ATG gets to heart of matter
-- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/3/2000
Editor: Just a few clarifications relative to your story of 3/17/00 titled "Itelco brings COFDM unit to U.S. market."
The scarcity of equipment for COFDM testing in the U.S. has been limited to the lack of available commercial receivers. Rohde & Schwarz (note the correct spelling) has, since last year, been marketing and selling globally an exciter/modulator product line that supports all DVB-T COFDM modes of operation for 6, 7 and 8MHz markets. Furthermore, Rohde & Schwarz has sold (commercially) this product series (including its SFQ modulator product line) to almost every major chip and receiver manufacturer. This "SFQ" modulator product has been available since last year as a "selectable" DVB-T and/or ATSC unit, allowing "automatic switching" between formats and different modes within those formats. We have been using one or another of these "SFQ" products since the NAB of last year. Acrodyne has an exclusive agreement for the supply of Rohde & Schwarz transmission products in the U.S.
You may have noted that Sinclair has recently licensed its newly developed IOT product (the "Quantum" line) to Acrodyne. The exciter "heart" of this product is the Rohde & Schwarz exciter for both (or either) ATSC 8VSB and/or DVB-T COFDM. Once again, it is a fully compliant exciter complying with all aspects of the latest ETSI "ETS 300 744" specifications which supports 6, 7 and 8 MHz varieties of 2k (1705 carriers) or 8k (6817 carriers) DVB-T systems with all documented requirements for COFDM, in addition to ATSC. All the technology has been proven for ATSC and DVB.
Just some clarification of the issues. -Mark A. Aitken, Advanced Technology Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group.
