H-16DVBT-IP 16 DVB-T/T2 RF Tuners to IPTV Gateway

The Thor Broadcast H-16DVBT-IP is a professional DVB-T / DVB-T2 terrestrial RF to IPTV gateway designed to receive up to 16 digital terrestrial RF channels from an antenna or MATV coax distribution system and convert the selected TV programs into IPTV streams for distribution over a local Ethernet network.

This model is used for countries and systems that use DVB-T or DVB-T2 COFDM off-air television modulation. The unit receives terrestrial RF channels through the rear F-type coax RF inputs, tunes the selected DVB-T/T2 carriers, detects the available programs, and outputs them as UDP/RTP multicast or unicast IPTV streams.

Important Model Clarification

The H-16DVBT-IP is the correct version for DVB-T / DVB-T2 terrestrial antenna input. It is different from the ATSC, QAM, and satellite versions. The tuner hardware is model dependent, so the correct version must be selected based on the RF standard being received.

• H-16DVBT-IP - 16 DVB-T / DVB-T2 terrestrial RF tuners to IPTV
• H-16ATSC-IP - 16 off-air ATSC 8VSB RF tuners to IPTV
• H-16QAM-IP - 16 cable QAM RF tuners to IPTV
• H-16DVBS-IP - 16 satellite DVB-S / DVB-S2 RF tuners to IPTV

How the H-16DVBT-IP Works

The system starts with a DVB-T/T2 terrestrial TV antenna. The antenna receives off-air digital TV channels and sends them through coax cable to the headend. The antenna feed may pass through an amplifier, combiner, splitter, or MATV distribution system before connecting to the 16 rear RF tuner inputs on the H-16DVBT-IP.

Each RF input feeds an internal tuner. Each tuner can be configured to receive a selected DVB-T or DVB-T2 RF channel. After the tuner locks to the carrier, the gateway scans the transport stream and detects the available TV and audio programs. Those selected programs can then be converted to SPTS or MPTS IPTV streams.

The main IPTV output is through the DATA1 Ethernet port. DATA1 is normally connected to a Gigabit Ethernet switch for IPTV distribution. The DATA2 port can be used as a secondary IP output or backup port depending on the configuration. The NMS port is used for network management and web setup. The USB port is for local service or configuration use and is not the IPTV output.

Typical Signal Flow

1. DVB-T/T2 antenna receives terrestrial digital TV channels.
2. The antenna RF signal is distributed through coax to the 16 RF tuner inputs.
3. The H-16DVBT-IP tunes the selected DVB-T or DVB-T2 RF channels.
4. The gateway detects the available TV programs inside each transport stream.
5. Selected programs are converted to UDP/RTP IPTV streams.
6. The IPTV streams output through the DATA1 Ethernet port.
7. A Gigabit Ethernet switch distributes the IPTV streams to STBs, IPTV decoders, middleware, or compatible IPTV players.

RF Input and Loop Output Explanation

The rear F-type connectors are the DVB-T/T2 RF inputs. These inputs are used for coax feeds coming from a terrestrial antenna system, amplifier, splitter, or MATV distribution network.

Depending on the rear-panel configuration, the unit may also provide RF loop outputs. A loop output passes the same incoming terrestrial RF signal through to another device, such as a monitoring receiver, TV tuner, spectrum analyzer, or second gateway.

Important: the RF loop output is not an IPTV output. It is still a coax RF signal. IPTV comes out from the Ethernet DATA port. The RF inputs and loop outputs are only for antenna RF signal routing.

Front Panel Connections

Why Use DVB-T/T2 to IPTV?

The H-16DVBT-IP is ideal when a facility receives terrestrial broadcast TV channels and wants to distribute those channels over an IP network instead of only using coax RF. This allows the headend to centralize the DVB-T/T2 reception and send the selected TV channels over Ethernet as IPTV streams.

With multicast IPTV, one received TV program can be delivered to many viewing locations without installing a separate terrestrial tuner at every display. This is useful for hotels, hospitals, schools, campuses, government buildings, commercial facilities, and private TV distribution systems.

Common Applications

• DVB-T/T2 off-air antenna to IPTV distribution
• Digital terrestrial TV to multicast IPTV headend
• Hotels, resorts, schools, universities, and hospitals
• Churches, venues, stadiums, and commercial buildings
• MATV antenna systems converted to IP distribution
• DVB-T/T2 program and subchannel selection for IPTV
• Centralized terrestrial TV headend systems

Key Features

• 16 DVB-T / DVB-T2 terrestrial RF tuner inputs
• Receives off-air digital TV from antenna coax feeds
• COFDM terrestrial broadcast TV input
• Converts DVB-T/T2 programs into IPTV streams
• UDP/RTP multicast or unicast output
• SPTS and MPTS output options
• Main IPTV output through DATA1 Ethernet port
• Web-based NMS configuration and management
• 2 ASI inputs and 2 ASI outputs
• Professional 1RU rackmount headend design

Simple Explanation

The H-16DVBT-IP takes DVB-T or DVB-T2 off-air TV channels from an antenna and converts them into IPTV streams. The antenna signal enters the unit through the rear RF tuner inputs. Each tuner receives a selected terrestrial RF channel, finds the available programs, and converts them to IP streams. Those IPTV streams leave through the DATA1 Ethernet port and are distributed through a Gigabit Ethernet switch to IPTV set-top boxes, decoders, middleware systems, or compatible IP video players.