WGCL-TV, the CBS affiliate serving Atlanta, GA, has purchased a new Thomson Mobile DTV transmission system based on the ATSC A/153 standard.
WGCL-TV contracted Thomson Broadcast to deliver, integrate and commission the fully redundant Mobile DTV package, which was put online in September 2010 in an upgrade to the station's existing digital TV transmitter.
The basic equipment needed to begin broadcasting mobile video services via ATSC Mobile DTV includes a program encoder, a multiplexer and an Electronic Service Guide (ESG) server, as well as a compatible DTV transmission exciter. Each of these devices is now available from Thomson in field-tested production models.
WGCL-TV currently operates a two-tube Thomson DCX Millennium transmitter that already incorporates Thomson ADAPT-IV 8-VSB exciters. Thomson Broadcast simply upgraded these exciters with new software for compatibility with the A/153 standard. The ADAPT-IV exciters provide the post-processing of the mobile DTV signal for maximum reception performance and simultaneous ATSC terrestrial and mobile DTV operation.
