scope:

This European Telecommunication Standard (ETS) describes the framing structure, channel coding and modulation (denoted "the System" for the purposes of this ETS) for a digital multi-programme television distribution by cable. The aim of this ETS is to present a harmonized transmission standard for cable and satellite, based on the MPEG-2 System Layer ISO/IEC DIS 13818-1 [1], with the addition of appropriate Forward Error Correction (FEC) technique. This System can be used transparently with the modulation/channel coding system used for digital multi-programme television by satellite, see ETS 300 421 (bibliography). The System allows for further evolution as technology advances as described in Reimers document (see bibliography). It is capable of starting a reliable service as of now. The System is based on Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). It allows for 16, 32, or 64-QAM constellations and permits for future extension to higher constellations, such as 128-QAM and 256-QAM.

The System FEC is designed to improve Bit Error Ratio (BER) from 10-4 to a range, 10-10 to 10-11, ensuring "Quasi Error Free" (QEF) operation with approximately one uncorrected error event per transmission hour.