CINCINNATI, May 18, 2015 — GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, is preparing Brazilian TV broadcaster Rede VTV, an affiliate of the SBT Network, for a full ISDB-Tb digital TV transition in advance of the country’s 2018 analog TV shutoff deadline. As part of a turnkey over-the-air solution, systems integration firm Foccus Digital is rolling out a single-frequency network (SFN) comprised of multiple high-efficiency GatesAir Maxiva™ UAX air-cooled UHF transmitters. The network today allows Rede VTV to serve both analog and digital TV viewers, with GatesAir enabling the multichannel opportunities of ISDB-Tb DTV at the lowest total of ownership.
The GatesAir SFN solution synchronizes 31 transmitters of varying power levels (up to 50kW) from the coastal areas of Sao Paulo through the deep interior, with interoperability across satellite and IP microwave platforms for regional distribution. The flexible GatesAir SFN architecture enables Rede VTV to manage ASI, L-Band and IP input sources across the network—a significant operational benefit given the complex nature of managing many analog and digital signals across long distances.
Cesar Donato, director of Foccus Digital, notes that GatesAir’s SFN architecture “simplified both the initial rollout and commissioning of the network,” which allowed Rede VTV get on the air quickly with the new transmitters. GatesAir’s approach eliminates the intensive transmitter software programming associated with competitive SFN solutions to remove signal overlap and interference network-wide.
“GatesAir helped us solve the problem of synchronizing multiple transmitter stations across a large single-frequency network with conflicting, close-proximity coverage spots,” said Marcus Mansur, director of Rede VTV. “This is not a matter of a transmitter working at a single site; instead, this project required consistent phasing, in perfect synchronicity, across very long distances. The Maxiva UAX transmitters respond very well to this challenging situation, and the simplicity of integration made for a quick plug-and-play rollout. The final result is a high-efficiency solution with consistently outstanding performance.”
Though Brazil has set a national analog TV shutoff for 2018, the main Rede VTV coverage cities of Campinas and Santos will turn off analog programming in 2017. Therefore, Foccus Digital designed a turnkey system for hybrid analog and ISDB-T programming to prepare them well in advance. The SFN design includes ERI filters and combiners to marry analog and digital signals in common antenna systems, as well as Selenio™ networking/encoding systems from Imagine Communications to support high-quality, multichannel DTV programming with outstanding bandwidth efficiency.
The GatesAir SFN network also enables a quick return on investment in part due to exceptionally low maintenance requirements. The ability to use a single set of spare parts across the entire network, along with the redundant, modular and hot-pluggable architecture of Maxiva UAX transmitters, will help Rede VTV maintain exceptionally low labor costs over the lifetime of the network.
“With Brazil’s analog shutoff date approaching, GatesAir is partnering with Foccus Digital to cost-efficiently transition broadcasters countrywide, while helping them achieve new revenue-generating services through the multichannel opportunities of digital broadcasting,” said Joseph Mack, vice president of sales, Americas, GatesAir. “The Rede TV project is an ideal representation of how this service-oriented approach facilitates challenging digital transitions for broadcasters at the lowest total of ownership.”
About GatesAir
GatesAir, Inc. provides complete solutions for over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, leveraging wireless spectrum to maximize performance for multichannel, mission-critical services. Powering over-the-air networks worldwide with unparalleled reliability for nearly 100 years, GatesAir’s turnkey solutions enable broadcasters to create, transport and transmit radio and TV content. With customers in more than 185 countries, the company leads the industry in innovation and design breakthroughs, improving efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership. Visit www.gatesair.com for more information, and follow us on Twitter at @GatesAir.
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