line of sight - spring 2009 (i14) - beaconseek

F or a while now it’s been noticeable that the boundary between what has traditionally

been described as “SNG” and what has been described as “VSAT” is becoming blurred. There are low cost systems out there which are mar-keted to both markets – with a few tweaks.

Strictly speaking, SNG terminals are a sub-set of VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals), and nowadays any earth station with an an-tenna diameter of 2.4m or less is classed as a VSAT terminal.

VSAT networks are the corporate and mili-tary cousins of satellite newsgathering. Net-works of anything from tens to thousands of low-cost fixed satellite nodes share a compara-tively limited amount of satellite bandwidth to transmit data back from locations such as gas stations, branch offices and field command centres to a central point.

With the use of increasingly more sensitive satellites, the requirement to need be able to drive hundreds of watts of power through an antenna is diminishing. On many satellites, a 8 Mbps signal can be transmitted with enough margin on a 1.2m antenna with less than 50W of HPA power, and of course even less power for rates down to 4 Mbps.

So let’s look at what this crossover means in terms of real equipment.

It’s in the area of motorized antennas for use on cars and vans that we see the crossover most clearly. A number of SNG manufacturers have taken either taken existing low-cost mo-torized VSAT antennas and adapted them for SNG use, or have at least taken a low-cost VSAT design reflector and put them onto their own motorized mount. All of these motorized VSAT products feature auto-pointing through a simple single button press, with no requirement to monitor a spectrum analyzer, and are typically sub-US$10,000 in their original form.

Any antenna has two key elements - the reflector and the OMT (Orthogonal Mode Trans-ducer or “feed”). In the case of a parabolic re-flector, it is relatively easy to form a reflector which has a very good RF properties in terms of surface tolerance and shaping.

However, the OMT is the more critical of the two, as its characteristics in particular define the side-lobe performance of the antenna, and hence the beam-shaping and amount of power that can be driven into it.

VSAT antennas and feeds are designed to

L I N E O F S I G H T - S P R I N G 2 0 0 9

T H E O C C A S I O N A L S A T E L L I T E N E W S G A T H E R I N G N E W S L E T T E R - I S S U E 1 4

visit slingpath.com

carry relatively narrow bandwidth signals at relatively low powers - typically up to 1 Mbps at less than 50dBW with a BUC of less than 16W, though usually much less. If a user tries to drive more power through the feed, the sidelobe per-formance deteriorates quite rapidly, and the whole system would be non-compliant with most satellite operators, both in terms of sidelobe and cross-polarization performance.

Therefore to take advantage of these VSAT antennas (assuming the reflector itself is of sufficient quality), the trick is to use the original reflector and substitute the original low cost feed (typically costing well under US$100), with a much higher specification feed with better power handling characteristics.

These low-cost motorized VSAT antennas are not designed to take multiple deployments day in day out - the mechanics are not usually

(Continued on page 3)

Motosat Datastorm 1.2m antenna

C-COM iNetVu 1.2m antenna

Available from BeaconSeek & Amazon

SNG O R VSAT? J O N A T H A N H I G G I N S

Line Of S ight - Spr ing 2009

I t’s been a year since our last issue and the economic landscape has obviously

changed. Although our sector didn't seem to suffer in the beginning, we’ve now started to see some casualties in the last few months.

But we shan’t dwell on the negative. I’m sure that our sector will emerge intact and, maybe, even stronger than before with those that survive.

Line of Sight is now in its fifth year - a surprising achievement from our small begin-nings of a few pages started on a whim, with no advertising to support the effort. I’d like to thank several of our advertisers who have stuck with us all the way from our second issue (or are our rates just too cheap?).

If you share my interest in the develop-ment of satellites to being more than just “radio mirrors”, as described in Sir Arthur C Clarke’s article in 1945, then you’ll be in-trigued that Intelsat and Cisco, partly funded by the U.S government, are working on an interesting project to add further satellite functionality with onboard IP routing,

I’m delighted to welcome back Sam Sinke, who offers a few homespun truths in his en-gaging article about coping with the downturn - and a lot of other things as well.

There’s no NAB review in this issue as I didn’t go to NAB this year - the first time in a

decade. As we all know, overall attendance was down in any case, but a number of devel-opments in the MPEG compression arena were announced and are outlined in this edi-tion.

