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DekTec Modulators

A complete line of PCIe and USB modulators that cover virtually all digital-TV standards used in the world. The modulators use an all-digital design coupled with SDR techniques that provide the best signal quality and a high degree of flexibility to add new modulation schemes.

 

Modulators for USB Bus and PCI Express

DTU-215 DTU-315 DTA-2111B DTA-2115B DTA-2116
List priceThe suggested retail price for the product. Quantity discounts and OEM arrangements may apply. Please direct OEM queries directly to one of the DekTec offices.
End Of Life € 2.893 € 946 € 4.105 € 3.275
Form factor USB-2 device USB-3 device PCIe card PCIe card PCIe card
Cable
Satellite
Terrestrial
10-MHz/1-pps sync
RF band VHF, UHF VHF, UHF, L band VHF, UHF VHF, UHF, L band VHF, UHF, L band
RF range Carrier frequency range supported at the output of the modulator.
36 .. 1002MHz 36 .. 2150MHz 36 .. 1002MHz 32 .. 2186MHz 32 .. 3225MHz
Output level Range of output power that the modulator can produce. Note that the limits can vary depending on the type of modulation.
-49 .. -15dBm -55 .. -25dBm -35 .. -9dBm -60 .. 0dBm -90 .. -5dBm
#RF ports 1 1 1 main, monitor main, monitor
RF connector 75-Ω F male 75-Ω micro BNC 75-Ω F female 50-Ω SMA, 75-Ω F 50-Ω SMA, 75-Ω F
Low-profile PCIeLow profile PCIe cards are 'half height', for mounting in a low-profile PC case. DekTec cards come standard with a full-height bracket and a separate low-profile bracket in the box.
Add -LP to the model number to order a card with a low-profile bracket already mounted.
PCI Express Gen1 x1 Gen3 x1 Gen3 x4

Standards included with the base product
DTU-215 DTU-315 DTA-2111B DTA-2115B DTA-2116
ATSC 1.0Standard: ATSC A/53E
"ATSC 1.0", launched in 1996, is the designation used (retroactively) to describe the first digital terrestrial standard developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC).ATSC 1.0 uses 8-level vestigial sideband modulation (8VSB) in a 6MHz channel. The symbol rate is fixed to 10.76MBd, giving a net bitrate of 19.39Mbit/s. ATSC 1.0 is used primarily in North America and in Korea.
DVB-CStandard: ETSI EN 300 429 v1.2.1
DVB-C is a first generation cable modulation standard developed by DVB. It was released in 1994 and still is the most widely used cable standard in Europe, Asia and South America.
DVB-CIDStandard: ETSI TS 103 129 v1.1.2
DVB-CID (Carrier ID) is a signal embedded in a satellite signal. It allows satellite operators and end users to identify the source of a satellite carrier, even when it can no longer be demodulated due to interference. CID is modulated using spread spectrum techniques. This means the signal can be injected at noise level, so that the impact of the CID signal on the MER of the satellite signal is negligible.
DVB-HStandard: ETSI EN 302 304
DVB-H is a superset of DVB-T for mobile TV broadcasting. DVB-H failed in the market due to lack of receivers and the advent of 4G.
DVB-SStandard: ETSI EN 300 421
DVB-S for digital satellite broadcasting was the first digital-TV modulation standard released by DVB (1995). It has been used extensively for contribution feeds and for direct to home (DTH) broadcasting.
DVB-S is a relatively straightforward system using QPSK, Reed-Solomon forward error correction and bit interleaving.
DVB-S has been used all over the world but is now replaced by DVB-S2 which is more efficient.
DVB-S2Standard: ETSI EN 302 307
DVB-S2 is a second generation standard for satellite television. It uses higher level modulation modes up to 256APSK and powerful LDPC error correction for better spectrum efficiency than DVB-S. It is used all over the world.
DVB-TStandard: ETSI EN 300 744
Terrestrial modulation standard developed by DVB and released in 1997. DVB-T uses orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). DVB-T is used in Europe, Oceania, Africa and part of Asia.
DVB-T2 single PLP>Standard: ETSI EN 302 755
DVB-T2 with a single PLP (which is the most common case in practice). For multi-PLP the full "DVB-T2" option is required.
J.83BStandard: ITU-T J.83 Annex B, also known as "J.83B" or "QAM-B"
First-generation cable-modulation standard based on QAM modulation with 7-bit symbols (customary is 8 bits), Reed-Solomon forward error correction, symbol interleaving, and 64- or 256-QAM.
J.83B is mainly used in North America and Korea.
QAM-CStandard: ITU-T J.83 Annex C
First-generation cable-modulation standard based on QAM modulation. Very similar to QAM-A (=DVB-C), only the roll-off factor is different (QAM-A:0.15, QAM-C:0.13).
QAM-C is used in parts of Asia.

