Mobile Video a Big Deal at NAB; Rohde & Schwarz, Triveni Digital MRC and NBC to Provide Demo

Triveni Digital will join Rohde & Schwarz, NBC, Microwave Radio Communications (MRC), and ION Media Networks at the 2009 NAB Show to provide an over-the-air demonstration of ATSC Mobile TV services with single-frequency network (SFN) capabilities. Throughout the show, anyone with a handheld device capable of receiving ATSC Mobile TV signals will be able to tune into content supplied by NBC.

Integrated with encoding, muxing, SFN, and transmitter systems from Rohde & Schwarz, Triveni Digital’s GuideBuilder™ platform, featuring the company’s new mobile metadata software extension, will generate the metadata necessary for effective delivery of the mobile broadcasts. Utilizing SFN design engineered by NBC, the demonstration will include interface equipment provided by ION Media Networks. MRC will supply microwave equipment to enable the link from the studio to the transmitter, which will be located atop the Stratosphere® Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

“The GuideBuilder system is deployed widely for management of PSIP workflows, and this demonstration will illustrate how the GuideBuilder’s newly enhanced functionality brings valuable mobile DTV metadata capabilities to the metadata management platform already in place at many broadcast facilities,” says Ralph Bachofen, vice president of sales and head of marketing at Triveni Digital. “Our demonstration offers a practical example of how sophisticated mobile DTV capabilities can be realized without requiring significant and costly changes to existing broadcast plants and workflows.”

The GuideBuilder system provides mission-critical operational capabilities for both content providers and network operators by generating accurate metadata, whether for television sets or mobile devices. Fully automated redundancy, support for centralized PSIP generation, and tight integration with multiplexers, traffic systems, and automation systems make it easy to incorporate the GuideBuilder into existing broadcast infrastructures.

Deployed in a working model of the ATSC Mobile broadcast chain, the enhanced GuideBuilder system at the NAB Show demo will gather schedule information and synchronize with Rohde & Schwarz equipment to generate signaling metadata. The transmission of metadata to mobile ATSC receivers will supply information about current show, duration, rating, and other characteristics. Attendees at the show and visitors to the ATSC Mobile DTV Pavilion and the Rohde & Schwarz booth (C1933) will have the opportunity to see how these integrated technologies make it easy for broadcasters to launch mobile TV services.