Leitch Pitching HD to Fans in United States, Japan

The Leitch X75 HD multipath converter-synchronizer is enabling Portland, Ore.-based Mira Mobile Television to deliver HD broadcasts of some Seattle Mariners games this season to fans throughout the northwestern United States and Japan. The X75HD is used onboard Mira's new M-5 HD mobile unit, which provides coverage of Mariners' games for the FSN Northwest channel.

Providing up/down/cross conversion, HD frame sync, video and audio processing capabilities, and automatic input-select to the HD output format in a 1RU package, the synchronizer allows the transmission of multiple program feeds in various HD and SD formats from a single mobile unit. For example, during a typical game, the M-5 unit can produce six video program feeds (including 720p) for FSN Northwest; 1080i for visiting team carriers; SD SDI and SD analog for digital cable customers and other viewers in the northwestern U.S; an SD SDI clean feed for Major League Baseball's pay-per-view programming; and, finally, 1080i clean and dirty feeds for NHK in Japan.

Mira also uses the X75HD in its 53-foot mobile unit to pull in HD feeds from other mobile units, when necessary, and to convert four channels of analog audio to AES to be delayed and later multiplexed for transmission.