Jordan’s JRTV Adds Grass Valley to Broadcast Infrastructure

The Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) is a Jordan public broadcaster that simulcasts three programs on terrestrial and satellite and functions as the primary broadcaster for Jordan in the Middle East, reaching millions with breaking news. In an effort to improve its overall broadcast infrastructure and dependability, JRTV has turned to Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, for new routing, production switching and server technologies.

The broadcaster has purchased a solution that includes five 3G-ready K2 Summit transmission client media servers and a master control suite that includes a router and multiviewer controlled by a new Jupiter routing switcher control solution. The installation was managed by systems integrator AVC Al-Waseet, located in Amman, Jordan, and his partner, Hannu Pro of Latvia.

“We’re a full-time operation with live news being broadcasted in several different languages, so the reliability and performance of our technology is crucial to the success of our station. Grass Valley helped us put together a unique combination of products that give us the confidence to distribute news around the clock without worrying about failure. The power, speed and overall dependability of their product lines is truly unmatched,” said Khalaf Al-Khawaldeh, director of engineering, JRTV.

At its core, the K2 Summit transmission client is built for mission-critical operations by delivering 24/7/365 reliability with two bidirectional channels and two playout channels, upgradable to three. Jupiter routing control combines hardware and software that gives JRTV full management of all its devices with the simple touch of a button on the Jupiter network. Jupiter interfaces with the master control switcher to give JRTV a range of flexibility, including the ability for up to eight on-air keys and four audio voiceovers, as well as support for a multitude of audio channels and branding sources.

“The need for more flexible and higher-quality broadcast systems is continually on the rise, especially in the Middle East where the market is seeing considerable growth,” commented Said Bacho, senior vice president, sales, EMEA, Grass Valley. “We’re delighted to work with JRTV to improve their services with technologies that are reliable and perform to an exceptional standard. In this ever-changing broadcast landscape, it’s important that our customers are on the leading edge with their solutions, and our deal with JRTV is a perfect example of how we execute that plan.”

India’s Videocon d2h Implements Grass Valley’s iTX Integrated Playout Platform
Videocon d2h, a satellite television and interactive radio service provider based in India, is deploying the iTX integrated playout platform from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, for their “Direct-to-Home” (DTH) platform services. iTX will fulfill Videocon’s need for 24 additional standard-definition (SD) and four high-definition (HD) channel services. These channels will be uplinked with the existing 370+ turnaround channels and made available to the more than 12 million Videocon users.

“We are proud to be considered the most affordable DTH service in India, and iTX from Grass Valley will help us continue that trend,” said Vikas Wadhera, AVP of broadcast operations and engineering at Videocon d2h. “Aside from being cost effective and helping us to maintain a lower cost per channel for our subscribers, it comes with low maintenance along with a strong local support team to help us implement the latest IT technology, which is scalable too and hence can be easily expanded in the future.”

iTX from Grass Valley is the most advanced, integrated playout platform for broadcast television. It transforms playout operations into an efficient, scalable, well-oiled machine with no compromises in quality, flexibility or control. iTX provides Videocon d2h with a streamlined, end-to-end workflow; saving space and power while enabling future expansion in both channel count and advanced functionality including rich graphics with Vertigo XG and end to end monitoring with iControl and Kaleido.

“We are glad to be able to partner with Videocon d2h and help them bring more channels to their subscribers,” commented Andrew Thornton, vice president, Asia Pacific, Grass Valley. “This is one of the largest iTX installations for South Asia, and in addition to providing a great local support service to Videocon, this project provides further proof that Grass Valley can deliver large scale playout solutions.”