Sweden’s Teracom utilising Thomson Video Networks technology
Teracom, a leading Swedish provider of technical infrastructure and network solutions for media distribution and communications, is using Thomson Video Networks’ ViBE VS7000 video system, NetProcessor 9030/40 multiplexer, and Sapphire MPEG stream server to demonstrate a complete transmission chain for DVB-T2 delivery of HEVC-encoded video.
To enable delivery of Ultra HD content that significantly improves the home viewing experience, Teracom has combined its DVB-T2 transmission capability with the HEVC compression efficiency enabled by the ViBE VS7000 and the DVB-T2 gateway processing provided by the NetProcessor multiplexer.
“By deploying state-of-the-art technology on our infrastructure to enable DVB-T2 transmission of HEVC-encoded Ultra HD content, we are demonstrating that we are capable of offering our customers the highest quality viewing experience,” said Håkan Axén, product manager at Teracom Group. “Thomson Video Networks products enable us to leverage HEVC to realize compression efficiencies of up to 50 percent, which in turn makes it possible to broadcast Ultra HD services to the home.”
Teracom’s end-to-end Ultra HD delivery model begins with Thomson Video Networks’ ViBE VS7000, an “anything in, anything out” encoding/transcoding platform powered by Thomson’s MediaFlex video operating system. The ViBE VS7000’s file transcoding capabilities enable output of Ultra HD/4K resolution, using either H.264 or HEVC encoding.
Thomson Video Networks’ Sapphire is used to broadcast this UHD content. Based around a complete MPEG stream server and housed in a single cost-effective unit, the Sapphire MPEG stream server provides all the functions necessary to acquire, process, brand, and generate TV channels.
Teracom is feeding the Sapphire output to the NetProcessor, which in turn encapsulates the multiplex into a DVB-T2-MI stream, providing signalisation, transmission, and synchronisation parameters to DVB-T2 modulators. By embedding the DVB-T2 gateway and inverse DVB-T2 gateway, the NetProcessor system drastically improves the overall transmission architecture while reducing equipment and potential points of failure.
“At Thomson Video Networks, we are proud to be the only provider of a DVB-T2 headend solution built solely on in-house products,” said Christophe Delahousse, president of Thomson Video Networks. “We are committed to continual innovation, and we see the complete transmission chain being demonstrated by Teracom as yet another indicator of our ongoing leadership in digital television.”