Chargeable modulation options
DTU-215 DTU-315 DTA-2111B DTA-2115B DTA-2116
ATSC 3.0Standard: ATSC A/300, Korea TTAK.KO-07.0127
Where conventional standards use MPEG-2 transport streams, ATSC 3.0 is fully IP based. This enables hybrid broadcast and broadband service delivery e.g. for personalized advertisements. OFDM modulation with LDPC error correction are used to deliver multiple physical layer pipes (PLPs) with IP content over terrestrial networks.
ATSC 3.0 modulation is used primarily in North America and in Korea.
Note: Korea uses a different version of the standard that is incompatible with the standard used in North America.
ATSC M/HStandard: ATSC A/153
ATSC-M/H is a mobile TV extension of ATSC 1.0. It is not widely used at this point in time.
CMMBStandard: GY/T 220.1/2-2006
CMMB (China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting) is a mobile television and multimedia standard developed in China. It is intended to be used with small screens.
DAB(+)Standard: ETSI EN 300 401, ETSI TS 102 563
DAB is a digital radio standard for broadcasting terrestrial digital audio radio services. DAB+ is an extension of DAB with support for the HE-AAC v2 audio codec. DAB+ is used in Europe and parts of Asia.
For modulating DAB in the 1452-1492MHz band.
The DTA-2107 does not support modulation in Band III (174 to 240MHz), which is the frequency range primarily used for transmitting DAB.
DRM(+)Standard: ETSI ES 201 980
DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) is a modulation standard designed for digital radio in the AM band. It is based on an open standard. For frequencies above 30Mhz it is referred to as DRM+.
DTMBStandard: GB 20600-2006
DTMB (Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast) is the digital TV standard for mobile and TV developed in China. DTMB is a merger of the standards ADTB-T, DMB-T and TiMi. DTMB is using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM).
DVB-C2Standard: ETSI EN 302 769
DVB-C2 is the second generation of DVB cable transmission system offering greater than 30% higher spectrum efficiency. It uses new OFDM-based channel coding schemes, combined with higher level modulation modes up to 4K QAM. DVB-C2 has limited distribution around the world with only few countries doing trials.
DVB-S2XStandard: ETSI EN 302 307 part 2
DVB-S2X is an extension of DVB-S2 with higher spectral efficiency. It offers smaller roll-off options of 5% and 10% and a finer gradation of and coding modes. It also supports very low C/N down to -10dB for mobile applications, e.g. maritime and trains.
DVB-S2X is mostly used for contribution.
DVB-T2 single PLPStandard: ETSI EN 302 755
This option allows you to transmit DVB-T2 with a single PLP (which is the most common case in practice). For multi-PLP the full "DVB-T2" option is required.
Note: For DTU-315 and DTA-2115B, the "DVB-T2 single PLP" option is included in the base product.
DVB-T2 (multi PLP)Standard: ETSI EN 302 755
Second generation terrestrial modulation standard introduced in 2009. DVB-T2, like its predecessor DVB-T, uses orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). Compared to DVB-T, a key new concept is the use of one or more "physical layer pipes" (PLPs), each of which potentially can use different channel coding.
DVB-T2 is used in Europe and parts of Asia.
ISDB-SStandard: ARIB STD-B24
ISDB-S is a Japanese satellite modulation standard introduced in 2000. It uses frequency-domain multiplexing of OFDM signals into 13 'segments' of the spectrum. Services can be assigned to one or more segments, providing service flexibility.
ISDB-S is mostly used in Japan and other parts of Asia.
ISDB-S3Standard: ARIB STD-B24
ISDB-S3 is an update of ISDB-S that adds support for 4K, 8K, HDR, HFR, and 22.2 audio.
ISDB-TStandard: ARIB STD-B21
ISDB-T is a Japanese terrestrial modulation standard introduced in 2003. It uses frequency-domain multiplexing of OFDM signals into 13 'segments' of the spectrum. Services can be assigned to one or more segments segments, providing service flexibility.
ISDB-T is used in Japan, other parts of Asia and South America.
ISDB-TmmStandard: ARIB STD-B21
ISDB-Tmm (Terrestrial mobile multi-media) is based on the same modulation as ISDB-T, but optimized for mobile broadcasts.

