Baseline System for modulation and channel coding for satellite digital multi-programme TV/HDTV services to be used for satellite digital TV for primary and secondary distribution in FSS and BSS bands The Baseline System is intended to provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) services for consumer Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRDs) as well as collective antenna systems (SMATV) and cable television head-end stations with a likelihood of remodulation. The Baseline System uses QPSK modulation and concatenated error protection strategy based on a convolutional code and a shortened Reed-Solomon code. The Baseline System is suitable for use on different satellite transponder bandwidths. Compatibility with MPEG-2 coded TV services, with a transmission structure synchronous with the packet multiplex, is provided. The multiplex flexibility allows the use of transmission capacity for a variety of TV service configurations, including sound and data services. All service components are time multiplexed (TDM) on a single digital carrier.