What is DSNG?
»	Digital Satellite News Gathering used by major news channels for outside broadcasts (OB) via satellite.
»	Allows delivery of remotely gathered media to be broadcast live or recorded for later use.
»	Also center for remote communication to/from OBVAN.

Digital satellite newsgathering (DSNG) has only recently developed into a true force; it has enjoyed a steady rate of acceptance over the last 10 years. This advancement of technology can be noted through a timeline of major news events that relied on satellite newsgathering systems.

Earlier Broadcasters were generally using analog equipment to send reports back to the studio, but DSNG gear really began to come into focus with the introduction of a IP ENCODERS. Traxvision has introduced Minerva and Adtec IP encoders first time India to meet the e-newsgathering applications.

Recent trends in DSNG equipment have continued to evolved broadcast quality video, at 4:2:2 / 4:2:0 MPEG Streaming.
The reduction in equipment by using IP Encoders allows the necessary units to be installed into a much smaller vehicle,
opening the door for better access to a news site.

Though referred to as newsgathering, this term encompasses more than news.
Sports programming in particular is an important element in mobile broadcasting, and very demanding when it comes to MPEG encoding. Any program with fast motion, camera panning and multiple zooms can be problematic, so using top-quality encoding technology creates far superior quality images for uplink.

The broadcasters have become increasingly more interested in establishing stronger communications between the OBVAN and the home studio. The issues here revolved around simple barriers, such as not being able to communicate to the studio once the vehicle has reached its destination. Often these sites are outside of cell phone coverage areas, adding an extra layer of difficulty to the vehicle's situation. This is one of the problem areas in DSNG addressed in recently introduced solutions. IP information can be embedded in an MPEG transport stream to allow data to be up linked from the vehicle back to corporate headquarters. In response, corporate headquarters can access a back channel to broadcast information over the same satellite and back to the van. With a 2-way IP link between the central studio and the OBVAN, equipment within the OBV can be connected to the corporate network. This includes Voice Over IP to allow a telephone to be plugged into an IP return.

Two-way IP connectivity, coupled with high-quality IP Encoders, is the key ingredient. This extends the journalist artistically to build a complete news report using live clips from the site of the event, library clips, and contributions from journalists in other vans throughout the world.

Motion estimation
In regards to encoding, full motion estimation is important. MPEG is made up of three different frames: I, B and P. The B frames, which are bi-directional predicted, are the frames that provide maximum compression. Unfortunately, they also are the frames that most commonly introduce errors into the picture if proper motion estimation is lacking. Therefore, the greatest benefits from B frames are most noticeable when the motion estimation is pixel perfect. During motion estimation, each frame of a picture is broken up into macro-blocks, which are 16x16 pixels. Instead of rebroadcast all information within those 16 pixels, motion estimation allows you to broadcast just two numbers representing a magnitude and direction. These numbers communicate to the receiver where to place the macroblock to achieve maximum compression.

Wherever the DSNG industry heads from here will be vitally important to the length of its successes. Looking at a multi-channel environment these days, news and live events are becoming an increasingly large proportion of the total output, and images are what drive news programming. And as 2-way IP connectivity becomes fully realized, the possibilities are endless: From remote control of vehicle equipment from the studio to complete automation of the truck, the future of the DSNG industry is going to be incredibly interesting.