Harris will supply The Bridge Networks with transmitters (such as the Atlas DTV660) and technical support to receivers using the DVB-H standard.
Harris will supply transmission equipment and technical support to Sydney-based The Bridge Networks for Australia's trial distribution of multichannel TV to mobile receivers using the DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld) standard.
For the 12-month trial, which will be launched in the middle of this year, Harris is providing technology from its Atlas DTV660 range of transmitters that offers integrated network adapters for telecom networks and integrated DVB-T receivers for re-transmission applications. The trial transmissions are expected to cover 80 percent of the Sydney area - a population of more than 3 million people. Local telecoms carrier, Telestra, is making up to 1000 DVB-H-capable handsets available to select customers.
The company wants consumer feedback about the level and quality of services - particularly within buildings. Initially, 15 suppliers will broadcast content from Sydney's Gore Hill transmission site. At least 15 additional content providers are expected to join before the trial is over.
DVB-H allows simultaneous transmission of multiple channels of television, radio, video, audio and IP data to a range of multimedia receivers. DVB-H is part of the DVB-T standard currently used to deliver terrestrial television in Australia. It can use several codecs including MPEG-4 and Windows Media 9 video plus AAC audio. DVB-H is an extension of DVB-T, but requires less power to decode the signal, a key requirement for battery-powered receivers.
For more information, visit www.broadcast.harris.com.
