Arqiva, the communications infrastructure and media services company, has ordered 800 of dB Broadcast’s MERlin DVB-T2 monitoring receivers, which are being deployed at television relay sites throughout the UK as part of the digital switchover. The MERlin unit was designed at dB’s Cambridge development facility and is based upon the Hawkeye B104 receiver module, which has already been deployed by Arqiva throughout the UK DVB-T2 network. The new DVB-T2 standard allows much higher bitrates using the same bandwidth occupied by the original DVB-T system. This is achieved using higher order modulation and the advanced error detection and correction from DVB-S2, all of which can be monitored by the MERlin unit. MERlin monitors key signal performance parameters such as Modulation Error Ratio (MER), allowing for the early indication of signal degradation and Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) to determine the status of error correction. The unit can also monitor RF modulation parameters against programmable templates. Arqiva continues to use the Hawkeye B104 modular version of the DVB-T2 receiver for re-broadcast at main transmitter sites. Tom Swan, sales and marketing director at dB Broadcast said: “This order confirms dB Broadcast as a leading product supplier within the broadcast market as well as one of the leading system integrators. The UK DVB-T2 roll out is one of the first major DVB-T2 deployments in the world and dB Broadcast is proud to be supporting Arqiva in this significant achievement.” www.dbbroadcast.co.uk
