Egyptian Radio and Television Union Selects TANDBERG Television to Expand Contribution Network

TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson Group (NASDAQ:ERIC), today announced that the Egyptian Radio & Television Union (ERTU) has selected the latest TANDBERG Television MPEG-2 4:2:2 SD encoding solutions for the expansion of its SDH microwave network covering the Red Sea and North Coast Sinai. The expanded network will interconnect over 14 of ERTU’s contribution studios via wireless links, enabling the broadcaster to distribute high quality MPEG-2 4:2:2 content between facilities.

ERTU is Egypt's national broadcaster and the Middle East's largest television and radio producer and broadcaster. With facilities throughout the country, ERTU transmits 11 satellite channels via Nilesat, as well as nine local channels with a total viewing audience of approximately 60 million people.

"As an existing TANDBERG Television compression customer we know the company delivers market leading video compression so it was a natural choice to select TANDBERG Television to expand our operation,” says Eng. Hamdy Mounier, Chairman of Broadcasting Engineering Sector, Egyptian Radio and Television Union. “TANDBERG Television has a range of solutions to help us distribute content including very high quality 4:2:2 Decoders and control platforms. It was the high level of video quality and system capability that TANDBERG Television delivers that sealed this decision."

The full ERTU system comprises TANDBERG Television’s MPEG-2 E5710 Encoders, TT1260 Decoders, MX8400 Multiplexer and TT6120 Network adapters, which are fully controlled by nCompass Control, TANDBERG Television’s complete management system for broadcast headends for configuration, system monitoring and redundancy.

Eric Baron, President of EMEA, TANDBERG Television, comments: “TANDBERG Television MPEG-2 encoding is acknowledged as the best solution for 4:2:2 video today and we are proud that Egyptian Radio and Television Union has chosen us for its demanding contribution requirements. This order is further evidence of our continued leadership in the Contribution & Distribution market.”

The E5710 Encoders deliver highest quality MPEG-2 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 contribution video and can be upgraded to either MPEG-4 AVC SD or HD. The E5710 can support MPEG-2 SD and MPEG-4 AVC HD concurrently and includes options for integrated ATM/IP interfaces or carriage of additional audio services. The TT1260 Integrated Receiver Decoders support MPEG-2 SD in 4:2:0 and 4:2:2, with multiple interfaces including ASI, DVB-S and DVB-S2. TANDBERG Television’s MX8400 multiplexer supports up to eight independent output multiplexes and supports MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC SD or HD.