EUREKA 147: Subjective assessment of the error performance of the DAB system, including tests at 24 kHz audio sampling frequency

Summary This Report describes tests carried out by the authors and other members of Eureka 147 Working Group ‘A’, to assess the performance of the DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) system with a low carrier-to-noise ratio at the receiver. The tests were conducted using a number of listeners to judge the audio quality, making collaborative decisions with the knowledge of the conditions under which the system was operating at all times. The primary purpose of the work described in this Report was to inform the Eureka 147 project about the failure characteristics of the DAB system when using a fourth generation receiver to receive audio programmes sampled at the normal frequency of 48 kHz, and at half that sampling frequency (24 kHz). Knowledge of the failure characteristics is important because it enables broadcasters to monitor system performance, at a time when services are being planned and when receiver techniques are developing. It should also enable the performance of the Eureka system to be compared with that of other systems .