Nippon Hoso Kyokai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is continuing its pioneering Hi-Vision (HDTV) broadcasts to a home audience of over three million, with extensive coverage from the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Using a `flyaway` satellite terminal provided by GlobeCast Africa, a 45Mbps HDTV stream is being uplinked from Johannesburg to the Europe*Star 1 satellite at 45o East. The downlink is on the satellite`s European beam, being received at NHK`s studio near Paris, from where it is being turned around via a teleport in Bercenay to a dedicated transponder in the Indian Ocean Region. Using QPSK modulation, the service occupies an entire 36MHz transponder within Europe*Star`s `occasional use` services portfolio.
"We have found the Europe*Star technical and commercial teams to be incredibly helpful in this exciting HDTV application. They worked closely with us to reconfigure the satellite`s payload, to enable GlobeCast to provide a number of high quality transmissions from the region during the World Summit" commented Melanie Gibb, Managing Director, GlobeCast Africa.
Prior to the decision to use Europe*Star 1, tests were carried out to evaluate the satellite and signal margins. NHK engineers found that using a 1.2m antenna, they were able to reduce RF power to just 2 Watts and still maintain the 45Mbps link to Paris. This huge margin will provide exceptional link protection during live transmissions from the summit, in the event of adverse weather conditions.
Mr Takao Kiyohara, senior executive, NHK JohoNetwork said, "It is important for NHK to provide coverage of world events to our Hi-Vision customers throughout Japan. Transmission of HDTV is more complex than PAL or NTSC, so we choose our space-segment with great care. The Europe*Star 1 satellite`s performance, linking Southern Africa with Europe, enabled us to meet our engineering standards without the normal requirement for large antennas and powerful amplifiers."
Anver Anderson, Europe*Star`s director OU Services, added "Using smaller, lighter SNG equipment is attractive for broadcasters, because it allows easier and faster deployment in a dynamic and sometimes chaotic environment. The danger lies in pushing margins too far, resulting in the loss of signal sometimes experienced with live TV feeds. What has been shown with these transmissions is that, with the right satellite, it`s possible to transmit a 45Mbps stream, either HDTV or an entire multiplex of standard resolution TV, comfortably within the EIRP constraints of even a small flyaway unit".
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Europe*Star is a satellite owner-operator headquartered in London, with regional marketing offices in Cape Town and New Delhi. Europe*Star operates its own mission control centre in Toulouse, France, for tracking, telemetry & control of the satellites. A joint venture between Alcatel Space of France and Loral Space & Communications of the USA, Europe*Star is a member of the Loral Global Alliance.
Europe*Star offers satellite capacity on its geostationary satellites, leasing whole & fractional transponders for full-time and occasional use requirements. Brought into service at the start of 2001, the innovative Europe*Star 1 satellite has five high-power beams covering Europe, Southern Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia. Its Europe*Star B satellite provides additional capacity for markets in Central and Eastern Europe. For further information, visit our web site at: www.europestar.com.
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