RF Shorts - July 28, 2011

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Broadcast Power Amps Lead RF Power Semiconductor Market
ABI Research has released a report showing the Broadcast RF Power Semiconductor Market Still Led by DTV. ABI Research Director Lance Wilson said, "Historically this market has been viewed as flat and not very exciting. In general, most RF power semiconductor vendors have overlooked and dismissed it. That, it turns out, is an error. DTV and FM broadcasting are still expanding at a measured, but nevertheless positive, rate."

ABI Research said the market is being powered by the advance of digital broadcasting, and while analog TV services are starting "to decline somewhat, the total demand for RF power semiconductors for broadcasting looks promising for the next 10 years."

Mark Aitken Promoted
Sinclair Broadcast Group issued a press release last week announcing the promotion of Mark Aitken to vice president of Advanced Technology for Sinclair Television Group. Before joining Sinclair, Aitken was part of the Comark engineering team that brought IOT technology to high-power UHF TV transmitters. Most recently, Aitken has been active in ATSC, where he is chairman of ATSC TSG/S4, the specialist group responsible for Mobile DTV implementation, as well as the Open Mobile Video Coalition and the Mobile500 Alliance of stations that are building out a nationwide Mobile DTV distribution network.

Comments and news items are welcome. Email me at dlung@transmitter.com.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.