What Is IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting?

IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal published by the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society that covers original research on the technology used to deliver broadcast services to the public. The journal addresses devices, equipment, techniques, and systems involved in the production, distribution, and reception of broadcast content, spanning both traditional terrestrial transmission and the newer delivery platforms that carry broadcast-quality programming to mass audiences.

The journal has been publishing since 1963 and reflects the evolution of the broadcast industry across more than six decades. Its scope has expanded considerably from the analog television and AM/FM radio era into digital broadcasting, high-definition and ultra-high-definition television, internet protocol delivery, and multimedia service integration. The IEEE Broadcast Technology Society publishes the journal and distributes it to all society members, with the goal of serving the broadcast technology profession worldwide.

Broadcast Transmission Systems

A core subject area covers the engineering of the transmission path from studio to receiver. Papers address modulation schemes, channel coding, and the physical layer standards used in over-the-air broadcasting. The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard in North America, the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) family of standards used in Europe and many other regions, and the Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) standard from Japan have each generated extensive published work in the journal, as researchers measured performance, proposed improvements, and developed receiver designs. Single-frequency networks, which allow multiple transmitters in a coverage area to broadcast the same signal on the same frequency without mutual interference, are a recurring technical topic in this literature.

Digital Broadcasting Standards and Coding

Content coding and distribution formats represent a second major strand. Video compression standards, progressing from MPEG-2 through H.264/AVC and into H.265/HEVC and VVC, determine how much content can be delivered within a given broadcast channel bandwidth, and TBCST has tracked each generation of codec development. Audio coding for surround sound, audio description for accessibility, and the multiplexing of multiple program streams into a single transport stream all appear in the journal. The shift from standard-definition to high-definition and 4K/8K broadcasting required new thinking about signal bandwidth, color gamut, and high-dynamic-range encoding, topics that have produced active research.

Reception, Quality Assessment, and Emerging Delivery

A third area covers the receiving end of the broadcast chain and the assessment of service quality. Papers address antenna design, indoor reception challenges, mobile broadcast reception in vehicles, and the perceptual quality metrics used to evaluate video and audio encoding. As broadcast services have extended to internet protocol delivery alongside traditional over-the-air transmission, the journal has incorporated research on hybrid broadcast broadband television (HbbTV), adaptive bitrate streaming for broadcast-quality experiences, and the integration of broadcast and cellular network delivery paths. Measurement methodologies for quality of experience, which account for human perceptual factors alongside objective signal metrics, are a well-represented topic, since broadcasters must meet audience expectations defined by decades of high-quality transmission standards.

Research published in IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting reaches engineers in terrestrial, satellite, cable, and IPTV segments of the industry, as well as researchers developing the standards and equipment for future broadcast systems. The IEEE Xplore archive for the journal makes the complete publication history available, and the journal maintains strong engagement with the ITU Radiocommunication Sector, whose recommendations define international broadcast frequency allocations and performance requirements.

Applications

IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting covers research with applications in:

• Terrestrial digital television broadcasting for home and mobile reception
• Satellite broadcasting for direct-to-home and distribution services
• Cable television headend design and signal distribution
• Internet protocol television and hybrid broadcast broadband services
• Emergency alert and public safety broadcasting systems