unitron_unitron 21/05/2015 18:31 Page 2
individual channel the entire band needs to
be switched down the cable. In this scheme,
each demodulator requires a unique cable
from the Outdoor Unit (ODU).
The ODU is a collection of electronics
attached to the dish antenna, called Low
Noise Block (LNB). The LNB incorporates
the switching functionality and traditionally
will have a single cable run to each
demodulator in the home. An alternative
version is a LNB that feeds into a
Multiswitch ODU that then has a cable run
to each demodulator in the home. As the
number of video channels (transponders)
and demodulators are increased in the home
the cable complexity to deliver this content
increases accordingly if using traditional
methods.
For Satellite
Operators, it
is not a simple
task to add
additional video
stream support
within a home.
other Operators across the globe as they
increase the number of demodulators within
the home without increasing the installation
complexity. Drastically simplified and lower
cost installations are realised by reusing the
existing cabling within the home, providing a
superior customer installation experience
compared to traditional installations.
Instead of multiple cables from the STB to
the LNB or Multiswitch, a single cable
installation is possible. Adding a DVR to an
existing or new viewing location is as simple
as plugging in the STB, no new wires
required, no holes in the wall, no return calls
to repair installation issues. Additionally,
now that all video locations are connected
via a single cable, Home Networking
solutions such as MoCA or WiFi
can be used to provide
digital OLT the channels can be stacked with
0MHz spacing if desired. This significantly
increases the number of demodulators than
can be supported off a single cable feed.
Besides improving on the output efficiency,
by converting to the digital domain, other
external circuitry, such as microprocessors
and communications circuits can be
integrated more easily. This has an overall
effect of lowering cost and power compared
to previous generations of the product for
high demodulator count systems.
In support of this technology
advancement the industry is updating the
Unitron Group
Digital Wideband
SCR Multiswitch
and LNB
communications
Single Cable
Solution
Supports
Satellite Pay-TV
Growth
Unitron Group is a
leader in providing technology solutions to
simplify the traditional delivery of satellite
video into and throughout the home. OneLiner Technology (OLT™) or Single Cable
Router (SCR) solutions enable multiple
video streams to be delivered throughout the
home on a single cable. These solutions take
in the entire satellite input BW, but only
output the transponder containing the
desired video channel, not the entire band as
in traditional DBS installs. Each STB tuner
in the home only looks at a fixed frequency
on its input spectrum and the OLT ODU
switches in the desired transponder. Because
the tuner is fixed it enables multiple
transponders, or channels, to be stacked
next to each other, with each channel
supporting a unique tuner. Up to 12
transponders/channels can be stacked across
the 1.2GHz of BW available into the home
using analogue OLT solutions. The main
constraint limiting the number to 12 is the
analogue technology requires discrete filter
elements that must be spaced ~102MHz
apart to avoid interference issues.
The top Pay-TV Satellite Operators in the
world use single cable technology for its
multiple benefits. OLT enables DIRECTV’s
SWiM™ (Single Wire integrated
Multiswitch) system, as well as multiple
standard between the
STB and ODU.
CENELEC EN50607
was recently ratified
and enables single
cable communications of up to 32
demodulators, a major improvement over
the eight currently specified in CENELEC
EN50494.
multiroom DVR (mDVR)
features, connect to a Broadband network
for Over the Top (OTT) services, or stream
content from a larger gateway/server STB to
a small low cost client box.
With the rapid increase in the number of
demodulators within a single STB as well as
Technology And Need Aligned For
an overall increase in the number of
The Future
demodulators in the entire home the OLT
The users wish to enjoy more content across
solution needed to evolve. Unitron is not
a wider range of screens is enabled by digital
only a leader in analogue OLT solutions but
implementation of OLT technology. Unitron
is one of the first companies to deploy a
Group is capitalising on satellite ODU
digital OLT solution. Recent major
industry advancements to make what was
advancements in IC technology allow for
once only feasible in the analogue domain
digitalisation that is cost and power efficient
now both power and cost efficient in the
enough for the consumer market. What was
digital domain. Satellite Pay-TV Operators
once only capable in the analogue domain is
are taking advantage of this technology shift,
now possible in the digital domain without
creating differentiating solutions to
any of the analogue constraints. The OLT
immediately support their customers
functionality remains the same; the entire
changing demands. 2015 is an excit