Streamer software
DTU-215 DTU-315 DTA-2111B DTA-2115B DTA-2116
Atsc3Xpress ATSC 3.0 test generator software that lets you create a you create a broadcast-quality ATSC-3.0 signal from your desk. Atsc3Xpress gives you full control over all ATSC-3.0 transmission parameters, supporting advanced concepts such as subframes, multi-PLP and a variety of PLP-multiplexing strategies.
Atsc3Xpress is enabled by the -SP option.
MuxXpert Transport-stream multiplexer software that allows re-multiplexing of services and service components. The output of MuxXpert can be modulated in real time by a DekTec modulator card.
StreamXpress DekTec's industry-standard stream-player software that can be used (amongst others) to create a modulated RF signal. All modulator settings can be set in a number of easy-to-use dialogs.
StreamXpress includes the GUI for the channel simulator. StreamXpress also has a remote-control option for controlling play out and applying parameter settings from your custom application.
TmmXpress ISDB-Tmm test-signal generator to create any combination of 13-, 3- and 1-segment signals up to a maximum total of 33 segments in 14.5MHz, generating either an ISDB-Tmm, -TSB or -T signal.
TmmXpress is enabled by the -SP option.
T2Xpress DVB-T2 test-signal generator software with support for all DVB-T2 parameters. With T2Xpress you can create multi-PLP signals, T2 lite, T2-MI, and more.
T2Xpress is enabled by the -SP option.

Other chargeable options
DTU-215 DTU-315 DTA-2111B DTA-2115B DTA-2116
Channel simulation Channel simulator software that allows adding calibrated white-noise (AWGN) and insertion of multi-path echo for receiver stress-testing.
Channel simulation is an add-on option for StreamXpress (DTC-305-CM XpressSim).
GOLD Attractively-priced bundle of all modulation-related options. It includes:
 (1) all currently available modulation options available for the modulator;
 (2) channel simulation, I/Q sample play out, 2- and 8-channel modulation;
 (3) all future modulation options developed for that modulator.
I/Q sample playout Raw I and Q sample playback directly from software. I and Q samples can be recorded in the field to capture RF imperfections or generated in the lab for simulation purposes.
Remote control The StreamXpress has a remote control option that can be used to script modulation settings, e.g. to automate a test procedure.
2-channel modulation Modulating two adjacent 8-MHz channels simultaneously. The modulation standard and all parameters of the two channels must be the same, and they must be started at the same time.
8-channel modulation Spectrum with 8 carriers Modulation of eight independent 8-MHz channels, fully agile over VHF/UHF. Each modulator can be set to a different standard, e.g. 4x ATSC 3.0, 2x ATSC 8VSB and 2x DVB-T2 (note: satellite modulation is not supported).

Miscellaneous
DTU-215 DTU-315 DTA-2111B DTA-2115B DTA-2116
Power consumption 2.5W 4.7W /
5.3W (HQ) Power consumption of the DTU-315 in 'High Quality' mode.
In HQ mode, the DTU-315 supports symbol rates up to 70MBd. The worst-case maximum power consumption exceeds the USB-3 maximum power specification by 18%, but in practice USB-3 ports can supply (amply) enough power to run the DTU-315 in HQ mode.
5.2W 22.2W 15.8W
LxHxD cardProduct dimensions. For PCI Express cards, dimensions exclude the PCIe bracket.
120 x 69 x 16mm 163 x 111 x 16mm 120 x 69 x 16mm
LxHxD full (-LP)Dimensions of the full product. For low-profile PCI Express cards, the dimensions of the product with the low-profile bracket mounted are shown.
123 x 62 x 22mm 154 x 30 x 30mm 140 x 80 x 19mm 184 x 126 x 19mm 140 x 80 x 19mm