The Burst Group recently helped KCNC-Channel 4 in Denver complete an HD installation that will allow the station to transmit HDTV. The installation is also one of the first in the U.S. to allow an HD network tape delay.
All network programming in the Mountain Time zone requires tape-delayed feeds to allow for time-zone differences, according to Scott Barella, vice president and chief engineer at the Denver-based Burst Group. "The KCNC installation is a unique and creative system that uses high-powered servers to record programs, store them and play them back, allowing KCNC more direct control of its programming needs," says Barella. "It's one of the first HD net delays in the country that we know of."
Barella overcame several challenges in the installation. Among them were integrating two in-house signals to broadcast simultaneously, and strategically locating the broadcast antenna pattern on top of the Republic Plaza Building, Denver's tallest building. "The best and least expensive option to send the signal to Republic Plaza," says Barella, "turned out to be using fiber optics rather than microwave antennas. Not only was fiber cable less expensive, it also carries a pure digital feed, which means we encountered no signal loss."
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