A measurement system for the test of DVB receivers

Abstract

The consumer electronics industry is preparing for the introduction of digital TV. The first generation of set top boxes and new TV sets has been developed and is now on its way through the manufacturing process. To test these integrated receiver/decoders (IRD) in the production line, new test equipment is needed that provides the following features: special test sequences for IRD tests; multi-channel DVB signals for satellite TV standard; multi-channel DVB signals for cable-TV/SMATV standard; switch-off/switch-on and power level of each channel controlled by PC. In this paper, a test and measurement system is introduced that makes a reliable evaluation of the IRD possible. The measurement system consists of a number of modules, of which the most important are: the DVB-QPSK modulator; the DVB-QAM modulator; the up-converter; the PC with a built-in storage for test sequences. The test and measurement system is built as a modular system. Starting with the modules necessary for a one-channel source, the test equipment can be extended so that several modulators and up-converters provide a multitude of digital RF channels which can be fed into the network of the factory in addition to the normal analogue signals. By using this system, accurate and reproducible results are obtained that indicate the influence of the various distortions and shortcomings in the production process. This gives the manufacturers the information they need to maintain a high quality level.