In this paper, a wideband CMOS radio frequency (RF) front-end for digital video broadcasting-handheld (DVB-H) receiver is proposed. The RF front-end circuit is composed of a single-ended resistive feedback low noise amplifier (LNA), a single-to-differential amplifier, an I/Q down-conversion mixer with linearized transconductors employing third order intermodulation distortion cancellation, and a divide-by-two circuit with LO buffers. By employing a third order intermodulation (IMD3) cancellation technique and vertical NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT) switching pair for an I/Q down-conversion mixer, the proposed RF front-end circuit has high linearity and low low-frequency noise performance. It is fabricated in a 0.18 µm deep n-well CMOS technology and draws 12 mA from a 1.8 V supply voltage. It shows a voltage gain of 31 dB, a noise figure (NF) lower than 2.6 dB, and an IIP3 of -8 dBm from 470 MHz to 862 MHz.

IP Datacast over DVB-H has been adopted as a core technology to build complete end-to-end mobile broadcast TV systems. In order for this technology to be successful in the market, provisioning of acceptable QoE (Quality of Experience) to the users, as well as a wide range of business models to the service providers, is essential. In this paper, we analyze the channel zapping time, which is an important metric to measure QoE for mobile broadcast TV services. In particular, we clarify primary components that determine the channel zapping time for protected services in IP Datacast over DVB-H. Our analysis is based on the data gathered during the trial service of the OMA-BCAST Smartcard profile in Singapore, Asia. Based on the analysis, we show that a significant reduction in channel zapping time can be achieved by optimizing the transmission parameters related to the key derivation time and the synchronization time between the content stream and the key stream.

An internal antenna with a system ground for digital video broadcasting-handheld (DVB-H) service is proposed. The proposed antenna consists of a main patch with a two-step slit, two additional elements, and a system ground. The antenna has a small volume, 36 mm 11 mm 6 mm, and an average gain of -2.22 dBi to -0.06 dBi over the DVB-H band.