Digital broadcasting

Digital broadcasting is the practice of using digital data rather than analogue waveforms for broadcasting over radio frequency bands. It is becoming increasingly popular as digital television (especially satellite television) but is having a slower adoption rate for radio where it is mainly used in Satellite radio.

Digital links, thanks to the use of data compression, generally have more efficient bandwidth usage than analog links. Content provider can provide more services or a higher-quality signal than had been previously available.

It is estimated that the share of digital broadcasting increased from 7% of the total amount of broadcast information in 2000, to 25% in 2007 and some countries have undergone a Digital television transition

The premise behind digital broadcasting

NB: For more information on the premise of digital broadcasting refer to the 2002 edition of the World Radio TV Handbook.

Digital broadcasting has been helped greatly thanks to the presence of computers. In fact, with the invention of the integrated circuit in the 1960s and the microprocessor in the 1970s, digital broadcasting seems to have taken a footing in the global village that is broadcasting. However, most broadcasters are switching to digital broadcasting mostly because of a lack of frequency space.