We’ve run two very successful training courses recently, and as you can see, there are some interesting pictures from them.

Inmarsat has at last launched its BGAN live streaming service at rates that are more useable for live reports from the field. These higher data rates were promised from the start of the BGAN system, and it will be gratify-ing to see the results on our screens rather than the jerky 200 kbps or so that we are currently subjected to.

Don’t forget that I’m always looking for contributors to talk about their pet subjects in the sphere of SNG, so if you fancy your hand at some unpressured authorship, please do get in touch. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this edition - any feedback is always welcome. ◙

Jonathan Higgins

“ Line of Sight

is now in its fifth

year - a surprising

achievement

from our small

beginnings … a few

pages started on a

whim …”

L I N E-U P

[email protected]

“ … the plan is

make a

satellite a “router

in the sky’”

“ … the market

for space-based

routers ... if

successful, is

probably huge.”


cold of the vacuum of space, because there are no convection currents to move heat away from the router. Therefore, the router effectively HAS to have a heat sink that makes direct contact with space itself.

As with other Cisco routers, the IRIS router can be managed remotely, and there is redun-dancy built in. There are two routers and two modems, each using one unit for redundancy. The whole package measures about 61 cm (24 in) x 46cm (18 in) x 46 cm (18 in).

The IRIS payload will interconnect one C-band and two Ku-band coverage areas across three transponders. The IRIS architecture and design allow for flexible IP packet (layer 3) rout-ing or multicast distribution that can be recon-figured on demand.

With the on-board processor routing the up and down communications links, the IRIS payload is expected to enhance satellite per-formance and reduce signal degradation from atmospheric conditions.

Cisco believes the router will have a throughput of about 100Mbps once in space - a tiny figure in Earth-based terms, but unprece-dented in orbit. It will have Cisco's full IOS (Internetworking Operating System) software, working with IPSec (IP Security) capability for encrypting traffic.

Cisco's ultimate vision is a large network of satellites with routers, which could carry out routing among themselves. Cisco has no projec-tion of how big the market for space-based routers will be - but by anyone's guess, if suc-cessful, it’s probably huge. ◙

T he next leap in satellite spacecraft technol-ogy is the embedding of applications on

board the spacecraft. We’ve already seen an example with the

introduction of Eutelsat’s SkyPlex on W3A in 2004, used to combine individual MPEG signals into a multiplex onboard the satellite.

Now there is a plan to make a satellite a ‘“router in the sky”. Cisco are working with Intel-sat to put a space-hardened router on board Intelsat’s Space Systems/Loral-built IS-14, now due for launch in late 2009 at 45°W.

As many of us know, satellites routinely transport IP data and connect to the Internet through base stations on the ground as sepa-rate networks. And since many SNG signals are now capable of being transmitted in the IP do-main, this is potentially a very interesting devel-opment for the future direction of SNG signal distribution.

It's the first big step in a U.S. Department of Defense sponsored initiative to test Internet routing in space, called Internet Routers In Space (IRIS), that could eventually make it eas-ier to carry and distribute IP traffic. IRIS will be managed by Intelsat General, and the payload will convert to commercial use once testing has been completed.

The IRIS payload will support network ser-vices for voice, video and data communications, enabling military units or allied forces to com-municate with one another using IP and existing ground equipment.

Once IS-14 is in orbit, the U.S government will experiment with the router for three months, after which carriers and private enter-prises will test it for about a year, according to Cisco.

IRIS is a three-year program that allows the DoD to collaborate with Intelsat General and its industry team to demonstrate and assess the utility of the IRIS capability.

A space-based router can't be built from standard COTS components. Everything down to the processors has to be built to withstand large amounts of radiation over an expected life span of 15 years. To achieve this, Cisco turned to specialized component providers.

Cooling is a problem, despite the extreme

RO U T E R IN TH E SK Y

Intelsat IS-14 - due up late 2009

robust enough. The antennas are designed to be deployed a few times a month, typically for very occasional use applications in homeland defence or utility activities, typically to provide Internet access.

Some of the “traditional” SNG manufactur-ers are not taking this challenge lying down. Several have developed their own low cost “lite” versions to compete against these VSAT manu-facturers offerings.

