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[Wednesday at NAB]
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Coming Down the DTV Conversion Homestretch
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by Bob Kovacs,
~ April 16, 2008
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TV TECHNOLOGY
With the final push on for the digital conversion, big things are going to happen in this corner of the industry during the next 12 months. Knowing who the players are can give you an edge, but don’t wait too long — these companies are all going to be exceedingly busy this year.
TRANSMITTERS
ABE Elettronica is featuring its DTX line of low- to medium-power transmitters, with VHF and UHF power output ranging up to 5 kW.
An exciter/driver kit to convert existing analog transmitters to digital is being unveiled at the Acrodyne booth. The company is also spotlighting its Quantum line of high-power UHF transmitters.
Armstrong is displaying its line of television transmitters, which includes VHF and UHF models with power outputs from 2 W to 16 kW. The company is also showing its UHF and VHF TV exciter, which can include MPEG encoding.
Axcera is showing off systems for the full range of market niches, including low-power, translators, gap fillers, single-frequency networks and full-power broadcasting. Mobile television will also be featured. The LX line of low-power, solid-state transmitters is among the items spotlighted at the Axcera booth.
A software-defined transmitter (SDT) is one that can be set to transmit at any standard, using software to select the mode of operation. Bext is focusing on its MOD-ALL series of SDT modulators, which can operate in any standard from ATSC to DVB-T to QAM. Mated to the company’s Magnum series transmitters, the SDT package delivers up to 100 W.
CTE is showcasing its E-10DRU and E-125DRU-1 low- and medium-power TV gap fillers, and also the MRF377H amplifier for both analog and digital applications.
DB Elettronica is introducing its new series of liquid-cooled transmitters.
DMT USA is showing its full line of low- to high-power digital transmitters. Among the company’s specialties are products for mobile television, which are featured in the DMT booth. In addition, staff is available to discuss the company’s antenna and tower design expertise.
DSI RF Systems is highlighting its work in transmitter installations and service.
A new name on the show floor, Ecreso, is showing mobile DVB-H systems, including the company’s EMAA DVB-T/H transmitter and gap-filler. In the EMAA’s 1+1 mode, transmitters can monitor each other without any additional external monitoring modules.
Transmitters and automation is the focus at the Electrosys booth. The company is available to discuss its full range of low- to high-power transmitters, as well as translators and gap fillers.
Elettronika is displaying its DTV transmitters, as well as mobile TV (DVB-H) products.
Thomson has multiple booths displaying its extremely broad product line. For television transmission, the company manufactures products for both network distribution and terrestrial broadcasting, including a full range of low- to high-power transmitters.
Look for Thompson’s Grass Valley DVB-H/FLO mobile television products, as well as products for managing your station’s final channel selection after the analog shutdown.
Harris Corp. is introducing the production version of its Mobile Pedestrian Handheld (MPH) digital exciter. MPH is the ATSC-compatible mobile TV system jointly developed by LG/Zenith and Harris. The MPH platform allows local TV stations to deliver digital, ATSC-compatible content to portable media players, automobile-based TV equipment, GPS devices, laptop computers and mobile phones.
Harris is showing the new exciter as part of the company’s MPH in-band mobile DTV display. This frequency-agile exciter is capable of transmitting MPH and other ATSC digital TV services, including HDTV, within a single 6 MHz channel. The MPH-ready exciter is compatible with most digital transmitters, including all Harris ATSC transmitters.
IRTE is featuring its DBH3 gap-filler transmitter, which is available in either a 50 or 100 W version. The DBH3 features satellite receiving capability, making it easy to integrate.
Larcan is introducing the MXi series of low-power digital transmitters that can be used for ATSC and mobile TV (DVB-H) applications, including single-frequency networks. The company is also launching its Larcan Plus digital LPTV system on hand, which includes a new Octane professional encoder-multiplexer, and multichannel digital transmitter. The Magnum Series for DVB is another debut at the Larcan booth.
Myat will show a complete line of new low loss and compact bandpass filters, for power levels from 500 W and higher. Applications include DTV, DVB-T, DVB-H and mobile media filters. The company is also showcasing its new line of bandpass filters designed for LPTV, including stringent-mask and relaxed-mask designs.
A new translator is featured at the Pineapple Technology booth. This is the DTX25U, a 25 W transcoding system that can receive on one UHF channel and transmit on another. It includes a mask filter.
The PT2090 DVB-H digital repeater is the highlight at ProTelevision Technologies. The unit converts an IF/RF signal up or down to any standard broadcast frequency and is optimized for use as gap-filler.
RFMW Ltd. is showing its VHF-UHF-FM amplifier pallets that feature low cost and high efficiency. The company also stocks replacement RF transistors for many transmitters.
Screen Service Broadcasting Technologies spotlights its new SDT software-defined transmitter, which can transmit in any world standard at power levels of up to 100 W.
The new TX line of solid-state transmitters is featured at the Superior Broadcast booth. Designed for low-power operation, the TX series comes in both analog and digital versions. The company also has a line of antennas and RF products, including combiners and transmission line.
Siel Broadcast is displaying its new TB45-XXXL line of liquid-cooled digital-ready TV transmitters. The company can deliver these transmitters in a variety of standards, including ATSC and DVB-H.
