This past summer ARD, a German federal broadcast network, went on-air with a public HDTV) showcase as part of a limited demonstration. The network used a full complement of Thomson Grass Valley broadcast equipment.
The system was installed in just 10 weeks at the ARD playout center Potsdam, near Berlin, where the broadcaster upgraded its SD facilities to HD without any disruption of its services. The SD operation previously used Thomson Grass Valley K2 media servers.
Thomson’s systems integration engineers installed a four-channel K2 HD media server alongside the existing SD system, which uses Grass Valley Profile XP Media Platform servers. The new HD K2 server and related equipment was integrated with the ARD’s playout automation system, allowing the extra channel to be supported without additional resources.
The goal of the showcase was to give consumers a chance to see the finest HDTV content during IFA, one of the world’s largest consumer electronics trade shows, held in Berlin. The centerpiece of the demonstration channel was the program EinsFestival, which is one of ARD’s digital TV channels, providing a cultural program, high-quality documentary, music and movies. It was the first public demonstration of an HDTV channel from a public broadcaster in Germany.
For information, visit www.thomsongrassvalley.com.