As an example, the Motosat DataStorm F3 is designed for use as a low cost VSAT antenna. The reflector is a Prodelin 1134, but the sup-

(Continued from page 1) plied Prodelin feed is not capable of maintain-ing performance with high power. Substituting the low-cost feed with a suitable OMT matched for high power turns the DataStorm into a low cost SNG antenna.

This is the starting point - with further refine-ments to improve the mount performance, you can have an auto-pointing SNG antenna for around half the price of a full-quality motorized auto-pointing SNG antenna system.

But beware, there are always compromises, and you cannot expect to get the same length of life or reliability of the more expensive sys-tems. ◙

SNG O R VSAT?

“ … there seems

to be a growing

demand for this type

of training.”

best place at our “location” to position the flyaway to access both New Skies NSS-7 and Eutelsat Atlantic Bird 3.

We undertook a number of cross-polarization tests so that all the students could get comfortable with the procedures involved.

There then followed a number of exercises where each of the students had to undertake a few satellite accesses using the flyaway system, talking to the satellite operator NOC (Network Operations Centre) all on their own!

Finally on the last afternoon, the students moved on to see the SNG truck supplied by PBG in use, which is fitted with an auto-pointing system, as a contrast to the manual flyaway system.

We were once again delighted with the way the course went, and the feedback from the students was extremely positive. There seems to be a growing demand for this type of training for those who are beginning to be involved in SNG operations.

We are very grateful to the support given to us via the various sponsor companies, who value the promotion of hands-on training within the industry.

In October 2009 we are running the next course — but a number of places have already been provisionally booked, so if you want to attend, you had better send an email as soon as possible to:

[email protected] You can of course download a course bro-chure from our website. We look forward to seeing some of you soon! ◙

Basic SNG Operations Course

Putteridge Bury Conference Centre University of Bedfordshire

Luton, UK

13-15 October 2009

Principal Tutor - Jonathan Higgins Only 6 participants

£1250 inc. VAT

Every student receives a Suunto Tandem Compass/Clinometer and “Introduction to SNG & ENG Microwave” book

W e’ve run another two public SNG courses since our last issue, and these are now a

regular twice yearly event on our calendar. With only six students from a range of back-

grounds participating over each of the three days, the courses were held at the Putteridge Bury campus of the University of Bedfordshire just outside Luton in the UK.

This is a great venue not only for the great facilities and catering provided, but also for the closeness to London Luton airport, making it easy for international students to attend. We’ve had students from the U.S, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Montenegro since we started these public courses.

The courses were supported by a number of companies - SES Engineering and SES New Skies, Eutelsat, Advent Communications, Gi-gaSat, Sat-Comm, and the Peter Baker Group - who all provided services or equipment to us.

The students had a day of classroom train-ing on satellite principles generally and specifi-cally SNG uplinking theory, followed by a couple of days of practical exercises including learning how to use a compass/clinometer, what to look out for on a site survey, and rigging and using a flyaway as well as a small SNG truck.

Throughout the course they were all as-sessed, both practically and with a multi-choice written theory test.

On the most recent course in May, the stu-dents undertook successful transmissions to NSS-7 satellite using an Advent Mantis 1.9m manual flyaway system, including learning how to carry out cross-polarisation testing.

The students collectively decided on the

BE A CO NSE E K SNG CO U R S E S



BE A CO NSE E K SNG CO U R S E S

“ What an

amazing time to be

working in this

industry! ”

“ I do have to say

that nothing beats

having somebody on

the ground for any

site survey. ”


W hat a great day to be alive, punching holes in the sky!

For the past year, every day has been different. One day, we're rebuilding a satellite truck. The next, we're getting a flypack ready for HD encoding. Another day we're getting an uplink flyaway ready for the Caribbean. The next, I'm recording on a dozen tape decks and hard drives I set up in a moving van. Every day is different, every job is different, and every client is different. What an amazing time to be working in this industry! Of course, this leads to some exhausting days. I have nights where I go to bed feeling like I've been beaten up by pirates!

I am always amazed at all the new uses for technology, and the speed that everything continues to change. Google purchased “Earth Viewer” in 2004 from Keyhole, Inc. They reworked the program and released it again as “Google Earth.” And a short time later, like a ripple from the original splash, www.dishpointer.com was released.

