MIMO Scattered Pilot Performance and Optimization for ATSC 3.0

ATSC 3.0 is the latest digital terrestrial television (DTT) standard, and it allows a higher spectral efficiency and/or a transmission robustness with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology compared to existing DTT standards. Regarding MIMO channel estimation, two pilot encoding algorithms known as Walsh-Hadamard encoding and Null Pilot encoding are possible in ATSC 3.0. The two MIMO pilot algorithms are standardized so as to have the same pilot positions and the same pilot boosting as single-input single-output, and the optimum pilot configuration has not been fully evaluated for MIMO. This paper focuses on the performance evaluation and optimization of the pilot boosting and the pilot patterns for two MIMO pilot encoding algorithms in ATSC 3.0 using physical layer simulations. This paper provides a great benefit to broadcasters to select the MIMO pilot configuration including pilot boosting, pilot pattern, and pilot encoding algorithm that better suits their service requirements. Several channel interpolation algorithms have been taken into account as a typical receiver implementation in both fixed SFN reception and mobile reception.