Spanish DTT provider Teledifusi_n Madrid has deployed Harmonic’s ProStream 1000 stream processing platform to power the world’s first single frequency network (SFN) broadcast transmission over an IP network. Deployed in conjunction with Telindus, the new SFN services were launched in Madrid in September, writes Fergal Ringrose.
The IP-based Harmonic solution also includes DiviCom Electra 1000 encoders and DiviTrackIP statistical multiplexing. Terrestrial broadcasters like Teledifusi_n Madrid need to transport content from local studios to a central head end, and then on to a number of remote transmitter sites, which requires precise timing for synchronised broadcasting.
Harmonic’s ProStream system eliminates the complexities previously associated with operating a SFN architecture over IP, and provides significant cost savings in terms of both capital and operating expenditures. At Teledifusi_n Madrid, the Electra encoders are used to transmit content from the studios to the central head end, where the ProStream 1000 aggregates the services into DVB-T transports, which are then distributed over IP to the various transmitter sites and received by local ProStream 1000 systems.
“Harmonic brings a whole new approach to SFN transmission with this new IP-based solution,” said Fernando Ruano, CEO of Teledifusi_n Madrid. “Harmonic’s compression and stream processing solutions, which include native IP and SFN support, are making it possible for us to incorporate a more flexible and efficient infrastructure and deliver the highest quality video to consumers. The ProStream 1000 allows Teledifusi_n Madrid to dramatically lower our costs while also providing a reliable and accurate system for our broadcast services.”
