[LINK] ABC 'major digital TV rollout'

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Australian Free DTH Service to Use Ericsson Gear

Free-to-air digital TV service will serve rural areas

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/10/2010 7:38:16 PM

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has inked a five year deal 
with Ericsson to supply a variety of head-end equipment for a free to air 
satellite service that is being created to provide rural homes with 
digital TV signals after the country makes the analog switch over. 

The government is currently planning to end all analog broadcasts by the 
end of 2013, with the transition being done in phases. 

The free satellite service, which is being funded by the Australian 
government, will serve about 247,000 Australians who live in so-
called "digital black spots" that are unable to receive digital signals 
with TV antennas. 

Programming will include both standard definition and high def fare from 
the commercial and public broadcasters. 

The system will use a variety of Ericsson head-end equipment, including 
bandwidth-saving MPEG-4 AVC EN8190 HD and EN8130 SD encoders. Deployment 
of the Ericsson equipment is slated to begin in December of 2010. 

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/456941-
Australian_Free_DTH_Service_to_Use_Ericsson.php

http://www.financialmirror.com/News/Technology/21317


A new five-year deal between ABC, Australia's national broadcaster, and 
Ericsson will help hundreds of thousands of Australians living in rural 
communities who are currently unable to access the same free-to-air, high-
quality, digital TV experience as their urban counterparts. 

Thanks to Ericsson's latest satellite video compression technology, ABC 
will be able to expand the reach of its high-definition and standard-
definition digital TV programming across the country. 

As Australia undergoes the switch from analogue to digital free-to-air 
TV, the government is funding a new satellite service to provide digital 
television to viewers in remote areas where free-to-air digital TV can't 
be received by TV antennas. 

About 247,000 Australian households in these "digital black spots" will 
benefit from the initiative. 

"All Australian households watch free-to-air TV and spend almost three 
hours a day watching it on average. Since this service is central in the 
life of Australians, we value being part of digitalising it and ensuring 
that all Australians can enjoy a rich, high-quality television 
experience," said Sam Saba, head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand. 

The system uses a range of Ericsson head-end equipment including 
bandwidth-saving MPEG-4 AVC EN8190 HD and EN8130 SD encoders, Reflex 
statistical multiplexing for channel bitrate allocation and management, 
and nCompass Control and Monitoring. Managing bandwidth and maintaining 
high-quality pictures is critical in such a major digital TV rollout. 
Deployment of the technology will start in December.

--

Cheers
Stephen