What is the bit rate of standard-def tv?

Question

in mbps

Answer 1

SDTV, the lowest level of digital TV is 480i (704x480x30 hz). That bit rate should be around 3 mbits/sec, given that the bit rate of 1080i (1920x1080x30) is around 18 mbits/sec. But that assumes the same level of compression for both. How the TV station compresses things is up to them. Some stations, PBS in particular, broadcast multiple SD streams in their channel bandwidth as channels x.1, x.2, etc.

Answer 2

There is no bit rate as standard TV is not digital. It is analog and there are several types. In the US for example, the channel band width is only 6 MHz wide as compared to countries where it is 12 MHz. The scan rates are different too, but the signals are analog and not digital. As digital becomes the norm, set owners will have to get digital to analog converters to keep using their old analog TV's.

Answer 3

Dusty is right....there is no Bit rate for an ANALOG signal, ONLY for Digital signals....

If I remember correctly a 1080 datastream comes in at about 6 Gigabytes maximum.....so if 480 was digital, in effect it would come in at about 2.8 to 2.9 Gb....

But that signal is actually measured in the highest frequency that it can send for the smallest pixel....that frequency is ACTUALLY 4.2 MHZ...

The 6MHZ bandwidth is used because you don't want your TV channel BLEEDING into any channel next to it....AND you also need room for sound and color signals...
That's why you have a 6Mhz bandwidth...it includes the Guardbands, the Color carrier (3.58Mhz) and the Sound carrier (4.5 Mhz)

With Digital signals, they can put 4 different channels into that 6 MHz bandwidth....