The website allows you to find line-of-site for geostationary satellites, and look for ob-structions. And if you use it in conjunction with Google Earth, you can measure cable distances for outside locations. I use Photo-shop or Paint Shop Pro to touch-up the im-ages pulled from Google Earth, and mix them together with my own images taken onsite with a US$100 digital camera.

In the site survey shown below, green represents the western edge of the visible U.S. Domestic satellite arc, and yellow the east. Pink is the cable run, blue the camera

platform, orange the stage, and blue is the student procession. Red is the location of the satellite uplink truck.

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, another ripple appeared in the pond. Satbeams (www.satbeams.com) lays satellite footprints over Google maps and estimates the size of dish you will need to receive a signal. Not only that, it encourages your coop-eration and involvement to learn from your experience on the ground. Both of these web solutions worked practically “out-of-the-box,” and we haven't even seen their beta versions yet!

It's really quite remarkable, and sat-beams.com even works on a fast mobile de-vice such as the iPhone. (I have trouble get-

PU N C H I N G HO L E S IN THE SKY S A M S I N K E

Sam … the cowboy engineer

Site Surveys - the Sam Sinke method


PU N C H I N G HO L E S IN THE SKY ting it to work as well on my Blackberry.)

Just like dishpointer.com I do have to say that nothing beats having somebody on the ground for any site survey. You need a person who knows how to put a survey together, puts a measuring wheel on the ground and puts a Suunto compass or inclinometer in the air.{You can buy a Suunto Tandem from Beacon-Seek! - Ed.] But with the proper use of all of these tools, you can give yourself and your clients peace of mind for the cost of your time and some cheap (or even free) tools and soft-ware.

There has been no better time to learn new techniques and how to better use equip-ment and software than now that the econ-omy is slow.

Last December, I released an Open Source SNG Manual at sngforum.com, and have found each week I work on the manual that the law of accelerating returns is alive and well. “Where's the profit?” is replaced by “I'll give you 250+ pages about what I know if you give me back 500 pages to help me learn and prepare for the future.” I took a gamble, believing that information would come back someday. And the result has been thousands of incredible papers. In fact, I've received more white papers, brochures, contacts, and

information than I could possibly go through in my lifetime. I've been able to train satellite truck operators about how complex systems and theories work, and at the same time, set up standards as simple as “How to Over-and-Under Cable.”

I have also noticed a great trend at com-pany websites. More and more information becomes available every day. Panasonic has been a great leader in this trend, and was probably the first big company to place in-struction manuals online in PDF form so that engineers like me can download them from anywhere in the world. Even on a Sunday morning, in Bangor, Maine, I can download a sheet on how to use a Panasonic P2 card reader and have it working in a few minutes.

I know a lot of engineers who have been collecting manuals like this, and sharing them amongst colleagues. Since a 2 Terabyte hard drive costs under US$200, it's possible to keep every manual you've ever needed in your backpack. In fact, that's enough room to capture 1/10th of the Library of Congress in plain text.

As far as what engineers are sending these days, the trend for many people in the satellite industry is to go toward IP data. Video and audio can move from one place to an-

“ There has been

no better time to

learn new

techniques ... than

now that the

economy is slow.”

“ If somebody

cared enough to

publish such a

thing, the least you

can do is read it!”


“ We don't care

how you get the

video to us. Just be

ready to work when

we call.”

other as IP data, just as easily as it can get there in a real-time satellite feed. While cover-ing a story for CNN a while back, they didn't use the truck to feed video. Instead, they fed video via laptop and an cellular modem card and only used the satellite truck to go live. The only downside is that only CNN received the video. And maybe that's the point? I guess it's not my job to know those things right now.

However, if I am to consult a colleague or friend that if the trend is toward data rather than video, should I suggest to everyone who asks for my opinion that they should be invest-ing in that option? Absolutely not. Determine the needs, then determine the wants, and fig-ure out what you have for a budget. Never throw away your old equipment, just find a way to store it safely until you need it. In fact, if you are called out to do a feed for one of the net-works, I've been told by several people, “We don't care how you get the video to us. Just be ready to work when we call you.” And they add politely, “Don't call us. We'll call you.”

When I think back to all the crazy things that have happened and what I've learned over the past year, after leaving the comforts of my own satellite truck and putting myself in the uncomfortable position of doing whatever that day's client needed of me,

I have found myself pulling my hair out in Boston and New York, learning how to deal with government red tape. I learned how to repair fiberglass and aluminum, learned how to re-build old antenna systems, pulled racks of equipment out and rebuilt systems from the ground up based on what a client wanted for the next ten years, for the next week, or even for one job.

