Development of robust DVB-T2 OFDM transmission: BER assessment and channel impairment mitigation for reliable high-definition broadcasting

This study develops and evaluates robustness improvements for Digital Video Broadcasting–Second Generation Terrestrial (DVB-T2) using an OFDM-based transmission model under real-world channel impairments. The method is based on a simulation model that is compliant with the standard and incorporates LDPC/BCH forward error correction, constellation mapping (QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, and 256-QAM), interleaving, and OFDM modulation. The investigation of the bit error rate performance across an extremely wide range of signal-to-noise ratios allows the construction of multi-dimensional performance surfaces of the bit error rate against the signal-to-noise ratio. The results demonstrate the trade-off between modulation level and signal-to-noise ratio in achieving high-quality data transmission with high-order constellations in realistic channel environments with fading and single-frequency network interference. The performance of strategies to mitigate channel impairments such as adaptive thresholds for modulation selection, pilot optimization, improved channel estimation, and complexity-aware decoding is also evaluated. Overall, the results demonstrate that the inclusion of robustness optimization has a significant impact on link reliability while maintaining high spectrum efficiency for high-definition broadcasting. The results of the investigation can be used to develop guidelines for the development of spectrum-efficient DVB-T2 networks that are compliant with the standard and function in realistic environments.