Integrated System Leverages High Performance and Low Latency of AQORD *LINK to Ensure Quality Transmission Over Ka-Band Satellite Link
GRENOBLE, France -- Nov. 8, 2012 -- Digigram today announced that it has partnered with France's OPAL'TV to provide broadcasters with a complete and cost-effective mobile solution for making live and on-demand video available via high-bandwidth Ka-band satellite link. OPAL'TV has incorporated a dual-channel AQORD *LINK video encoder/transcoder from Digigram into a lightweight flypack to enable convenient, reliable, and affordable IP-based delivery of video when terrestrial networks are unavailable.
"For local broadcasters, the advantage of this solution is the high reliability and quality of live transmission, enhanced by the low latency of the Digigram unit, as well as the speed and simplicity with which the entire solution can be deployed," said Laurent Galet, technical manager at OPAL'TV. "We tested and compared this integrated application against current 3G mobile solutions and found it to be the best solution for our broadcast clients."
The AQORD *LINK has been packaged in a Com IP VSAT flypack including an IP modem and retractable satellite dish with automatic positioning capabilities. The Digigram system delivers dual channels of broadcast-quality SD/HD streaming video at data rates of 0.5 to 20Mb/s using MPEG-TS encapsulation. In OPAL'TV tests, the encoder/transcoder's low latency cut transmission times by two or three seconds.
Digigram's AQORD *LINK delivers 99.99 percent operational reliability, and its advanced industrial-grade design ensures the highly dependable performance and low power consumption so important in mobile systems such as OPAL'TV's flypack. Featuring an internal 1TB hard drive for storage and 3 Gb Ethernet RTP-UDP/IP ports for transmitting/receiving streams in either unicast or multicast, the compact 1U/19-inch rack-mounted AQORD *LINK delivers outstanding flexibility for broadcast, telecommunications, and contribution applications. Users can set up and monitor the encoder/transcoder locally through the unit's HMI front panel or remotely via a Web-based interface.
"AQORD *LINK is a highly versatile solution -- in a convenient and compact package -- that delivers the performance essential for satellite transmission," said Christophe Jacquinet, sales account manager at Digigram. "The system is a perfect fit for this application, ensuring high video quality while helping to make economical Ka-band transmission viable for smaller broadcasters."
More information about AQORD *LINK and other Digigram products is available at www.digigram.com or by phone at +33 4 76 52 47 47.
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About OPAL'TV
OPAL'TV devotes a large part of its transmission to local information covering the regions of Dunkirk, Calais, and Saint-Omer, Boulogne, the area south of the Opal Coast and Flanders, broadcasting to more than a million people. Its knowledge of the region and proximity to the population makes it an indispensable voice for communities and associations, as well as a source of information on the economic, cultural, and tourist aspects of the Opal Coast. Within this region projects and initiative are undertaken without the knowledge of communities a short distance away. OPAL'TV aims to ensure widespread dissemination of such information in order to develop an identity for the Opal Coast in the heart of a euro-region that includes Belgium and Great Britain.
The idea for a television station dedicated to the Opal Coast was several years in the planning and based on the experiences of local television stations already installed in Dunkirk, Grande-Synthe, Gravelines and Calais. At the start of 2011, the CSA, the conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel, gave OPAL'TV permission to broadcast from transmitters at Mont des Cats (near Hazebrouck), and Mont Lambert (near Boulogne), which allows coverage across the Opal Coast as far as Montreuillois, Audomarois, and Flanders.
About Digigram
Digigram is at the convergence of professional audio and video with IT, inventing solutions that help its customers increase competitiveness through change. Digigram's IP audio codecs, sound cards, and network audio solutions are used by journalists, broadcasters, and audio engineers around the world, and the company delivers key technologies and OEM solutions to software vendors and manufacturers. Digigram's recently introduced all-IP video product lines offer advanced solutions for broadcast, IPTV, Web TV, and OTT operators.
Through constant innovation and the development of fruitful partnerships, Digigram has become an influential player, helping to energize the industry, push forward technological development, and raise standards. Information on Digigram and its products is available at www.digigram.com.
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/Digigram/AQORD.zip
Photo Caption: AQORD *LINK Video Encoder/Transcoder
