Digital data over video channels: Techniques for Spacelab

Various techniques for transmitting digital data over a composite video channel are examined, with a view to transmitting data from experiments on the Space Shuttle orbiter. PSK (phase-shift keying), MPSK (m-ary PSK), or PAM (pulse-amplitude modulation), which can be transmitted on visible lines of a frame, unassigned lines of the VBI (vertical blanking interval), or during the HBI (horizontal blanking interval), are all found to be attractive under the proper conditions. However, PAM on visible lines or during the VBI should be relatively easy to implement, provide adequate average data rates, and give acceptable BERs (bit error rates)