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> About: Press Release Detail
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KAZ'TV Broadcasting Loud and Clear In Phoenix and Prescott
02/11/03 |
DENVER—February 15, 2003— Thanks to an innovative and integrative solution designed and installed by Denver-based Burst, KAZ-TV's signal can be heard loud and clear throughout the Prescott and Phoenix markets.
In January of 2003, Burst won the contract to manage transmitter installation, proof-of-performance, and antenna installation of KAZ-TV's new analog transmitter. The new transmitter will boost the signal from 1 KW to 5 KW with an extensive radiating power (ERP) of approximately 150 KW. This is the final phase of a nearly year-long project which modernized KAZ TV's LPTV station KAZT-CA Channel 27 in Phoenix.
When the Londen Media Group of Phoenix, Arizona, acquired KAZ-TV (formerly KUSK-TV) in 2002, it did so with plans to rebuild and modernize the facility. Londen wasn't anticipating a typical upgrade; they wanted more than the usual new tape decks, routers, and servers. They envisioned a system that could:
·transfer its broadcast signal to the Phoenix market in high-quality digital instead of capturing the signal using antennas from a number of tired translators
·broadcast live programming from both a new production facility and from a local AM radio station in Phoenix, KTAR AM.
·deliver the programs to Prescott, where the broadcast license originated, and then send the signal back to the Phoenix market via the Cox cable system.
·maintaining a connection to receive University of Arizona and Arizona State University sporting events.
And they envisioned that the system would be up and running in less than three months! After reviewing Burst's RFP, Londen Media selected Burst to help them achieve their goals.
Londen’s plan to deliver top quality programming to the Phoenix and Prescott, Arizona markets was not business as usual, admitted Scott Barella, vice president and chief engineer of Burst. They were proposing an extensive project with a tight deadline. And it was a major departure from the project specs that typically crossed his desk.
To tackle the project, Londen Media and Burst formed a team and drafted an aggressive timeline to chart their progress on this intense undertaking. Londen Media representatives included CEO Ron Bergamo, General Manager Rich Howe, and Chief Engineer Wally Macomber. The Burst,contingent was comprised of Barella, along with Sales Engineer Pat Pintus, and Project Manager Tony Roccanova. It didn't take the group long to realize that meeting the tight deadline wasn't the only challenge they faced.
For example, to keep things moving along quickly, Burst had to select components that meshed well and offered a high degree of interoperability and flexibility.
Burst also had to determine how to transport the signal from Phoenix to the rest of the network. The system needed to provide a robust DS-3 microwave infrastructure to and from Prescott to tie in the two sites. The system also needed to provide key deliveries to the COX headend and gather the sports feeds from ASU and U of A.
And Burst had to determine the most effective way to encode signals and deliver them through the DS-3 wireless topology. This dilemma was solved with an MPEG3 compression scheme using Scientific Atlanta encoders. They could compress the signals and transport them over standard G.703 topology.
In the end, Burst successfully implementing a number of cost-effective new technologies. Scientific Atlanta encoders and decoders were the key ingredients to distribute and maintain signals that might be a challenge using more traditional, more expensive equipment. DS3 distribution topology was a key ingredient.
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