Abstract

In the last three years, optical amplifiers have been successfully used in numerous analog fiber optic systems to transmit and distribute multiple AM-VSB or FM video channels. Most technology issues regarding the usage of semiconductor optical amplifiers and erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) in those systems have been studied extensively.^[8,15] Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is not only to review the previous work, but also to compare the different technology aspects of analog and direct-detection digital video broadcast systems. This paper also addresses the potential evolutionary problems of using optical amplifiers in a subscriber loop that may need upgrading when distribution signals change from AM-VSB video to future digital video services.

© 1991 Optical Society of America