Independent system integrator dB Broadcast has won a major contract from Siemens IT Solutions and Services to supply the BBC with ongoing coding and multiplexing services. To enable the provision of these services dB will build multiple facilities, known as the centralised coding and multiplexing nodes (CCM nodes), to compress and stream BBC digital television signals. The facilities will be constructed and operational before the start of the analogue switch-off in 2008, writes Andy Stout.
Tom Swan, dB’s director of sales and marketing, said: “Some idea of the size of the project can be gleaned from the fact that it involves 270 bays of equipment. Not only are we prefabricating all the bays at dB, while building work is carried out on-site, but all the equipment involved will be fitted and tested at dB. Not many other companies have the facilities to do this.
“The project involves equipment from many companies and a large number of these will commission their equipment at dB, as well as on site, to ensure it interfaces with other systems,” concludes Swan.
As well as providing the central CCM facilities, dB is also upgrading many BBC sites around London. Over 700 of dB’s Hawkeye switching and monitoring modules will be used in the project, including 320 of the B092S and 320 modules from the B080 series. All these modules are being demonstrated at IBC.
New to this year’s IBC, the B092S continuously monitors two video signals and incorporates a 2×2 switch. The two inputs are typically main and reserve signals and the module can switch any of the inputs to the two outputs of the switch. The B080 series has been designed for continuous monitoring and switching of two ASI transport streams in a broadcast environment. The series supports MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DVB and ATSC standards.
