Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) selected Enensys, which is working with its Korean partner SMC NS, to supply its new ATSCheduler and IPGuard products for the launch of ATSC 3.0 DTT services in February this year.
SBS will launch in the Seoul area, with DTT coverage expanding across the rest of the country in advance of the 2018 Winter Olympics to be held in Pyeongchang.
SBS will operate one ATSC 3.0 multiplex in a 6MHz RF channel with capacity for either one 4K UHD service or one 4K UHD plus one HD service, depending on the nature of the content and the compression applied.
The ATScheduler is the “Broadcast Gateway” of the ATSC 3.0 network, providing IP stream adaption, PLP (Physical Layer Pipe) allocation, SFN timing, in-band control and signaling to all the ATSC modulators.
Located at the broadcast playout center, the ATSCheduler encapsulates multiple IP Streams coming from HEVC encoders, signaling generators and captioning servers using ROUTE or MMTP protocols.
Ensuring the ALP encapsulation, the BBFrame allocation, the different LLS (Low Layer Signaling) generation, it outputs the resulting ATSC-compliant STL (Studio to Transmitter Link) stream protocol over IP.
The ATScheduler module runs in ENENSYS’ HD chassis that can embed up to six ATScheduler modules in 1U — the same chassis can output up to six STL streams over IP. The IPGuard changeover switch provides automatic main/backup switching of STL and other IP streams.
Crucially, ENENSYS’ ATSCheduler supports single frequency network deployment (SFN), providing the spectrum efficiency required for terrestrial transition.