Introduction

Abstract

Since about 2010 to 2012, television has really arrived in the age of highdefinition TV (HDTV). For this purpose, enough channels have been available since the analog switch-off on satellites, and HDTV flat screens have meanwhile appeared in almost every living room. Screen diagonals have grown steeply compared to just a few years ago. Today, their size averages around 40 to 55 inches. Unpleasant side effects of the first flat screens, like restricted viewing angle and motion blur, have been eliminated; picture quality is now outstanding and incomparably better than that of CRT devices. “Smart TV” and “HbbTV” features are usually also integrated into the sets, merging the world of TV with the world of the Internet. Also, ultra-high-resolution television (UHDTV) has been advertised intensively since 2014, but, although UHDTV devices are on offer and the transmission chain is available, ultra-high-resolution content and the corresponding channel capacities are not yet widespread. However, television is only one part of the broadcasting scene, which, of course, also includes radio. The latter is still mostly received in analog form, although e.g. in Germany, DAB/DAB+ have seen strong growth since 2011, and a rich offering in terms of receivers and content is now available. The term “broadcasting” refers to the transmission of information, be it voice, image or sound, or data transmitted from a single point - the transmitter - to many points - the radio receivers. As a particular feature of broadcasting, the source is unaffected by the number of receivers, i.e. the channel capacity is not impacted as the number of receivers listening to that single transmitter increases. This is the big difference to a mobile radio link or an Internet connection where peer-to-peer communication is used. Also, broadcast networks have so far always been designed for high noise-tolerance and are hence robust in disaster situations. This makes broadcasting a safe medium for distributing information to the population even under difficult conditions.