mb/s link in the PCM (pulse code modulation) hierarchy. Based on components coding and on the CCIR Rec. 601, the equipment features numerous video interfaces, such as composite (PAL, SECAM, or NTSC) or component (RGB, BETACAM, or CCIR Rec. 656) interfaces. Up to four mono or two stereo sound channels can be transmitted in accordance with CCITT Rec. J.41. Transparency is assured for all ancillary data, such as teletext. The equipment features high robustness against transmission errors. The TVS34 equipment is commercially available. It can be used for economical transmission of a full television programme in an existing digital communication network based on metallic or lightwave transmission, over microwave or satellite links.<>