Digital To Digital Conversion in

Computer Network
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In this article we will be discussing about digital-to-digital
transmission in computer network i.e., how a digital data or
information is converted into digital signal. The digital-to-digital
encoding can be done by a technique called line coding.

Line Coding
The process of converting the digital data into digital
signal is called as line coding which helps the receiver to
get the original bits. The data that is in the form of text,
numbers, audio, or video is represented internally as series of 1s
and 0s. Line coding therefore transforms a set of bits into a digital
signal. The sender side encrypts digital data into digital signals,
while the receiving side decodes the digital signal to regenerate
the digital data. The primary goal of utilizing line coding is to
prevent the overlapping of pulses and distortions. The digital
signal is discreet in nature. Example is sending data from
computer to printer.
There are basically three different types of line coding technique:
 Unipolar
 Polar
 Bipolar

Unipolar
In Unipolar encoding, only one polarity is used i.e., bit 1 is used
to represent positive voltage and bit 0 is used to
represent zero voltage or idle line. It is also known as
Unipolar-Non-return-to-zero. Signaling of this kind is also referred
to as on-off signaling.
Problem in Unipolar
 DC Component: When we find out the average
amplitude of a unipolar signal, then the value would
 always be non-zero because of which it creates DC
component. And the signal having DC component is not
able to travel through the medium which cannot handle
DC component.
 Synchronization: When a signal is constant, the
receiver cannot distinguish between the start and finish of
each bit. For that the receiver has to rely on a timer to
track the starting of each bit.

Unipolar encoding

Polar
The polar encoding is of four types. In polar encoding two levels of
voltage amplitude is used. The DC component issue of unipolar
encoding is minimized, and the average voltage level on the line
is decreased.
 Polar Non-Return to Zero (Polar NRZ): In polar
encoding, positive voltage is represented by bit 1
and negative voltage is represented by bit 0. Here
two levels of voltage are used to represent binary values.
If the line is idle, then there is no transition. With each
inversion, the receiver is able to synchronize the timer’s
start to the transmission’s real arrival. Again, Polar Non-
Return to Zero (Polar NRZ) has two types: NRZ-L and NRZ-
I.

NRZ-L: Changes its voltage level when different bit is encountered.

 NRZ-I: Changes its voltage level when bit 1 is encountered.

Advantages of Polar NRZ

This provides synchronization as whenever a 1 bit is encountered,
the signal changes.
 Return to Zero (RZ): This encoding technique uses
three different voltage level to represent binary values.
Bit 1 is used to represent positive voltage, bit 0 is used to
represent negative voltage and zero voltage for none.
During the second half of each bit, this signal enters a
resting state(zero).
Problems in Return to Zero
This occupies more bandwidth as it requires two signal changes to
encode one bit.
 Return to Zero (RZ)

 Manchester Encoding: In Manchester encoding

negative to positive transition represents binary 1 and
positive to negative represents binary 0. Use the inversion
at the middle of each bit interval. That means bit period is
represented by two equal size intervals. Here the logic
level of bit is represented by the first interval and the
inverse logic level is represented by the second interval.
 Manchester encoding

 Differential Manchester: In Differential Manchester, the

inversion at the middle of the bit is used. Transition is
represented by binary 0 and no transition is represented
by binary 1.
 Different Manchester

Bipolar Encoding
In Bipolar encoding, three types of different voltage level is used
that is positive, negative and zero. The zero level is used to
represent binary 0, positive and negative voltage represents
alternatives 1’s to prevent DC component. Alternate Mark
Inversion (AMI) and Pseudoternary are the types of bipolar
encoding.
 Bipolar Encoding

Table: Comparison of Different Digital-to-Digital Line

Encoding Techniques

Line
Encoding Description Advantages Disadvantages
Technique

DC component
Uses only one level of
problem,
Unipolar voltage for bit 0 and bit Easy to implement
synchronization
1
issue

Uses two levels of Provides May encounter

voltage for bit 0 and bit synchronization, problem with long
Polar NRZ
1, no transition for idle DC component sequences of 0’s or
line issue minimized 1’s
 Line
Encoding Description Advantages Disadvantages
Technique

Uses three levels of

voltage for bit 0, bit 1
and idle line, signal Provides Occupies more
RZ
enters resting state synchronization bandwidth
during second half of
bit

Uses transition from

positive to negative and
negative to positive to Provides
Occupies more
Manchester represent bit 0 and bit 1 synchronization,
bandwidth
respectively, bit period self-clocking
represented by two
equal intervals

Uses transition at the

middle of the bit
interval to represent bit Provides More complex
Differential
0, no transition for bit synchronization, encoding and
Manchester
1, bit period self-clocking decoding process
represented by two
equal intervals

Uses three levels of

voltage for bit 0, bit 1 Provides More complex
Bipolar and idle line, synchronization, no encoding and
alternative 1’s to DC component decoding process
prevent DC component

Digital Transmission
Data can be represented either in analog or digital form. The computers
used the digital form to store the information. Therefore, the data needs
to be converted in digital form so that it can be used by a computer.

DIGITAL-TO-DIGITAL CONVERSION
Digital-to-digital encoding is the representation of digital information by a
digital signal. When binary 1s and 0s generated by the computer are
translated into a sequence of voltage pulses that can be propagated over
a wire, this process is known as digital-to-digital encoding.

