The West German broadcasting company (Westdeutscher Rundfunk – WDR) in Cologne is using an IPTV encoder and decoder from Teracue to integrate live panorama images into its broadcast process.
The WDR has installed a remote controlled camera in a weatherproof housing on a high-rise building on the eastern side of the Rhine river in Köln Deutz – opposite of the Cologne Cathedral. The camera can be directed at the cathedral city and the Rhine river depending on the production requirements and provides the live panorama image of the city of Cologne.
The camera signal is encoded using the Teracue Encoder and is sent to the WDR main broadcast facilities by network as an IPTV stream. The data stream is received and decoded in the production facility by using the Teracue Decoder DEC-200. The Decoder provides an SDI signal again at the output which is then fed into the central broadcast contribution infrastructure and is thus available in all studios and master control stations.
The main decision in favour of the IPTV broadcast contribution using Teracue devices was among other things based on the low delay of the encoder/decoder units. It was just as essential to use robust products which could stand rough weather conditions. Thanks to its compact structure and fanless operation the Teracue Encoder and Decoder are superbly suited to this 24/7 use.
