ARCTEK Satellite Productions Introduces Newest Transmission Vehicle


ARCTEK Satellite Productions launches its latest encoding and satellite uplink truck; ARCTEK Blue. ARCTEK Blue is capable of 1080p, HDR, and 4K transmissions as well as all types of HD video. With MPEG4 and HEVC compression, ARCTEK Blue is an ultra-versatile unit that can transmit via C-band satellite, fiber, or IP.

“ARCTEK Blue is the sister uplink to ARCTEK Black built in 2021,” says ARCTEK owner Brian Stanley. “It gives us the ability to do everything from single backhauls to 14 source REMI- type productions transmitted in whatever flavor the client needs. It’s damn near infinite in its encoder capabilities and expandability. And all on the efficient Sprinter platform.”

As their ARCTEK Purple uplink (built in 2010) began to age out, Stanley knew that an upgrade would be necessary to meet the demands of the industry and stay on the cutting edge of transmission technology. “ARCTEK Purple was a great truck. It was ground-breaking in its transmission gain and muxing capabilities. When the miles crept up we knew it was time for it to retire and for ARCTEK to build the next great C-band truck,” Stanley reflects.

ARCTEK Blue is built on the 2022 Sprinter 4500 chassis and is the 3rd encoding and satellite uplink truck built by ARCTEK in the last 26 months. ARCTEK Blue is fully redundant with back ups to all key components. Once the build was complete, ARCTEK Blue rolled from the manufacturing facility in Clearwater, FL, straight to a college football game in Louisiana. Since then, ARCTEK Blue has handled several 10-source REMI productions, as well as a multitude of C-band backhaul uplinks for a variety of networks. This included the World Series where ARCTEK Blue was tasked with encoding and mixing 2 1080p video signals.

“Let face it,” says Stanley, “Nothing is as reliable as satellite. When our clients need the ultimate in transmission reliability, C- band satellite delivers. We are investing in satellite technology so our clients can rest assured their event will be delivered flawlessly. I’m so proud of this truck. ARCTEK Blue is one of the cleanest and the most flexible trucks we’ve ever built. This thing rocks.”

“With the 5G/C-band frequency reallocation, it’s paramount that the industry looks for newer and better compression codecs.” He adds, “HEVC compression is here and it offers a 25% to 40% saving in transponder bandwidth. Meaning we can get a 20 to 30 source mux on a transponder, or do a 10 source mux at a higher bit rate or at half the bandwidth. Add in 1080p, HDR, and 4K and ARCTEK Blue is poised for the future of compression and transmission.”

ARCTEK Satellite Productions has the newest satellite uplink fleet in the country with 5 satellite trucks, 3 KU-band and 2 C-band. ARCTEK isn’t afraid to roll coast to coast to get the job done.