Spinner GmbH is offering its four-cavity L-Band dual-mode filter for DAB and mobile TV applications, along with a 6 kW UHF two-way CIB DTV combiner with coaxial six-cavity mask filters for adjacent-channel operation.
Spinner is also showing its UHF two-way medium-power CIB DTV combiner that features coaxial four-cavity mask filters. Also look for the company’s motor-driven 1-5/8-inch EIA coaxial switch, which features optical position sensors.
TeamCast presents its new GFX-0300 gap-filler transmitter, which has a revised input filter and integrated echo canceller for simple integration. The GFX-0300 can operate in ATSC, DVB-H and FLO, among other standards. Also look for the company’s MUS-1000/2000 OEM 8-VSB/ATCS transmitter modulator.
ANTENNAS
Dielectric is showing its full line of antennas, including the new TUM, a high-power, broadband UHF elliptically polarized panel antenna. This new product offers a variable polarization ratio from zero to 100 percent while maintaining an excellent axial ratio.
Dielectric is also featuring a new addition to its TU series of UHF antennas. The new TU is a vertically polarized, high-power, broadband UHF panel antenna. Also look for the company’s mobile television filters, antennas, combiners and switch products.
Electronics Research Inc. is displaying its high- and low-power antennas, including the Sagita UHF slot antenna. The Sagita is a low- to medium-power model available in both single-channel and wideband versions.
Jampro is showing off a broad spectrum of products, including combiners, filters, test sections, RF patch panels and antennas, including a new Prostar Broadband UHF slot antenna. It eliminates the need for multiple antennas, conserves tower space and minimizes wind load.
Also new this year from Jampro is the RWED-16-U, a four-port directional filter/combining unit that can be used either as a mask filter or as a constant impedance-combining module for high-power UHF broadcasting.
Kathrein-Werke is on hand to discuss its custom antenna design services. The company can design an antenna for any television broadcast application and then supervise its installation and commissioning.
Three television antennas are featured at the Propagation Systems Inc. booth. Two of these are variants on the company’s UHF slot antennas. Included are a complete PSILP model and a cross-section display of the company’s PSIUSM. Also on display will be a configuration of PSI’s UHF broadband panel antenna for high-power, multichannel applications.
Radio Frequency Systems is showing a wide range of products, including antennas, filters, combiners and monitoring systems. New from the company is its CellFlex Lite transmission line, which pairs a copper center conductor with an aluminum outer shield in an inexpensive and lightweight package.
Also being shown is a new RF monitoring system, complete with an eight-inch color touchscreen for use with antenna and combiner systems. Another featured product at RFS is the PCP panel antenna suite, designed to support global circularly polarized broadcast applications. The antenna comprises four horizontally polarized and four vertically polarized dipoles, and features dual-input (two 2.5 kW inputs) functionality.
Reduced-downward radiation antennas is highlighted at the RF Technologies booth. The company is showing its new broadband UHF SFNstar low-RFR antenna, which can be up to seven channels-wide at 700 MHz.
Rymsa is showing its range of panel and superturnstile antennas, along with RF filters and combiners. One example is the company’s DP15-560 diplexer unit. This can combine two high-power UHF channels for a single antenna feed.
TUBES
CPI-Eimac is on hand to discuss its K2 line of IOTs. The K2 is available in two varieties, with the water-cooled K2D130W delivering the most power—up to 31 kW in digital operation.
e2v is at the NAB Show to spotlight its popular water-cooled ESCIOT tube, which uses depressed-collector technology to improve on the efficiency of a standard IOT. In addition to the ESCIOT, the company is showing its line of standard IOTs for replacement applications.
L-3 Electron Devices is spotlighting its oil-cooled constant-efficiency amplifier (CEA) IOT. The CEA is a multistage depressed-collector design that achieves significantly greater efficiency than a standard IOT.
Thales Components is highlighting its traveling-wave tubes for satellite applications, as well as tetrodes and diacrodes for analog/digital radio and TV transmitters.
TOWERS
Dialight Corp. is showing its FAA-certified L864 tower beacon, which is designed to replace incandescent obstruction lights on antenna towers and tall structures. The unit consumes only 100 W and lasts up to 10 times longer than an incandescent beacon.
Magnum Towers is available to discuss its tower design and manufacturing services, which include both guyed and self-supporting structures. The company can also provide engineering and modifications for existing towers.
Radian Communications has more than 40 years’ experience in designing, fabricating and installing broadcast towers and antennas. The company is on hand to discuss its field services, which include tower structural analysis, strengthening and inspections, as well as antenna system testing and repair.
Stainless/Doty-Moore, which recently won the contract to build a 1,000-foot tower, with a 50-foot candelabra, for TV station WPLG in Miami, is at the show to spotlight its design and manufacturing services for tall towers.
Tower Consultants is available to discuss its range of services, which include tower design to on-site tower inspections, structural analysis, tower modification and new tower development. With PE licenses in more than 40 states, the company can talk to you about your tower engineering requirements.
Tower Innovations acquired Kline Towers more than two decades ago. Since then, it has designed and built hundreds of broadcast and communications towers. Tower Innovations is on hand to discuss its tower services, including design, erection, engineering and modifications.
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