Monitoring of DVB-T and DVB-T2 Broadcast Signals

"Our new VB252 gives operators an easy-to-use tool that provides a continuous view of the signal from input to distribution, enabling them to quickly detect and correct transmission errors before they reach viewers," said Jeff Briden, vice president of product management and customer satisfaction at Sencore. "By providing a view of the signal that isn't available just by using a receiver, the VB252 can help reduce operational costs and improve the end-customer experience."

With its standard DVB-T and DVB-T2 tuners, the VB252 offers full support for receiving and measuring both types of signals. In fact, the VB252 is the first system monitoring product of its type to support the emerging DVB-T2 standard, which is replacing the existing DVT-T infrastructure in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, parts of Asia, and parts of South America. DVB-T2 allows signal distribution to transmitter sites via IP in addition to synchronous distribution methods like satellite.

The VB252 is available as a blade that fits into a Sencore VB200 chassis and is controlled by either the VB220 or VB120 probe. These components, working in tandem with other blades and probes that make up a complete VideoBridge monitoring system, enable operators to gain a unique insight into their video delivery systems from ingest to the end customer.

The VB252 and VB120 blade/probe combination enables monitoring of IP network distribution (for up to 50 IP multicasts) together with DVB-T2 and, through a new feature in the VB120, T2-MI signals between broadcast studio and transmitter. (T2-MI is a new standard that defines the communication protocol used between the T2 gateway and the DVB-T2 modulator to carry synchronization information for SFN broadcasting.) Also, by equipping the monitoring chassis with the VB270 satellite interface module, users can gain valuable insight into operations that utilize both IP and satellite for distributing signals to transmitter sites.

The VB252 is now shipping and available for purchase.