BBC Broadcast transmits first HD broadcast in Mpeg 4 to IBC

BBC Broadcast will be transmitting a specially crafted HD test channel simultaneously in Mpeg 2 and Mpeg 4 from its Broadcast Centre in West London to the RAI Exhibition and Congress Centre in Amsterdam throughout IBC2005.
The channel will be shown on BBC Broadcast's stand (3.330) as well as the following stands Eutelsat (stand 1.431), TSL (Television Systems Ltd) (stand 10.239), TANDBERG Television (stand 1.461), Tektronix (stand 9.429), Pace Micro Technology (stand 1.221) and Omneon Video Networks (stand 8.260).
Chris Howe, BBC Broadcast's CTO, said: "Together with its suppliers and partners, BBC Broadcast offers an end to end HD service to clients in the UK and Europe. We are demonstrating the latest technologies in HD, such as state of the art playout equipment, compression formats and satellite encoders and receivers, illustrating the future of broadcast television."
The test channel will be broadcast using the Eutelsat EUROBIRD 1 satellite and will include a selection of sport, drama, arts, nature and current affairs programmes, demonstrating the benefits HD offers for a number of genres.
The transmission from the Broadcast Centre to IBC is made possible with help from systems integrator TSL, and the following equipment manufacturers: Axon, Miranda, Omnibus, Pro-bel, Snell & Wilcox, Trilogy, JVC, Omneon, Pixel Power, Screen Subtitling Systems, Tektronix, and Vistek.
TANDBERG Television supplied Mpeg 2 and Mpeg 4 AVC HD encoders and professional recievers, with connectivity and uplink being provided by Siemens.
Eutelsat provided a full transponder on EUROBIRD 1, and Mpeg 4 HD receivers were supplied by Pace Micro Technology (DS810) and Eldon Technology (1.465).
"Eutelsat is delighted to host on our EUROBIRD 1 satellite the BBC Broadcast's HD TV test throughout IBC 2005. This gives Eutelsat the opportunity to reaffirm that HDTV is incontestably an important vector for growth for all players in the video chain, including production companies, electronics manufacturers, content producers, broadcasters and operators such as Eutelsat," declared Olivier Milliès-Lacroix, Eutelsat's Commercial Director.
(SP/KMcA)