In Broadcast - March 2014 - 34

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 29 - MARCH 2014

N E W S

InFORM

R&S Launch SMW200A Predistortion Option
R

34

ohde & Schwarz has integrated
real-time digital predistortion
into its Rohde & Schwa r z
SMW200A high-end vector signal
generator.
Predistortion can extend the
operating range of ampliﬁers but
determining the right correction
factors has always been a timeconsuming process.
The new Rohde & Schwarz
SMW-K541 digital predistortion
option from Rohde & Schwarz
allows users to import predistortion
coefﬁcient tables directly into the
Rohde & Schwarz SMW200A.
The signal generator uses these
delta values to adjust the baseband
signal in real-time. The option
greatly reduces test times since
predistorted waveforms no longer
have to be tediously recalculated
and imported into the generator.
Ampliﬁers are most efﬁcient when
they operate near their maximum
output power, which occurs in the
nonlinear range. Although more
power efficient, this results in
distortions at the ampliﬁer output,
which considerably diminishes the
ampliﬁer's RF performance.
Developers,
especially
developers of envelope tracking

power ampliﬁers for smartphones,
base stations and tactical radios,
use digital predistortion to
counteract this problem.
In envelope tracking, the supply
voltage tracks the envelope of
the RF signal. Envelope tracking
can optimise efﬁciency, but is a
valid design approach only when
predistortion is used to compensate
for nonlinear effects.
The Rohde & Schwarz SMW-K541
digital predistortion option allows
users to import an AM/AM or
AM/PM table with correction
factors directly into the Rohde &
Schwarz SMW200A.
The Rohde & Schwarz
SMW200A uses the table values
to automatically calculate in realtime an amplitude and phase
offset for each I/Q sample. The
original waveform file remains
unchanged. Conventional solutions
require users to import a new,
predistorted waveform file into
the signal generator each time the
level changes.
Developers can use the
digital predistortion option on
all communications standards
supported by the Rohde & Schwarz
SMW200A as well as on their own

The new option shortens test time and simpliﬁes the evaluation
of envelope tracking amplifiers

custom waveforms.
For envelope tracking tests
with predistortion, the digital
predistortion option can be
configured and seamlessly
combined with the Rohde & Schwarz
SMW-K540 envelope tracking
option so that the envelope signal
can be generated either from an

undistorted or predistorted signal.
The new Rohde & Schwarz
SMW-K541 digital predistortion
option for the Rohde & Schwarz
SMW200A is now available from
Rohde & Schwarz.
The test solution was presented
at the Mobile World Congress 2014
in Barcelona.

SIS LIVE Delivers First Of 18 Ka Band SNG Trucks
S

IS LIVE has announced the
completion and delivery of the
ﬁ rst vehicle as part of its seven
year Ka Band SNG contract with
ITV and ITN.
This highly-specified uplink
truck will form part of a fleet
of 18 HD vehicles, all due to be
delivered in 2014.
The new ﬂeet, entirely designed
and integrated by SIS LIVE's in
house project team, is based
on Mercedes Sprinter and Vito
vans with 1.2m and 1.0m SIS
LIVE uplinks. The antennas are
the lightest, most ﬂexible vehicle

mounted satellite systems in the
world. The reduced weight allows
for a higher spec system to be
installed in a smaller 3.5T vehicle,
thus avoiding the 56mph speed
restriction of the 5T vehicles.
On board equipment includes
HD, SDI, ﬁbre and wireless camera
inputs as well as highly speciﬁed
vision and audio mixers. Each
(ITN) truck is dual path capable
with redundant transmit chains and
features a generator with batterypowered UPS backup. An enhanced
dual modem system ensures the
most efﬁcient and reliable use of

SISLIVE's ﬁrst Ka Band truck for ITV and ITN

bandwidth for IP over satellite.
ITV and ITN will be the ﬁrst to
beneﬁt from SIS LIVE's extended
provision of IP services which sees
the launch of a new iDirect hub at
MediaCityUK to work alongside
its existing Milton Keynes iDirect
services. This new infrastructure
provides greater resilience and
additional new functionality.
SIS LIVE's in-house software
development experts are working
on the upgrade of its proprietary
uBook system to enable the
dynamic allocation of bandwidth
between DVB and IP carriers,
ensuring that the satellite capacity
usage is maximised.
This effectively transforms ITN
and ITV's new SNG ﬂeet into "news
bureaus on wheels", delivering
"source to studio" ﬁle based content
alongside breaking live news. SIS
LIVE's uBook is a fully integrated
and secure booking system that
works seamlessly with any satellite
capacity, enabling broadcasters to
effortlessly provide live coverage
on-demand with uPod uplinks.
David Meynell, Managing
Director, SIS LIVE said: "Working
in conjunction with ITV and ITN, SIS
LIVE has once again revolutionised
the design of SNG trucks. By
developing, delivering and operating

our own technology we have been
able to create a seamless solution
which includes market-leading
satellite antennae; an integrated
online booking system; downlink
services; and satellite and ﬁbre
distribution services.
"The deployment of this new
truck signiﬁes the delivery of the
ﬁrst major SNG ﬂeet operating in
Ka Band, enabling us to continue
to deliver the excellence that has
enabled ITV and ITN's awardwinning news coverage."
Malcolm Smith, Head of
Newsgathering Operations at ITN,
said: "This is the third generation of
SNG vehicles that we have leased
from SIS LIVE and each generation
has been marked by an advance in
operational capability through the
latest technology.
"This new truck is the ﬁrst to be
a hybrid combining HD video over
satellite with IP connectivity. This
combines the essential reason
for SNG vehicles which is the
provision of reliable live inserts
to programmes from anywhere in
the UK, while the IP facilitates our
move to an integrated ﬁle based
newsgathering workflow using
the latest solid state memory
ENG cameras."

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