January 2015 DISTRIBUTION 23
By using a mobile encoder and transmitter such as the Streambox
Avenir Mini , broadcast journalists transmits directly from their camera , laptop or mobile device using a standard cellular signal including 3G and 4G .
warns Shen . “ If possible , they should plan ahead to make sure that some kind of network connection is available . Proper planning can go a long way towards ensuring that every transmission is successful ,” he says .
Another manufacturer of cellular-based transmission products is US-based Streambox , which offers solutions such as Streambox Avenir Mini , designed for broadcasters who need to be where the action is . Bob Hildeman , CEO and co-founder of Streambox , explains to APB that traditional satellite and microwave trucks are a timeconsuming , expensive and difficult option to cover live breaking news .
“ With cellular-based transmission , reporters can quickly and easily get to a news site and send a signal back to the broadcast facility — from virtually anywhere ,” he says . “ Traditionally , reporters , camera people and engineers accompany a large satellite or microwave truck to any news situation . The equipment is unwieldy and requires the camera crew to stay tethered to the truck . This all changes with mobile cellular transmission .”
By using a mobile encoder and transmitter such as the Streambox Avenir Mini , broadcast journalists transmits directly from their camera , laptop or mobile device using a standard cellular signal including 3G and 4G . “ With this agility , reporters can interview sources wherever they are and access situations that are unreachable by satellite truck ,” says Hildeman .
Moreover , unlike traditional satellite and microwave trucks , reporters use mobile encoding and cellular transmission from their
With a move to a larger premise on the horizon , and with a continuing requirement to centralise workstations and other equipment outside of its video-editing studios , Canadian production house Groupe Pixcom needed a high-performance KVM extension solution capable of extending dual-display HP workstations up to 100m from their video-editing studios . Additionally , 4K display support was also a checklist item , should the studios be upgraded in the near future .
According to Dominic Gagné , a member of Pixcom ’ s technical services team , apart from the distance , extending two monitors
cameras , laptops or mobile devices to capture news inside a building , at the top of a tower , inside a moving car or in the air , he adds . Thus , mobile transmission is perfectly suited for volatile situations such as protests or riots where reporters need to move quickly into unknown situations .
“ With the ability to capture news from a standard mobile phone and transmit using cellular networks , broadcasters can extend their base of reporters to anyone with a camera — opening up new possibilities for newsgathering and beating the competition to a story ,” says Hildeman .
And while its versatility as a transmission option cannot be denied , what about costs ? TVU Networks ’ Shen says that costwise , cellular-based transmissions provide more savings .
“ The ability to broadcast over cellular networks offers a costeffective alternative to some of the more traditional means of content delivery ,” he explains . “ Microwave requires an expensive infrastructure build-out before the live shot can take place . Satellite doesn ’ t have the infrastructure requirements of microwave , but per-minute transmission pricing can be cost-prohibitive for many broadcasters , especially when there is demand for a constant uplink during breaking news events .”
In addition , he says the daily expenses and annual maintenance costs required to operate large microwave or satellite vans can also run high . “ Cellular , on the other hand , offers inexpensive access to bandwidth and is readily available all over the world ,” Shen concludes .
Optimisation and regionalisation are key to DTT profitability
BY COLIN PRIOR
with HD resolution posed “ another big challenge ”, which led to the company deciding to install the Matrox Avio F120 fibre-optic KVM ( keyboard , video and mouse ) extender from Matrox Graphics .
Among the reasons for the selection of the Matrox Avio is its “ comprehensive feature set ”, which includes “ zero-latency ” 10Gbps transmission over a single fibre-optic cable , ease of integration , reliability , supported distance , supported resolutions , as well as a compact , rack-mountable design with all required connections on one box . The ability to combine Avio with a compatible fibre-
While newer over-the-top ( OTT ) and IP content delivery platforms tend to achieve all the headlines in Europe and the US , for the vast majority of countries it is the tried and trusted broadcast delivery ( digital satellite , cable or terrestrial ) that still dominates the landscape . In the free-to-air world , digital terrestrial TV ( DTT ) continues to stand alone as the most effective delivery method . The continued expansion of this market is tightly linked to the development and deployment of DVB-T2 , the second-generation , more efficient and powerful iteration of the DVB digital terrestrial standard .