Digital-to-digital encoding is divided into three categories:

o Unipolar Encoding
o Polar Encoding
o Bipolar Encoding

Unipolar

o Digital transmission system sends the voltage pulses over the

medium link such as wire or cable.
o In most types of encoding, one voltage level represents 0, and
another voltage level represents 1.
o The polarity of each pulse determines whether it is positive or
negative.
o This type of encoding is known as Unipolar encoding as it uses only
one polarity.
o In Unipolar encoding, the polarity is assigned to the 1 binary
state.
o In this, 1s are represented as a positive value and 0s are
represented as a zero value.
o In Unipolar Encoding, '1' is considered as a high voltage and '0' is
considered as a zero voltage.
 o Unipolar encoding is simpler and inexpensive to implement.

Unipolar encoding has two problems that make this scheme less
desirable:

o DC Component
o Synchronization

Polar

o Polar encoding is an encoding scheme that uses two voltage levels:

one is positive, and another is negative.
o By using two voltage levels, an average voltage level is reduced,
and the DC component problem of unipolar encoding scheme is
alleviated.

NRZ

o NRZ stands for Non-return zero.

 o In NRZ encoding, the level of the signal can be represented either
positive or negative.

The two most common methods used in NRZ are:

NRZ-L: In NRZ-L encoding, the level of the signal depends on the type of
the bit that it represents. If a bit is 0 or 1, then their voltages will be
positive and negative respectively. Therefore, we can say that the level of
the signal is dependent on the state of the bit.

NRZ-I: NRZ-I is an inversion of the voltage level that represents 1 bit. In

the NRZ-I encoding scheme, a transition occurs between the positive and
negative voltage that represents 1 bit. In this scheme, 0 bit represents no
change and 1 bit represents a change in voltage level.

RZ

o RZ stands for Return to zero.

o There must be a signal change for each bit to achieve
synchronization. However, to change with every bit, we need to
have three values: positive, negative and zero.
o RZ is an encoding scheme that provides three values, positive
voltage represents 1, the negative voltage represents 0, and zero
voltage represents none.
o In the RZ scheme, halfway through each interval, the signal returns
to zero.
 o In RZ scheme, 1 bit is represented by positive-to-zero and 0 bit is
represented by negative-to-zero.

Disadvantage of RZ:

It performs two signal changes to encode one bit that acquires more
bandwidth.

Biphase

o Biphase is an encoding scheme in which signal changes at the

middle of the bit interval but does not return to zero.

Biphase encoding is implemented in two different ways:

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Manchester

o It changes the signal at the middle of the bit interval but does not
return to zero for synchronization.
o In Manchester encoding, a negative-to-positive transition represents
binary 1, and positive-to-negative transition represents 0.
 o Manchester has the same level of synchronization as RZ scheme
except that it has two levels of amplitude.

Differential Manchester

o It changes the signal at the middle of the bit interval for

synchronization, but the presence or absence of the transition at the
beginning of the interval determines the bit. A transition means
binary 0 and no transition means binary 1.
o In Manchester Encoding scheme, two signal changes represent 0
and one signal change represent 1.

Bipolar

o Bipolar encoding scheme represents three voltage levels: positive,

negative, and zero.
o In Bipolar encoding scheme, zero level represents binary 0, and
binary 1 is represented by alternating positive and negative
voltages.
o If the first 1 bit is represented by positive amplitude, then the
second 1 bit is represented by negative voltage, third 1 bit is
 represented by the positive amplitude and so on. This alternation
can also occur even when the 1bits are not consecutive.

Bipolar can be classified as:

AMI

o AMI stands for alternate mark inversion where mark work comes
from telegraphy which means 1. So, it can be redefined
as alternate 1 inversion.
o In Bipolar AMI encoding scheme, 0 bit is represented by zero level
and 1 bit is represented by alternating positive and negative
voltages.

Advantage:

o DC component is zero.
o Sequence of 1s bits are synchronized.

Disadvantage:

o This encoding scheme does not ensure the synchronization of a long

string of 0s bits.

B8ZS

o B8ZS stands for Bipolar 8-Zero Substitution.

o This technique is adopted in North America to provide
synchronization of a long sequence of 0s bits.
 o In most of the cases, the functionality of B8ZS is similar to the
bipolar AMI, but the only difference is that it provides the
synchronization when a long sequence of 0s bits occur.
o B8ZS ensures synchronization of a long string of 0s by providing
force artificial signal changes called violations, within 0 string
pattern.
o When eight 0 occurs, then B8ZS implements some changes in 0s
string pattern based on the polarity of the previous 1 bit.
o If the polarity of the previous 1 bit is positive, the eight 0s will be
encoded as zero, zero, zero, positive, negative, zero, negative,
positive.

o If the polarity of previous 1 bit is negative, then the eight 0s will be

encoded as zero, zero, zero, negative, positive, zero, positive,
negative.

HDB3

o HDB3 stands for High-Density Bipolar 3.

o HDB3 technique was first adopted in Europe and Japan.
o HDB3 technique is designed to provide the synchronization of a long
sequence of 0s bits.
o In the HDB3 technique, the pattern of violation is based on the
polarity of the previous bit.
 o When four 0s occur, HDB3 looks at the number of 1s bits occurred
since the last substitution.
o If the number of 1s bits is odd, then the violation is made on the
fourth consecutive of 0. If the polarity of the previous bit is positive,
then the violation is positive. If the polarity of the previous bit is
negative, then the violation is negative.

If the number of 1s bits since the last substitution is odd.

If the number of 1s bits is even, then the violation is made on the place of
the first and fourth consecutive 0s. If the polarity of the previous bit is
positive, then violations are negative, and if the polarity of the previous
bit is negative, then violations are positive.

If the number of 1s bits since the last substitution is even.