NAB Sales

Thomson Broadcast Solutions hit the NAB show floor with a number of sales announcements for its Grass Valley Kalypso video production center, Zodiak digital production switcher and DD Series of switchers. C-SPAN purchased two Zodiak systems for its live studio control room. The Kalypso systems were tapped by a number of stations, including three New York Times stations: KFOR-TV Oklahoma City, WREG-TV Memphis, Tenn., and WTKR(TV) Norfolk, Va. Also buying the systems were CBS O&Os WCCO-TV Minneapolis, WPZI-TV Philadelphia and WABC-TV New York.

WLS-TV Chicago has purchased a 70-seat Avid Media Browse system to be used alongside Avid's iNews newsroom system. The station will receive the 2.2 version of Media Browse for use on 36 seats licensed for browse only and 34 seats licensed for browsing and editing. Media Browse gives users MPEG-1 video at the desktop so that journalists can more accurately match text-based news stories to video images. The server and editing systems will be provided by Thomson Broadcast Solutions.

Paxson Communications chose Harmonic and Thales Broadcast & Multimedia to help upgrade the company's Network Operations Center in Clearwater, Fla. The center has a 10-channel, variable–bit-rate encoding system that uses Harmonic's DiviTrack statistical multiplexer and two channels of constant-bit-rate programming. New systems installed include DiviCom MV50 encoders and the Thales Pearl PSIP Manager. Paxson also signed a two-year agreement with Thales for service and software updates. The center serves programming to Paxson's 65 stations as well as the Christian Network.

Thales is supplying six digital transmitters to Meredith Broadcasting Group. Thales DCX Millennium transmitters will be installed at KCTV(TV) Kansas City, Mo.; WNEM-TV Bay City, Mich.; WOGX(TV) Ocala, Fla.; and WHNS(TV) Ashville, N.C. Ultimate 10-kW solid-state liquid-cooled transmitters will be used at KVVU-TV Las Vegas and WSMV-TV Nashville, Tenn.

Axcera has been chosen by Penn State Public Broadcasting to develop a network of DTV transmitters to deliver its signal to portions of its audience that cannot receive the main signal due to terrain. Axcera's Innovator DT solid-state transmitter will use synchronized DT2B modulators to maximize coverage and minimize interference. The main transmitter will be located in Clearfield, Pa., with boosters in State College, Altoona and Johnstown, Pa.

Alabama Public Television will use a single SeaChange Broadcast MediaCluster video server to send video to its nine public stations located across the state. The server will be located at APT's Birmingham headquarters and will use a microwave link to send the content to the stations.