In Broadcast - October 2016 - 76


76

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 6 - Issue 10 | October 2016

InTech

Transmission

ATSC 3.0 may have been 20 years in the making, but the efficiency
and reliability of transmitter systems has been improving
steadily, Contributing Editor Andy Stout reports...

J

ust before IBC opened its doors, medium power TUWH3000
Analogue),
implemented
the Advanced Television Systems transmitter
series
on a single rack and uses
Committee (ATSC) announced that the reaches up to 300 Wrms
two air blowers to keep its
Physical Layer transmission system for output power in only 3RU
innards cool.
the ATSC 3.0 next-generation television using high performance
Up at the high-powered
broadcasting system was approved as amplifiers with external
end of the spectrum,
a Final Standard, meaning that the fans and redundant power
the Rohde & Schwarz
long and winding process towards supplies, while the high
THU9evo UHF transmitter
implementing ATSC 3.0 in the USA is power TLWH7900 Series
represents the next level
finally nearing completion.
is billed as an evolution
of development for the
R&S THU9evo high-power
UHF transmitter
The idea is that, 20 years on from of the first WHET Series
company's
family
of
the implementation of the ATSC A/53 Transmitters of the past two
high-power
transmitters. the Maxiva UAXTE, the air-cooled
Digital Television Standard, the U.S. years. Liquid cooled, its new
As is standard in the UHF
range's
software-defined
(and other ATSC-territories) finally 2RU compact amplifiers
industry now for next modulation is billed as allowing
has a system flexible enough to feature up to three
generation products, the seamless migration to future digital
accommodate many different uses and redundant power supplies.
new transmitter comes TV standards worldwide, including
allow 4K broadcasts to run side by side
Also
implementing
with improvements in both (inevitably) the emerging ATSC 3.0
Comark Parallax
with mobile broadcasts aimed at smart Wideband
Doherty medium to high power energy efficiency and power modulation. GatesAir PowerSmart
liquid cooled, solid
devices, for instance; the Physical technology this year has
density. R&S says that the Plus architecture makes for energystate transmitter
Layer allowing for both high-capacity been Hitachi Kokusai
THU9evo delivers maximum efficient broadband amplification at
modes where picture quality is the Electric Comark, its Parallax medium energy savings even during channel low operational costs, while the latest
prime directive, and lower-capacity and high power, liquid cooled, solid changes or when adjusting the output CPU processing technology based on
where continuity of the signal is more state transmitter created a stir at power, with intelligent R&S Efficiency Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) and
important.
NAB this year. According to the Optimisation automatically providing state-of-the-art FGPAs ups the digital
As such, even though it is a European company, Parallax has the flexibility the most economical operation signal processing power and realtime
show, ATSC 3.0 compatibility was to address the needs of both large or possible for every operating scenario. adaptive correction capabilities. An
one of the main talking points among small stations. With up to 16 Power Doherty technology is unsurprisingly integrated, unified control system that
exhibitors at IBC2016, with plenty of Amplifiers stacked in a single rack the key to the new liquid-cooled eliminates the standard practice of a
equipment already lined up to meet cabinet, it delivers an industry best transmitter's improved efficiency: up separate user interface for the exciter
the expected 20 different standards of up to 27.5kW, and crucially power to 40% for COFDM standards and up to and transmitter.
that will make up the completed suite.
levels can be scaled higher with 43% for ATSC. The result is a reduction
Talking of all things IP, Nautel
It wasn't the only technical story multiple cabinets (up to 100kW TPO) in energy consumption, (which in turn participated in IBC's first-ever
though. Energy efficiency is, of course, or scaled back to as few as 3 x 2kW lowers network operator costs), the demonstration of the groundbreaking
one of the prime movers in the amplifiers for 5.4kW output power. transmitter delivering output powers composite FM Codec µMPX in
transmission space at the moment, The Amplifiers utilise the latest from 1.5 kW to 96.5 kW for
conjunction with The Telos
and Spain's Egatel was one of the Asymmetric
broadband
Doherty COFDM and from 1.65 kW
Alliance. This has been
companies at IBC waving the flag for LDMOS FET devices, which not only to 106 kW for ATSC. At 17.4
designed
to
transport
increased efficiency while maintaining provide broadband high efficient kW (COFDM) and 19 kW
high-quality
multiplexed
minimum rack space. Wideband operation, but also have the benefit of (ATSC) per rack, Rohde &
FM signals over a relatively
Doherty technology has been rolled providing the equivalent output power Schwarz claims it offers the
small 320kbps data pipe,
out to TV transmitters and
in ATSC 1.0 (8VSB) and highest power density on
meaning that the signal
gap fillers in both low and
ATSC 3.0 (OFDM).
the market.
can be economically routed
medium power categories
An
increasingly
Without doubt one of the
from an audio processor,
in its range, and in the
important
differentiator main industry trends on
over IP, and directly into an
low power field its new
amongst
manufacturers show beyond transmitters
exciter.
TUWH1000 and RUWH1000
is reliability and Itelco- at IBC2016 was the move
Innovation
continues
families are both compact
Electrosys is one of towards IP, with both
throughout the sector.
modules
which
reach
those that has been more standards bodies-driven and
Teamcast introduced a
output powers up to 125
than willing to back its manufacturer-led solutions
multi-standard version of
Wrms in a single rack unit.
own technology with the jockeying for attention. It's a
its Twister Digital TV exciter
Supporting all digital
introduction over the slightly confused picture at
at the show. Designed as
standards
(DVB-T/T2,
summer of a five-year the moment, but there is no
a ready-to-use 1RU rack
ATSC (3.0 ready), ISDBwarranty for its medium doubt that IP in one flavour
modulator/exciter to be
Tb) they have been
powered Thalna air-cooled or another is the future,
integrated inside new and
especially developed for
transmitter. The line is able and GatesAir's IP-native
existing TV transmitter
filling in coverage gaps
to deliver from 600W up air-cooled
transmitter
systems, Twister offers
Egatel's TLWH7900
GatesAir's new users a Digital Adaptive
in challenging and space- is an evolution of this
to 2.4kWrms in DVB.T/H range was seeking to
Maxiva range is
critical situations. The TLWH7800 series unit standard (up to 6kWps be part of it. Dubbed
touted as IP-native Pre-correction
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/product/thu9-productstartpage_63493-11260.html http://www.comarktv.com/products/dtv-transmitters/high-power-solid-state/ https://youtu.be/2wahURzicec http://www.egatel.es/
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