DTT is a powerful delivery mechanism . But there are challenges for every network operator : distribution network optimisation and delivering regionalised services being the two most important . The optimisation of distribution networks is essential in the increasingly competitive landscape . Correctly implemented distribution network optimisation also helps reduce
Ateme races ahead
After turning to Ateme for its encoding technology for the Belmont Stakes Races last June , the New York Racing Association ( NYRA ) has decided to keep faith with Ateme ’ s Kyrion CM5000 modular encoding platform — which is dedicated to contribution over satellite and IP / ASI networks — to broadcast its HD content .
Holding the exclusive rights of the live broadcast of some of the “ most prestigious ” horse races in the world until 2033 , NYRA found the Kyrion CM5000 to fit its requirement of a modular encoding solution that “ guaranteed total operability ” for the transmission of its 2014 races and beyond . satellite capacity OPEX costs .
Regionalisation of DTT services offers broadcasters a means of targeting viewers more precisely , therefore creating new revenue opportunities from regional ad insertion . In order to achieve what are often government-mandated coverage targets , DTH networks are widely deployed as a means of ensuring 100 % population coverage , filling in the gaps where DTT signals cannot be received .
In the past , this has necessitated two completely separate delivery platforms both carrying the same content ( TV services ) with DTH services on one satellite transponder and distribution to DTT transmitter sites on a second satellite transponder . Therefore , a key requirement for many broadcasters and network operators is to avoid this need to pay for two separate sets of satellite capacity and to re-use the DTH signal as the distribution feed for DTT transmitters using DVB-T or DVB-T2 .
It is not possible for the DTH multiplex to be re-broadcast on DTT without adaption for terrestrial
Pixcom equips new video-editing workstations with Matrox Avio KVM extenders optic network switch was also of interest to Pixcom , as Gagné explained : “ Matrox Avio seems to have been designed specifically for our needs . It met all of our requirements and even exceeded them , which was not the case for many other models .”
The Avio extender consists of a transmitter and receiver pair . The Avio transmitter unit captures I / O functionality of the host computer and sends the data uncompressed over a single duplex LC-LC fibre-optic cable to the Avio receiver unit , allowing users to separate the computer from the user environment and place it in a climate-controlled because of differences in signalling , capacity and , in particular , the requirement to operate terrestrial transmitters in single frequency networks ( SFNs ). When operating a multi-frequency network where every transmitter broadcasts on a different frequency , then it is easy to re-multiplex services at the transmission sites , picking the services required for that transmitter / region . But in the SFN mode , re-multiplexing cannot be used , as this would break the SFN .
What is needed is a solution that can use the same DTH transmission as the feed for DTT transmitters operating in SFN . SFN transmissions have to be bit-accurate to prevent interference ; in effect , transmitters must broadcast exactly the same content at exactly the same time on exactly the same frequency . Remultiplexing is not a deterministic process — if you put multiplexers alongside one another and give them the same input signal , the output will not be the same .
Colin Prior is regional sales manager of Enensys .
NYRA depends on the Ateme Kyrion CM5000 modular encoding platform to broadcast some of the most prestigious horse races in the world .
Dan Silver , director of TV and interactive platforms at NYRA , said : “ When you are producing content for the second richest day of [ horse ] racing on the North American racing calendar , there is a lot at stake , literally . We needed an encoding solution that would provide our customers
with the best video quality on the market .
“ We selected the Kyrion CM5000 for its high-fidelity video , reliability and user-friendly interface for our operators , all of which were key considerations when upgrading our equipment for today and in the future .
Avio F120 KVM extenders enable real-time control through “ zero-latency ” 10Gbps transmission up to 10km over a single fibre-optic cable . machine room .
This Matrox technology allows workstation signals to be transmitted over a single fibre-optic cable , reducing the total amount of cabling required and deployment costs . Higher switch-to-desktop density can also be achieved when combining Avio with a fibre-optic network switch .
Gagné concluded : “ Avio lets us reduce clutter in the workspace and cuts down on the wiring required . Avio ’ s operation is completely transparent to the user and as far as the support staff is concerned , Avio is a robust technology that we can rely on .”