SRG SSR moves towards MPEG-4

Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) will soon begin migrating its satellite transmission from MPEG-2 compression to MPEG-4 HD 4:2:2 advanced compression with the installation of equipment and service designed by Adtec Digital.

The purpose of the change is to conserve satellite bandwidth and to work in tandem with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) resolve to move to HD, effective February 2012.

The Adtec devices to be incorporated into SRG SSR include EN-81 multi-CODEC Encoder/Modulators and RD-60 multi-CODEC IRDs. According to SRG SSR systems engineer of technical operations, during testing “the Adtec devices provided the ultimate stability among all units in the test.” Additionally, “Adtec’s prices were lower than their competitors.” The SRG SSR systems engineer also states that evaluating known brands seemed important at first, providing a “feeling of security,” but that quickly changed after the unsuccessful tests. “Big names became less important,” he says. “It’s ultimately about quality.”

“The decision from SRG SSR to choose Adtec definitely sets standards in Switzerland and surrounding areas,” says Hansgeorg Lichte, Director of Business Development for Adtec Europe. “Due to Adtec’s perfect interoperability, SRG SSR can now exchange content not only from within in the country, but also from anywhere else – in any format, any CODEC, any color space.”

The EN-81 is designed especially for Tier 1 satellite, ASI/fibre and IP contribution, and DSNG applications. It offers HD and SD MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoding and boasts 16 channels of audio. The RD60 is a multi-CODEC low and normal delay MPEG 2 and MPEG 4 AVC/H.264 high definition IRD. It is interoperable with other encoders making it ideal for mission critical trunking, ad-hoc OB, DSNG and teleport applications.