Harris Expands Low-Power Transmission Options for Radio Broadcasters in Europe and Beyond

Company introduces complete DAB over IP solutions, adds new low-power models to Flexiva™ FM/digital radio transmitter range

Harris Broadcast Communications comes to IBC 2012 (September 7-11, RAI Exhibition Center, Amsterdam, Stand 7.G20) with an array of new analog and digital radio transmission products ideal for international broadcasters operating large transmission networks — and seeking to reduce network costs and complexity in the process.

Harris will unveil four new low-power Flexiva™ transmitter models (50, 150, 300 and 500 W) at IBC, extending its range to accommodate analog and digital transmission network requirements. This is ideal for international broadcasters deploying multiple low-power FM transmitters across a region or country. The low-power models join a growing range that also includes several medium- and high-power options that span to from 1 to 40kW.

Harris will also introduce its range of Platinum™ VAX Compact Class transmitters, built upon the company’s PowerSmart® architecture to minimize footprint and power costs. Available in 50, 300 and 600 W models, the Platinum VAX Compact Class offers half the footprint of its predecessor at 2RU for the highest possible power density and operational efficiency. Its integrated Harris® Apex M2X™ exciter enables simple modulation changes to support Mobile TV transmission for analog and digital broadcast standards, including DVB-T, DVB-T2 and T-DMB.

Harris will also demonstrate a new electronic data interchange (EDI) solution to support IP-based distribution of radio broadcast content over multipoint DAB transmission networks. This development enables low-cost, targeted content delivery to many transmitters across large geographic regions. An EDI module distributes content from the central headend to multiple transmitters, each with a receiving EDI module built into its Apex M2X exciter. This creates the industry’s only integrated EDI interface on the market for DAB transmitters, eliminating expensive external components.

“Harris continues to innovate for analog and digital radio worldwide, offering broadcasters the lowest possible total cost of ownership for transmitters and associated gear,” said Richard Redmond, vice president of product management and strategy, Harris Broadcast Communications. “The network topology tends to be much smaller in Europe and other international regions, requiring tens to hundreds of transmitters with very targeted coverage areas. High operating efficiency and compact designs are of major significance for our customers faced with such investments.”

The company will additionally bring its recently introduced Intraplex® IP Link 100 codec for low-cost, studio-based contribution to IP networks. The codec’s Dynamic Stream Splicing option is of particular interest for DAB over IP delivery, allowing broadcasters to send many identical audio streams over the IP network for maximum signal redundancy. This offers on-air reliability traditionally associated with more expensive E1 and T1 networks.

AM, FM and other digital radio broadcasters can similarly use low-cost IP Link 100 codecs at the send and receive points of a studio-to-transmitter (STL), studio-to-studio or remote broadcast link.

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About Harris Broadcast Communications
Harris Broadcast Communications offers products, systems and services that provide interoperable workflow solutions for broadcast, cable, satellite and out-of-home networks. The Harris ONE™ solution brings together highly integrated and cost-effective products that enable advanced media workflows for emerging content delivery business models. Additional information about Harris Broadcast Communications is available at www.broadcast.harris.com.