I have actually found myself saying (to my-self), “That sounds impossible...” and then, “but I've got some time to figure it out.” If you can dream it, and you have enough money, there are engineers out here who can make it work for you. So I encourage clients to “Dream big... and bring your checkbook.” Even though the reality is the checkbook isn't as full as it used to be, no matter who your client is, or where they are in the world.

If there's one plea I'd like to make to the readers today, it's to do everything you can to get involved. Never stop learning and exploring about what you can do with what you have, and what you can do with a budget.

Contact equipment designers, get involved

in forums, and take any downtime to get to reading all of the information satellite compa-nies, engineers, and satellite groups are getting involved in before it gets busy again and you no longer have the time. And if there's one thing I've learned about people... as lately as this week... it's that you are good at something. pursue it, even if it's just a hobby right now.

I'll give you a good example. While covering the Governor Janklow trial in South Dakota, the cameraman, reporter, and I struck up a conver-sation and ended up going to dinner with Jank-low's friend and spokesperson (and legal coun-sel) Marc Tobias. He's a fascinating fellow. He lived all over, has a law degree and is well versed on a variety of subjects, and spoke pas-sionately about his hobbies. One hobby, as it turns out, is picking locks.

While sitting in the local bookstore, I picked up the latest copy of “Wired” magazine to find a long spread on Marc in the middle of the magazine. It turns out he has proven in inde-pendent tests that he can pick the Medeco3 locks, called “high security” and “uncrackable” by the company that makes them. What oc-curred to me while sitting and reading about this guy I had dinner with a few times in Sioux Falls, is that people like this are everywhere, and aren't just the figments of overactive imagi-nations of movie writers in Hollywood.

When we find people following their pas-sions in this industry, we find former NASA en-gineers offering their ideas and white papers at www.techbriefs.com and engineers like the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group adding more tools to their site www.suirg.org.

When you read Line Of Sight, go to its web-site (www.beaconseek.com) as well as the web-sites of current and former advertisers and read about their products. Some have started publishing white papers describing in fine de-tails theories of antenna, amplifier, and other equipment design. If somebody cared enough to publish such a thing, the least you can do is read it!

Thanks for reading all these articles, includ-ing mine. In the economic downtimes like these, it means a lot to all of us who struggle to write it all down. ◙ Sam Sinke is a freelance satellite engineer from the U.S. mid west. He can be reached at [email protected]

PU N C H I N G HO L E S IN THE SKY

The Definitive Books on Satellite

Newsgathering -

Available from BeaconSeek & Amazon


F ibre-optic connectivity between the camera and the truck has been around for almost

15 years now. In the beginning, there was only Telecast and their Viper system.

Around ten years ago, someone came up with a brilliant idea for a camera back-mounted system that led to the development of their CopperHead system, a widely-used fiber optic multiplexing system that fits on the back of a digital or analogue camera. It provides all the signals needed for a “live” spot, and fibre-optic delivers the high quality and reliability

Other manufacturers have brought out com-peting products to Telecast’s, and the most recent is Studio Technologies with Live-Link

Designed to handle news, sports, and other day-to-day remote interfacing needs with ease, the Live-Link remote camera interface system offers a comprehensive fiber-optic-connected solution for transporting video, audio, intercom, and data between a remote camera location and a truck or control room.

The point-to-point system is comprised of a portable Camera End Unit and either a portable or rack-mounted Control Room Unit. The units interconnect using two strands of single-mode fiber-optic cable and allow a maximum distance of 10 km.

The system provides full support for digital and analog video, on-air and cue audio, 2-channel intercom, 10/100 Ethernet, RS-232/RS-422 async data, and GPI/GPO.

