Smaller, more efficient and targeted at mobile television just about covers the new products Rohde & Schwarz showed at the NAB Show.
Pointing out that mobile television likely means medium-power transmitters, Rohde & Schwarz President and COO Jack Cowper said that the company will continue to develop its well-regarded medium-power line.
"Rohde & Schwarz is committed to smaller transmitters," he said.
Cowper announced the company's Nx8300 UHF transmitter, a solid-state, air-cooled model that features a maximum of 1.8 kW. Using a new LDMOS power transistor, the Nx8300 develops more power from fewer components, improving efficiency by as much as 15 percent over other solid-state transmitters — and does it in a more compact space.
The Nx8300 is intended for indoor use, but Rohde & Schwarz also announced a version of the transmitter in an environmental cabinet, the NV8303VO. With a maximum output of 1.2 kW, the NV8303VO can be mounted on an antenna tower, saving transmission line and eliminating the need for a building.
The new transmitters are designed to work with mobile television technologies, such as A-VSB, MediaFLO and DVB-M. In addition, Rohde & Schwarz continues to work with other companies to ensure interoperability of its products within a complete broadcast infrastructure.
TEST EQUIPMENT
"We have successfully installed our exciter into the transmitters of other manufacturers to demonstrate A-VSB," said Walt Gumbert, regional manager for Rohde & Schwarz.
Rohde & Schwarz is one of the companies involved in the A-VSB Initiative and has supplied equipment for the live demonstration of A-VSB at NAB. Live transmissions from the A-VSB Initiative could be viewed on handheld devices and in a bus cruising Las Vegas.
"We have been involved in the development of A-VSB from the outset, and are not only committed to bringing transmission products but also test and measurement equipment to the Mobile TV market," said Eddy Vanderkerken, director of sales and marketing for broadcast products at Rohde & Schwarz.
Test and measurement equipment is a major product line for Rohde & Schwarz, and there were two important announcements for the company at the show.
First was the DVSG digital video signal generator that can be used for a variety of testing operations. The DVSG provides output on a range of industry-standard connectors and will supply both digital and analogue signals.
Another new product for the company's test and measurement line is the ETL TV analyzer, which can be used to test a DTV transmitter. ©2008 NAB
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