4.0 Comparative Technical Specifications Summary
To facilitate at-a-glance decision-making, this section synthesizes the preceding analysis into a comprehensive summary table. This table provides a direct comparison of the most critical technical parameters for each of the five digital broadcasting systems.
| Characteristic | Digital System A | Digital System B | Digital System Ds | Digital System Dh | Digital System E |
| Audio Coding | MPEG-2 Layer II | Perceptual audio codec (PAC), MPEG-2 used for main audio | MPEG-2.5 Layer III | MPEG-2.5 Layer III | MPEG-2 AAC |
| Audio Bit Rate Range | 8 to 384 kbit/s | 16 to 320 kbit/s | 16 to 128 kbit/s | 16 to 128 kbit/s | 16 to 320 kbit/s per audio channel |
| Spectrum Efficiency | FM stereo quality achievable in less than 200 kHz; high efficiency with repeaters | FM stereo quality achievable in less than 200 kHz | FM stereo quality achievable in less than 200 kHz | FM stereo quality achievable in less than 200 kHz | FM stereo quality achievable in less than 200 kHz |
| Modulation & Coding | COFDM | QPSK with concatenated block and convolutional error correction | QPSK with concatenated block and convolutional error correction | QPSK with concatenated block and convolutional error correction | CDM based on QPSK with concatenated block and convolutional error correction |
| Multipath Performance | Designed for multipath operation (COFDM) | Designed for multipath, uses equalization for complementary terrestrial repeaters | Designed for close reception via satellite, link margin maximized | Hybrid satellite/terrestrial system designed for diversity reception of TDM signal | Designed for multipath, works on sum of multipath signals via RAKE receiver |
| Common Receiver (Sat/Terr) | Allows use of the same receiver | Allows use of the same receiver | For rural and mobile applications terrestrial augmentation is limited to macro-power gap fillers | A TDM-MCM signal is radiated from terrestrial transmitters that repeat the satellite TDM | Based on simultaneous reception from on-channel repeaters using the same receiver |
| Hybrid/Terrestrial Service | Allows use of same frequency network (SFN) with terrestrial on-channel repeaters | Mixed/hybrid use of satellite and complementary terrestrial services | Not applicable | Allows hybrid use of satellite and complementary terrestrial transmissions | Allows use of same sound broadcasting service with on-channel repeaters to reinforce coverage |
| Value-Added Data | PAD channel (0.66-64 kbit/s); independent data; HTML/JPEG decoding; data interface to computer. | To be determined | Capacity in increments of 8 kbit/s up to full 1.536 Mbit/s capacity (business data, paging, etc.) | Capacity in increments of 8 kbit/s up to the full TDM capacity | Capacity is any rate up to the full payload capacity |
| Low-Cost Manufacturing | Allows for mass-production; two integrated chips. | Anticipated that relatively low-cost consumer receivers can be developed. | Specifically designed for low complexity/cost receiver deployment. | TDM/MCM signal format is suitable for mass production. | System was specified to achieve low-cost receivers. |
This table distills the core technical specifications, providing a clear basis for analyzing how each system’s design translates into performance in real-world deployment environments.