An intuitive connector layout, clear labeling, and numerous status indicators ensure speedy setup. Featuring the rugged Neutrik’s optical-CON DUO fiber-optic connector, Live-Link is another convenient way of connecting a pro-duction camera crew to an ENG or OB van, SNG vehicle, or production trailer. ◙

N O -N O N S E N S E T H R O W - D O W N U N I T

Live-Link throwdown box

visit slingpath.com

RO CK W E L L AC Q U I R E S SWE-DISH

“ ... to fully meet

worldwide satellite

operator

requirements ...

without the need to

employ spread

spectrum

modulation to

overcome antenna

deficiencies.”


visit slingpath.com

SWE-DISH LAU N C H E S SOTM TE RM I NA L

SWE-DISH Experimental Vehicle

and support network that crosses 27 countries. Rockwell Collins obviously see that

DataPath’s mobile multi-band satellite terminals and network integration expertise is a valuable addition to their company portfolio. However, one is left with the impression that SWE-DISH is leaving the broadcast market further and further behind, with its parent preferring it to focus even more on the lucrative government, military, and homeland defence markets. ◙

I n June 2009, Rockwell Collins completed the acquisition of DataPath which includes SWE-

DISH Satellite Systems AB. Rockwell Collins bought DataPath in a cash

transaction for approximately US$130 million. DataPath bought SWE-DISH in 2007, but SWE-DISH will now operate under the Rockwell Collins brand.

Rockwell Collins expertise is in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communi-cations, information management and simula-tion and training is delivered by a global service

I n February 2009 SWE-DISH Satellite Systems announced a new SATCOM on-the-move ter-

minal (SOTM), the result of a successful inte-gration of the technologies of SWE-DISH satel-lite terminals and Saab stabilized platforms for military applications.

The SWE-DISH SOTM terminal is designed for both land and marine applications with close to worldwide coverage, and access to almost any commercial Ku-band satellite in service today for up to 10 Mbps broadband communications - a significantly higher data rate than competitors.

The SOTM terminal from SWE-DISH and Saab is designed to provide an easy-to-use broadband on-the-move sat-comm capability with very high performance and accuracy.

It is truly interoperable with legacy systems due to fully meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and worldwide satellite op-erator requirements in legacy transmission modes, such as Single Carrier Per Channel (SCPC) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), without the need to employ excess bandwidth and spread-spectrum modulation to overcome antenna deficiencies.

For the foreseeable future, operation within common infrastructure (i.e. not using spread-spectrum) is essential for networking with thou-sands of existing legacy terminals deployed worldwide.

The unique Saab navigation and steering system is autonomous from the satellite link and maintains pointing during signal blocking so reacquisition is instantaneous when line of sight is re-established. The four-axis mount ensures accurate pointing on land or sea from the Poles to the Equator.

Due to use of high-strength, lightweight components such as carbon fibre, the platform has a low mass and can easily be mounted on any vehicle or vessel.

The terminal balances cost, performance and profile to be an effective solution for all platforms requiring streaming video, video con-ferencing,, file transfer protocol, and battlefield management — all while on the move.

In May 2006 the pre-series demonstration unit was presented. Now, less than two years

later, the platform is ready for delivery. Both SWE-DISH and Saab have developed

and tested the terminal in a wide range of cir-cumstances and tough situations. The SATCOM on-the-move terminal is well suited for highly maneuverable, high-speed platforms such as off-road vehicles, smaller inshore boats, and medium-size coastal ships.

There is an often passing interest in the application of SOTM for SNG, particularly for battlefield coverage (remember the Bloomobile during the 2003 Iraq War?). But both this sys-tem and that manufactured by General Dynam-ics has a hefty price-tag. While aimed at - and therefore priced for - military markets, this in-terest for the time being remains cursory - but you never know when it might be needed and used.

Just watch, one of these days ... ◙

“ … users will

get a guaranteed

streaming rate of at

least 384kbps; they

may even achieve

speeds up to around

450kbps.”


I nmarsat has launched its long awaited BGAN X-Stream on-demand streaming service that

promises data rates from 384kbps to a maxi-mum of around 450kbps.

BGAN X-Stream is Inmarsat’s premium IP streaming service, offering an increase of at least 50% on the previous maximum streaming rates. These new rates were what was promised when BGAN was introduced in 2006. It follows the introduction of the Thuraya’s IP streaming service in late 2008.

BGAN X-Stream became available to Europe, the Middle East and Africa during April 2009 and in the rest of the world in mid-June.

Al Jazeera English was the first media or-ganisation to use BGAN X-Stream to broadcast live video covering military developments in Pakistan in early May.

BGAN X-Stream is accessible with all BGAN Class 1 terminals - Thrane & Thrane Explorer 700 or Hughes HNS 9201 - without the need for any additional hardware. These BGAN termi-nals sell for between US$3000—5000.

