New BT truck with Systembase codecs on board to be shown at IBC

Systembase C510ip audio codecs have been supplied to BT Media and Broadcast for installation in its new HD outside broadcast truck. The vehicle was recently built by MegaHertz Broadcast Systems (MHz) and will be on display at IBC in Amsterdam. The eight C510ip codecs installed provide realtime audio communications and talkback circuits for live sports coverage for a number of broadcasters including BT Sport, Sky Sports and ITV Sport.

“Systembase originally began supplying audio codecs to BT Broadcast in 1994, and we are pleased that the successful relationship has continued for over 20 years,” said Shima Varsani, sales & marketing director at Systembase.

The Mercedes Sprinter hybrid TV vehicle has the capability to deliver simultaneous satellite and fibre delivered vision. The design includes a 96-port Snell router handling a mixture of 3G and HD baseband signals, and ASI streams. Monitoring is offered via a Snell 8 way multi-viewer onto a 32″ display, and two high grade 19″ Plura monitors.

All six on-board Ericsson encoders can be used for fibre link delivery, interfacing to BT’s core media network via three 8-channel IVNP units. To provide satellite links, four of the six Ericsson encoders are equipped with DVB-S2 modulators.

The satellite transmission chain utilises two 400W TWTA HPAs which are phase combined onto a fully motorised 1.8m AVL satellite antenna. This gives a maximum possible EIRP of around 74dBW, allowing several HD carriers to be uplinked simultaneously.

High stability high and low band LNBs are provided for receive transmissions which feed an L-band router and onto multiple Ericsson IRDs. Mechanically, the vehicle is fitted with a 12kVA on-board diesel generator, diesel-fuelled heater and roof-mounted air-conditioner.

At the rear of the vehicle, permanently mounted cable drums with signal termination panels are housed. Following delivery this vehicle went straight into use by BT for multiple contract use across the summer. BT Media and Broadcast is the specialist media services enterprise of BT Group, providing media network fibre and satellite services for over 450 media clients globally