An Experimental Evaluation Of Analog TV Cable Services Distributed In GPON Architecture

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the use of GPON architecture for distributing analog TV services, highlighting its advantages, performance parameters, and testing methods using open-source tools, with potential extension to digital channels.

Contribution

It presents an experimental setup for assessing analog TV over GPON networks, demonstrating testing procedures and discussing potential for digital channel integration.

Findings

Analog TV quality is limited by standards but offers cost-effective distribution.

The test system accurately measures signal levels and S/N ratio for all channels.

The setup can be adapted for DVB-C digital channels with minimal modifications.

Abstract

This paper explores the benefits of GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Networks) in analog TV services. Analog TV service is still present in the standard triple play distribution architectures, as an effect of unique advantages: simple distribution in an apartment via standard RF splitters, unlimited number of viewing sites, real time behavior by lack of encoding/decoding processes. Of course, the quality is still limited by analogic standards, but the price/performance ratio is unbeatable. The most important parameters characterizing the analog TV performance are described, the network architecture is emphasized. To have a reference, the test architecture is a sub-network of a commercial telecom company. In this case only the quality of TV reception is performed. Using open-source software, and the integrated TV tuner board makes possible to test the levels and S/N ratio for all the analog TV channels of the spectrum. The system opens the possibility to do the same for digital channels in DVB-C standard, with minimal changes.