Airtime rates are typically in the region of US$20 per minute, so streaming live events could potentially be every expensive - but fine for two minute ‘live’ updates from a breaking story.

The BGAN IP terminal is entirely controlled through a laptop running Inmarsat’s

IN M A R S A T LAU N C H E S BGAN-X ST R E A M

BGAN terminal highlighted in red

‘LaunchPad’ application or via its in-built web browser. A LaunchPad upgrade is available to access the service, or an updated version of the web interface is available with these termi-

“ … concerns in

the user community

about the

withdrawal of

support for older

equipment which is

still perfectly

serviceable.”


visit slingpath.com

IN M A R S A T BGAN X-ST R E A M

T andberg has launched the EN8040, its sec-ond-generation MPEG-4 AVC SD/HD DSNG

encoder. Building upon the success of the EN5940

MPEG-4 AVC encoder/modulator, the EN8040 provides a multi-format encoding platform com-bined with an advanced satellite modulator.

This combination provides first-class picture quality at the lowest bit-rates and transponder bandwidth, with new improved lower latency.

For flexibility, the EN8040 can offer MPEG-2 SD, MPEG-4 AVC SD and MPEG-4 AVC HD video encoding.

The MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoders can be used simultaneously and support low la-tency modes for delay critical applications. BISS, RAS, DVB-S2 QPSK, and 8PSK/16APSK are all license key-enabled options.

Hardware options include a COFDM modula-tor, Gigabit Ethernet card and advanced audio option card.

Most customers can upgrade their existing DSNG equipment (either E574x or E578x prod-ucts) to EN8040.

Meanwhile, with many Tandberg encoders still going after over a decade, there are concerns in the user community about the withdrawal of support for older equipment

NE W TA N D B E RG UN I T S which is still perfectly serviceable.

On the IRD (Integrated Receiver Decoder). front, with the ever-widening spread of facilities and capabilities required in MPEG decoding, Tandberg have launched the RX8200 IRD.

Broadcasters' requirements for differing equipment configurations and the many and varied ways in which receivers are used are driving the need for flexible receiver platforms with an à la carte option list.

The RX8200 Advanced Modular Receiver has been designed to meet these require-ments. By allowing each RX8200 to be config-ured and tailored to the user’s precise needs, a good balance of functionality and cost can be achieved, resulting in a unit with all the re-quired features without the additional expense of superfluous connectivity or functionality.

The RX8200 builds on the success and knowledge of previous generations of products to ensure an high level of quality and reliability.

The RX8200 can be tailored for standard definition or high definition uses with MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 AVC decoder technology, whilst con-nectivity to the receiver is achieved with DVB-S2 satellite, IP and ASI options. ◙

A t NAB Telairity announced the launch of the Series 9000, a new line of SD MPEG-4 AVC

encoders offering unequalled video quality at bit rates as low as 500kbps.

The new encoders complements Telairity’s current Series 8000 line of HD AVC encoders as well as its Series 7000 line of SD AVC encoders.

Significant computing power is at the centre of the Series 9000 video compression - four Telairity 50 Gigaops TVP2000 video processors per SD channel. Telairity, with their background as a U.S semiconductor manufacturer, produce their own vector DSP multicore chips.

Series 9000 systems also include new fea-tures to support IPTV usage where low bit rates are of particular interest. Interface options in-clude both composite and component inputs with IP-only output.

TE L A I R I T Y EX PA N D S RA N G E In addition to an MPEG-2 transport output

stream, Series 9000 users may select a native RTP/UDP stream. Forward error correction (CoP 3 FEC) is also available in these systems.

New utility programs allow conversion of the Telairity Series 9000 SD Encoders output trans-port stream to popular program formats like .MOV for file capture and video editing.

Three Series 9000 models are available immediately: the BE9100, the BE9200, and the BE9400, featuring one, two, and four channels respectively, each in a 1RU chassis.

Also new will be the auto-switching BE8500 Single Channel MPEG-4 AVC SD/HD Encoder, again 1 RU, a development from their BE7100 and 8100 series encoders, due for launch in time for IBC in September. ◙

nals. Whether the service is accessed via a BGAN

LaunchPad upgrade or by using an updated version of the web interface available with the terminals, users will get a guaranteed stream-ing rate of at least 384kbps; they may even achieve speeds up to around 450kbps.

