Significant strides forward have been made since the announcement at IBC in September 2011 of the introduction of Carrier ID in advance of the London 2012 Olympic Games in order to assure quality DVB satellite transmissions of the world’s most-watched sporting event, expected to generate over 2,000 hours of satellite coverage.
Satellite operators, led by Eutelsat, Intelsat and SES whose combined orbital assets represent almost 60% of global commercial satellite capacity, have completed the process of adapting their earth station information tables to include Carrier ID information so they can read, extract and interpret data
Carrier ID is a stamp on uplink signals that will enable satellite operators to more efficiently identify transmissions to their satellites and thereby accelerate coordination with earth station operators in the event of signal interference.
Quality assurance of DVB satellite transmissions has engaged the satellite community at large, including satellite operators, encoder and modulator manufacturers, broadcasters and uplink providers. The effort is also supported by three international associations: the World Broadcasting Unions-International Satellite Operations Group (WBU-ISOG), the GVF (Global VSAT Forum) and sIRG (satellite Interference Reduction Group).
Satellite operators, led by Eutelsat, Intelsat and SES whose combined orbital assets represent almost 60% of global commercial satellite capacity, have completed the process of adapting their earth station information tables to include Carrier ID information so they can read, extract and interpret data.
Modulator and encoder manufacturers, accounting for the vast majority of satellite transmission equipment used by broadcasters and service providers, have developed new models and system upgrades for Carrier ID use. They include Adtec Digital, Comtech EF Data, Ericsson, Fujitsu, IDC, Newtec and Vislink. Leading broadcasters, agencies and service providers have also updated their systems to be Carrier ID ready.
In a joint statement on this collective initiative David Bair, CTO of Eutelsat, Thierry Guillemin, CTO of Intelsat, and Stewart Sanders, SVP, Customer Service Delivery at SES, said: “This is the first phase of a long-term collaborative undertaking to implement Carrier ID in order to further raise the bar of quality to our broadcast customers. It underscores our constant quest to improve technologies and procedures to deliver the highest standards of service.”
Martin Coleman, executive director of the satellite Interference Reduction Group, David Hartshorn, Secretary General of the Global VSAT Forum, and Dick Tauber, Chairman of WBU-ISOG and VP Transmission Systems and New Technology at the CNN News Group, said: “The satellite communications and broadcasting industries are to be commended for this breakthrough. Never before have broadcasters, satellite operators, uplinkers, and manufacturers collaborated to implement an initiative with the sole objective of improving the quality of satellite television services for millions of viewers.”
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