Method and apparatus for improving quality of service for reception in digital television broadcast systems

1 . A method of transmitting a digital data stream to a receiver unit, said method comprising:

modulating a digital data stream in accordance with a modulation technique so as to generate a modulated digital data stream;

providing said modulated digital data stream to a transmitter unit, said transmitter unit operable for transmitting said modulated digital data stream;

receiving said transmitted digital data stream by said receiver unit, said receiver unit generating signal reception data indicating the quality of reception of the modulated digital data stream; and

providing said signal reception data to a quality control processing unit via a communication channel;

wherein said quality control processing unit analyzes said signal reception data to determine if the quality of reception of the modulation digital data stream by said receiver unit is below a predefined level.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step adjusting the modulation technique applied to said digital data stream if said quality control processing unit determines said quality of reception of the modulation digital data stream by said receiver unit is below a predefined level.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said digital data stream comprises an OTA ATSC broadcast stream.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said communication channel comprises a wide-area-network (WAN).

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said data indicating the quality of reception of the modulated digital data stream include at least one of the signal-to-noise ration of the received digital data stream or the bit-error-rate of the received digital data stream.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said modulation technique includes at one of A-VSB, E-VSB, 8-VSB, 4-VSB and 2-VSB.

7 . A system for transmitting a digital data stream, said system including:

a modulation unit for receiving said digital data stream and modulating said digital data stream in accordance with a modulation technique;

a transmitter unit for transmitting said modulated digital data stream;

a receiver unit for receiving said transmitted modulated digital data stream, said receiver unit generating signal reception data indicating the quality of reception of the modulated digital data stream;

a quality control processing unit for analyzing said signal reception data to determine if the quality of reception of the modulated digital data stream received by said receiver unit is below a predefined level; and

a communication channel for coupling said receiver unit to said quality control processing unit, said signal reception data being provided to said quality control processing unit via said communication channel.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein said quality control processing unit will adjust the modulation technique applied to said digital data stream by the modulation unit if said quality control processing unit determines said quality of reception of the modulation digital data stream by said receiver unit is below a predefined level.

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein said digital data stream comprises an OTA ATSC broadcast stream.

10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein said communication channel comprises a wide-area-network (WAN).

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein said data indicating the quality of reception of the modulated digital data stream include at least one of the signal-to-noise ration of the received digital data stream or the bit-error-rate of the received digital data stream.

12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein said modulation technique includes at one of A-VSB, E-VSB, 8-VSB, 4-VSB and 2-VSB.