Users performing a firmware upgrade of their terminal will be able to see exactly what speeds are achieved per session.

BGAN has now reached a level of maturity that, through use of MPEG-4 AVC, makes it a very viable means of delivering live video. ◙

HA R M O N I C BU Y S SC O P U S


bit 4:2:2 MPEG-4 AVC encoder at NAB. ATEME claim that with their 10-bit 4:2:2

MPEG-4 AVC solution, a signal that requires 50—60Mbps with MPEG-2 HD can be com-pressed to just 30Mbps. In addition, they claim that it offers greater bandwidth efficiency com-pared to operating at the same data rate but with 8 bit sampling. The CM4101 allows up-gradeability from 4:2:0 SD up to 4:2:0/4:2:2 SD/HD with a license key.

ATEME is relatively new to the ENG/SNG scene, having established itself in the IPTV and telecom sectors. Active in both software and hardware development, they co-developed the Nero Digital MPEG-4 compression technology with Nero AG of Germany. ◙

ATEME AN N O U N C E S MPEG-4 4:2 :2 10-BI T EN C O D E R

The Only Books on

Satellite Newsgathering

H armonic has purchased Scopus for about US$51 million, after openly looking to

secure a stronger footing in the contribution segment to be able to compete more effectively with Tandberg.

Despite there being some apparent overlap in product ranges, Harmonic is confident that the product ranges will complement rather than

conflict. Scopus had been for sale for a while. Last

year Optibase, which already held a share of Scopus, was prepared to increase its stake.

Subsequently, Scopus turned around and considered buying Optibase, but the deal fell through. ◙

F rench manufacturer ATEME has announced the world's first 10-bit 4:2:2 H.264 AVC

solution with its Kyrion CM4101 encoder. ATEME's 10-bit codec solution was demon-

strated at NAB using ATEME's Kyrion CM4101 encoder and the ATEME DR8400 decoder pair.

As the world’s first H.264 4:2:2 10-bit en-coder supporting from Main to High 4:2:2 pro-file, the CM4101 is designed for contribution and distribution markets where premium qual-ity and performance are more important than ever.

The development of 4:2:2 MPEG-4 has is being actively pursued by a number of manu-facturers, including the current sector leaders Tandberg and Fujitsu. Fujitsu announced an 8-

BeaconSeek Ltd. Hithermailes,

212 Mancroft Road, Aley Green, Luton, Beds, LU1 4DR

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1582 842 717 Fax: +44 (0)1582 849 013

Email: [email protected] Web: beaconseek.com

Editor: Jonathan Higgins

Advertising rates available on request

Line Of Sight is a free newsletter

published electronically


Web Index of Organizations Mentioned

Advent adventcomms.com ATEME ateme.com BeaconSeek beaconseek.com C-Com c-comsat.com Cisco cisco.com CPI cpii.com/satcom DataPath datapath.com Dishpointer dishpointer.com Eutelsat eutelsat.com GigaSat gigasat.com Inmarsat inmarsat.com Intelsat intelsat.com Hughes Network Systems hughes.com

Basic SNG Operations Course

Putteridge Bury Conference Centre University of Bedfordshire

Luton, UK

13-15 October 2009

Principal Tutor - Jonathan Higgins Only 6 participants

£1250 inc. VAT

Every student receives a Suunto Tandem Compass/Clinometer and “Introduction to SNG & ENG Microwave” book

NEW EDITION NOW OUT

BUY ONLINE

Motosat motosat.com Peter Baker Group pbgbroadcasting.com Rockwell Collins rockwellcollins.com Satbeams satbeams.com Sat-Comm sat-comm.com Scopus scopus.net Sematron sematron.com SES New Skies ses-newskies.com SISLive sislive.tv SlingPath slingpath.com SNG Forum sngforum.com Space Systems/Loral ssloral.com Studio Technologies studio-tech.com SUIRG suirg.org SWE-DISH swe-dish.com Tandberg tandbergtv.com Telairity telairity.com Telecast telecast-fiber.com Thrane & Thrane thrane.com Thuraya thuraya.com TVZ tvz.tv Xicom xicom.com

line of sight - spring 2009 (i14) - beaconseek

Documents