Project: Enhanced wireless Technologies for News and Security Applications
The ETNA project aims at defining, developing and validating an optimised system for wireless video links used in applications such as Electronic News Gathering and Public Security._x000D__x000D_Electronics News Gathering (ENG) and Public Security are two application sectors which extensively use live point to point video transmission from field cameras to central receiving stations. _x000D_Transmission relies on wireless radio links, and is subject to severe operational conditions:_x000D_• Ground to ground, ground to air, air to ground paths,_x000D_• Mobility of the transmitter unit,_x000D_• Non line of sight transmission, obstacles,_x000D_• Multipath (echoes),_x000D_• Noise and interference._x000D__x000D_Furthermore, ENG applications present many constraining high level operational requirements:_x000D_• Higher quality video signal transmission than broadcast,_x000D_• Very large bandwidth for the generation of both standard TV definition (SDTV) and High Definition (HDTV) quality content,_x000D_• Ultra low latency (due to the live nature of the events, such as sport, which associate many cameras, which must reCO all timely aligned, with a low delay),_x000D_• Drop free transmission, even in difficult urban, mountainous, forest environments,_x000D_• System adaptability and flexibility, for matching the requirements of a given event._x000D__x000D_Security and law enforcing applications are less demanding in terms of video signal quality. However, higher resolutions that enable to detect "relevant" details on specific image portions or for specific time intervals constitute an extremely interesting added value. Such encoding features (interactive spatial and temporal encoding scalability are currently not supported by such systems and by encoding platforms available on the market. The severe requirements for transmission robustness are similar to the ones of ENG._x000D__x000D_These applications are developing quickly:_x000D_• The TV audience is getting used to viewing more and more live signals from moving sources (e.g. live views from Formula 1 cars during a F1 Grand Prix),_x000D_• The Security Forces are using more and more live video signals for coordination and recording purposes (e.g. helicopters monitoring motorways, public events, or coordinating rescue forces, etc...)._x000D_ _x000D_These types of applications of live video links are not quite new. They have been served for a long time with analogue solutions, which were characterized by strong technical and operational limitations: limited quality of image, no robustness against echoes and drops, and were thus limited to operational conditions for which it was possible to keep transmission in line of sight._x000D__x000D_Since the 90's, TV is digitalising quickly and modern and efficient technologies have emerged for Digital Terrestrial TV, with high ratio compression technologies (such as MPEG-2, then MPEG-4 standards) and high efficiency modulation technologies (such as the multicarrier COFDM-based DVB-T in Europe)._x000D__x000D_ENG and Security applications quickly adopted these standardised digital technologies, in the 2000's, as compression and transmission equipment has become widely available and more affordable. _x000D_However, these technologies (especially modulation and demodulation ones) have been developed and tuned for the last segment of the TV chain, i.e. the final distribution segment of the signal to the audience, usually at home, with fixed reception and high gain roof top antenna. _x000D_Many ENG and Security systems have been built and sold for the last ten years with standard MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 compression encoders/decoders and standard DVB-T modulators/demodulators. Their features are by far not optimal for the target applications, because of the mobility and environment aspects. They fail either in capacity or in robustness (or both) when used on the field._x000D__x000D_While many offerings exist in Europe and the USA, no current solution meet 100% of the user requirements, and an innovative approach is necessary to meet the growing market expectations._x000D_The ETNA project proposes to have a new, innovative and unified system approach at all functional blocks of an ENG / Security system. Each functional block is proposed to be developed and optimised using the best existing and emerging technologies in terms of quality and efficiency, jointly with the other functional blocks to which it is interconnected, thus achieving a true system level optimization. _x000D_Last, it also proposes to consider already in the design and development phase the usability on the field._x000D__x000D_To reach these challenging targets, the ETNA consortium includes 6 motivated organisations with high level and complementary expertise, covering the overall system, on both sides of the technology components and the usage levels. The expertise of the ETNA consortium has no gap and no redundancy._x000D_
| Acronym | ETNA (Reference Number: 6015) |
| Duration | 01/04/2011 - 31/07/2013 |
| Project Topic | The ETNA project aims at defining, developing and validating an optimised system for wireless video links for applications in the Electronic News Gathering and Security sectors. |
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Project Results (after finalisation) |
The CO results of Telecom Bretagne in the ETNA project are:_x000D_- the definition of a set of scenarios and corresponding performance requirements (in terms of robustness and data throughput) for relevant Electronic News Gathering (ENG) and security applications, _x000D_- the design of an enhanced modulator/demodulator based on the existing TeamCast's Ruby modem and appropriate to the selected scenarios,_x000D_- Among the proposed new features, Telecom Bretagne had the opportunity to design and validate a prototype hardware for an enhanced turbo encoder/decoder._x000D_A technology transfer of this turbo encoder/decoder to TeamCast is currently under discussion. |
| Network | Eurostars |
| Call | Eurostars Cut-Off 5 |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | AKAtech | Partner | Switzerland |
| 6 | BSOFT srl | Partner | Italy |
| 6 | Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne | Partner | Switzerland |
| 6 | Institut Telecom/Telecom Bretagne | Partner | France |
| 6 | Nulink SA | Partner | Switzerland |
| 6 | TeamCast Technology | Coordinator | France |