Norway’s Bridge Technologies has launched its VB252 RF interface for DVB-T/T2 monitoring. The compact chassis offers extensive RF capabilities, ETR290 analysis, and comprehensive support for DVB-T, DVB-T2, and DVB-T2 MI protocols. The modular design allows mixing of inputs to suit a variety of network configurations. Where satellite distribution to transmission sites is combined with IP distribution, DVB-T and DVB-T2 monitoring can be coupled with satellite monitoring in the same chassis using a VB270 module. High-density ASI monitoring can be combined with DVB-T/T2 monitoring by adding a VB242 module to the chassis. The combination of the VB252 with VideoBRIDGE probes such as the VB120 or VB220 lets broadcasters easily monitor the entire signal chain end-to-end, with the VB220/VB252 pairing capable of monitoring up to 260 IP multicasts for complete analysis of the IP network as well as the DVB-T/T2 transmissions. The VB220/VB252 combination is also the industry’s first monitoring tool to offer full support for DVB-T2 MI protocol with full analysis. “DVB-T2 is in its early stages but offers big advantages to broadcasters,” said Simen Frostad, chairman of Bridge Technologies. “A lot of DVB-T2 networks are currently in development, and until now, there has been no high-quality, purpose-designed monitoring solution for them.” The VB252’s advanced RF parameters, support for GPS synchronization, and dual-interface high performance give broadcasters the means to achieve long-term trending analysis with very accurate measurements over any time period, and generate analytics to support some calibration tasks – all of which greatly increase the range of in-the-field uses for the probe. The VB252 can be used to monitor the availability of main transmitters and subtransmitters, together with the availability of multiplexes, programmes, individual components, and video bandwidth (capacity) for each service in three classes. For DVB-T/T2 monitoring, probes are typically sited between the MPEG-2 multiplexer and DVB-T2 gateway; after the gateway; at the ingress to the antenna site; after the DVB-T/T2 modulator; and at any monitoring point in the fringe area. www.bridgetech.tv
