Marin TV Employs Cobalt Digital Cross-Converter

CHAMPAIGN, ILL.—The Community Media Center of Marin (CMCM), which operates Marin TV, is handling the program playout and mixture of HD internet-streamed channels and SD channels with Cobalt Digital’s BBG-1002-UDX stand-alone cross-converter. Marin TV is the noncommercial community, educational and governmental station for Marin County, California.

CMCM plays back a mix of legacy SD programs and new HD video files from 23 different sources to four television channels; it also takes in external satellite and regional program feeds in both SD and HD. The BBG-1002-UDX system is used on the output of each channel to take the sources of mixed formats and files and play them out correctly on HD and SD channels, without black bars, stretching, squeezing or cutting of part of the picture.

The BBG-1002-UDX is capable of reading the AFD codes on the input source programs to recognize if the source has been previously converted, which allows it to apply the correct output conversion without double-converting. The system also provides audio-level management and digital frame synchronization.

CMCM invested in eight BBG-1002-UDX converters, one for each of its four HD internet channels and four SD cable TV channels.