ETSI
5.1.8.2 Channel bonding for TS transmission
Channel bonding for TS transmission allows a single "big-Transport-Stream" to be carried in parallel over L
transponders (L ≤ 3). This requires that the receivers are equipped with L tuners/S2X decoders, receiving in parallel the
L "partial" Transport Streams from the L transponders, and reconstructing the original "big-Transport-Stream". The L
S2X modulators are allowed to adopt the same symbol-rate and MODCOD or different ones.
The number of bonded transponders and their carrier frequencies are signalled in the SI tables according to ETSI
EN 300 468 [5]. These SI tables shall be transmitted in parallel over each of the bonded transponders. This allows an
initial signal scan with a single tuner to extract SI tables. The principle of the S2X transmitting side shall be according
to Figure 2, where the L S2X modulators use the same modulo 2
22
ISSY counter, clocked by the symbol-rate of a
master channel (in Figure 2, modulator number 1 as example), to implement Input-Stream Synchronization (ISSY, see
ETSI EN 302 307-1 [3], clause D.2). The correspondence between the RF channel and master channel shall be signalled
to the receivers via the SI. Null-Packet deletion is implemented in all modulators according to ETSI EN 302 307-1 [3],
clause D.3.
The input "big-TS" shall be split at TS-packet level over L branches, as follows:
• For PIDs ∉ {SI tables}, when a TS packet is routed into a branch, corresponding Null Packets shall be
generated on the other output branches.
• For PIDs ∈ {SI tables}, the packet shall be copied in all the output branches.
Each input packet with PID ∉ {SI tables} shall be routed into a branch such that the interval between two useful packets
with PIDs ∉ {SI tables} (in terms of TS packets) which are separated by Null Packets, not including packets with PIDs
∈ {SI tables}, generated in the SPLIT block, is kept to a minimum and as uniform as possible.
The useful packet intervals shall be according to the ratio of the total bitrate of the bonded channels to the TS rate of
each channel.
For example for L = 2 channels, this can be fulfilled if the useful packet interval of transponder k takes on only two
different values:
floor(total TS rate/TS rate of transponder k) and/or ceil(total TS rate/TS rate of transponder k),
in which floor(x) and ceil(x) denote the flooring and ceiling operation, respectively. The useful packet interval is
defined as the number of Null Packets, not including packets with PIDs ∈ {SI tables}, inserted into two useful packets
in the SPLIT block plus 1. For example, in Figure 2 the useful packets 1 and 3 are separated by one Null Packet in
transponder 1, resulting in a useful packet interval of 2.
The TS rate of each transponder k = 1, 2…, L is the rate used for transferring packets with PIDs ∉{SI tables} in
channel bonding on this transponder. This corresponds to the total TS rate of the transponder minus the data rate
occupied by PIDs ∈{SI tables}. The total TS rate in above equations is the sum of such TS rates of all transponders.
Each S2X modulator shall activate Input Stream Synchronization by setting the suitable ISSY field.
Transport Stream rate-adapters (i.e. adding or deleting Null-Packets and adjusting the MPEG time-stamps) shall not be
inserted after the SPLIT.
NOTE: Rate-adapters may be inserted before the SPLIT if required.
Clause D.1 shows rules for implementation of channel bonding for TS transmissions.