Harris Introduces 3 Gbps-Ready HDTV Broadcast Converter

Harris has introduced the XHD-3903 high-definition television (HDTV) converter for its NEO advanced application modular platform. The XHD-3903 is the world’s first HDTV converter available with built-in 3 Gbps 1080p 50/59.94 processing and conversion capabilities and says the XHD-3903 provides a future-proof upgrade path for HD, according to the company.

“As broadcasters continue to build out their facilities to support the increasing demands of HDTV, they’re beginning to consider 3Gbps-capable infrastructure to manage the increased bandwidth requirements and prepare for emerging standards,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications. “By adding 3Gbps capability to our router offering and now introducing the first 3Gbps HDTV converter, Harris is providing practical solutions that enable broadcasters to support HDTV today and also future-proof their facilities for migration to this emerging technology down the road.“

The XHD-3903 is available in multiple configurations, including up-, down- and cross-converters, SD/HD aspect ratio converters and dual-channel HD conversion variants.

The converter offers optional 8 AES processing for multichannel audio and features integrated Dolby decoding and encoding.

Harris introduced the XHD-3903 at the Broadcast India conference in Mumbai.