The introduction of digital TV in Europe heralds a revolution in television standards. Not only will it increase the capacity of the broadcasting channels by a factor of eight or more but the potential as a means of electronic communication is immense - from multidiffusion, pay per view and downloading of software today to interactive TV in the future. This book provides the first accessible introduction to digital TV.

This text describes the underlying principles of this new technology and its implementation through the European DVB System (Digital Video Broadcasting), which has been adopted by all member states of the European Union as well as many other countries throughout the world. After an overview of analogue TV systems and video digitization formats, the author then examines the various steps of signal processing - taken in order from transmission to reception - to facilitate an understanding of the architecture and function of the main blocks of the Integrated Receiver/Decoder (IRD) or set-top box. This comprehensive introduction to a new era of broadcast technology will be compulsory reading for all with an interest in this area.