Dallas-based station group Belo Corp. is deploying Harmonic's Electra 8000 multichannel universal encoders to deliver expanded HD and SD television services. The new solution was implemented by Heartland Video Systems (HVS), a Midwest-based systems integrator.
Belo will use Harmonic's Electra 8000 to deliver multiple HD and SD services within the ATSC broadcast stream while preserving the HD video quality. The Electra 8000 features up to four statistically multiplexed services in a single rack unit, reducing operational costs for the station group through its high density and power efficiency, while facilitating the launch of the new services, according to Belo.
"The full broadcast emission solution offered by Harmonic and HVS has enabled our stations to transition easily from their existing legacy encoding, multiplexing, and PSIP (Program and System Information Protocol) systems to the fully integrated Electra 8000 platform, which also enables new service offerings in the future, such as Mobile DTV," said Craig Harper, vice president of technology for Belo Corp.
"The Harmonic Electra 8000 provides the flexibility to fit multiple HD and SD services into the ATSC bandwidth while maintaining high-quality HD video, which opens the door for Belo to further capitalize on the bandwidth efficiencies to enable cost-effective, multiscreen content delivery," said JC Morizur, vice president, product marketing at Harmonic. "Harmonic is committed to providing operators with the most efficient high-quality broadcast platform technology, keeping them competitive on the forefront of video delivery."
The Electra 8000 encoder supports HD and SD compression, in MPEG-4 AVC and MPEG-2, as well as integrated statistical multiplexing, broadcast quality up/down-conversion and other features such as Jünger Audio's Level Magic automatic audio leveling adjustment. Belo stations, which include affiliations with ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, MyNetworkTV, and the CW, reach more than 14 percent of U.S. television households in 15 markets.
