GatesAir Unveils IBC 2017 Lineup

GatesAir has announced that IBC 2017 will provide the international debut for its Maxiva ULXTE transmitter.

The innovations increase overall system efficiency as well as increasing power levels by up to 20%.

The Maxiva ULXTE is the company's new family of liquid-cooled, IP-enabled UHF TV transmitters. Introduced at the NAB Show in April, the ULXTE boasts RF performance and the ability to reduce costs associated with operational expense and maintenance.

It incorporates the latest LDMOS RF devices, which are responsible for the efficiency and power gains. GatesAir has raised overall ULXTE transmitter efficiency up to 45% and improved transmitter power by 20%. The latter offers an operational benefit by enabling broadcasters to get more power out of a smaller transmitter, therefore improving cost per watt.

The ULXTE integrates GatesAir's latest-generation Maxiva XTE exciter. Featuring a software-defined modulator, the XTE includes native IP inputs and eliminates the need to retrofit transmitters with additional gear to enable network connectivity for DVB-T2, DVB-T2 Lite, DVB-T, ISDB-T, ATSC 3.0 and other standards, giving broadcasters an out-of-the-box solution to simplify the input and output of multimedia services via a local or wide-area IP network. The XTE-driven modulation reduces costs and power consumption by lowering DC power requirements at the amplification stage, while improving signal quality parameters.

The transmitter has a lightweight footprint and the minimal array of power blocks inside the unit also reduce overall size and weight of the transmitter while improving efficiency and power density per square meter. Simplified labor extends to the layered, redundant control architecture. As each block offers a completely independent power source, the transmitter remains on the air at near full power should any single power supply or PA module be removed.

On the RF performance side, GatesAir's RTAC (real-time adaptive correction) software strengthens signal correction at the amplification stage to optimise performance and regulatory compliance. RTAC software adjusts modulation error ratio (MER) and shoulder levels to optimise performance. These adjustments minimise unwanted RF above and below the channel that affect signal integrity, and reduce non-linear distortions and artifacts that come with poor MER and shoulder performance.

Rich Redmond, Chief Product Officer, GatesAir, said: "The ULXTE brings the exceptional RF performance and signal strength and quality to broadcasters who want the additional cost-savings that liquid-cooling offers inside the RF plant, particularly in climates that would require very high cooling loads for air-cooled transmitters. These enhancements, along with a reduced burden in system maintenance and monitoring, further enhance reliability and lower total cost of ownership across large transmitter networks."

www.gatesair.com