Three key areas of technology need to be brought together for a digital radio camera:

Key Technologies
The technology for the digital radio camera is based on that used for digital television broadcasting. However, the transmitter has to be small and light enough to be carried by the camera operator instead of bays of equipment in a transmitter hall. Recent advances in large-scale integrated circuits now make a portable transmitter feasible. A range of different operating modes is possible to support video coding rates from 5 to 31 Mbits/s where the rate used for the video signal is traded off against the amount of error protection required. It is important to maximise the video coding rate to maintain the highest possible picture quality while minimising the coding delay. Trials with a prototype system being constructed in the project will enable this trade-off to be explored.

cable-free

digital camera

Overcoming picture break-up

Analogue radio cameras suffer picture break-up and colour flutter because the signal from the camera transmitter sometimes reflects off nearby structures and is then picked up by the receiving antenna along with the main signal. The small time delay between the main and reflected signals can either cause signal reinforcement or cancellation depending on how the two microwaves carrying the signals combine: either with their wave crests aligned causing reinforcement or the crest of one wave co-incident with the trough of the other causing cancellation. This effect depends on the exact wavelength, or frequency, of the microwave signal. A digital COFDM signal is affected less by reflections because it is a multicarrier signal where, if some of the carriers are corrupted, then the others, having slightly different frequencies, are generally affected less. Including error protection coding in the digital signal allows the original digital video signal to be extracted from those carriers that were not fully cancelled (unlike analogue modulation where the whole signal must be received to recover the original video picture undistorted). There are some situations, such as reflections with very short delays, that even a COFDM signal becomes too badly corrupted. In such situations, the signal could be picked up at a second antenna with some means of detecting poor reception and then switching to this reserve antenna. This is known as diversity reception, which can be implemented in an analogue system, but it is easier to implement in a digital system where error protection is used.

The aim of the project is to develop a single-operator digital radio camera with rugged transmission of digital video signals over a very wide range of transmission conditions. The project is working with potential users in the BBC and with industry to reduce the time for operational equipment to become available. The prototype will be based on a pedestal and/or backpackmounted transmitter which industry will then adapt for fitting into a camera back.

Tel: +44 (0)1737 832361

Email: info@rd.bbc.co.uk

Website: www.bbc.co.uk/rd

05.99

Further information:

BBC Research & Development

Kingswood Warren

Tadworth

Surrey

KT20 6NP

United Kingdom

Research & Development

cable-free
Analogue Radio Camera

digital camera

Cable-free cameras, or radio cameras, provide complete freedom of movement for the camera operator to obtain interesting shots or to follow fast action. Radio cameras are commonly used at outside broadcasts, particularly sports events, but there is the problem that the picture sometimes breaks-up due to poor radio frequency transmission conditions. This break-up has hindered the wider acceptance of radio cameras in general programme production, particularly in studios. The problem of picture break-up has been improved in recent years by a combination of developments, culminating in the switched-horn radio camera (centre) shown at the previous open days. However, it is not possible to completely eliminate break-up from an analogue radio camera.

The Demonstration
The demonstration shows a comparison between analogue and digital transmission from a pedestal-mounted camera. The pedestal is battery-powered for cable-free operation. The signal from the camera is sent both via an analogue FM link and a digital COFDM link, both operating in the 2.5 GHz band. The received signals are each displayed on video monitors so that the quality of each signal can be compared while the pedestal is moved.