Remote Broadcast Signal Monitoring Becomes Affordable

Online, November 1, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The digital revolution in broadcasting brought new challenges to monitor the quality of the signal delivered to the customer receivers. AVQ1020 (ActiveCore Multistandard Monitoring Receiver) from Avateq Corp finally provides a cost-effective way to monitor general signal health right at even the most remote transmitter station.

Digital broadcasting delivered more quality content over the old analog broadcasting, as well as more effective use of bandwidth and increased flexibility. However, the complexity of digital transmission networks required new equipment to handle increased data throughput, ensure synchronization and Quality of Service (QoS) at every transmitting system.

"We designed the AVQ1020 to monitor modern digital broadcasting networks, which are often spread over large geographical areas with multiple repeaters installed remotely from the network management centres, explains Vladimir Anishchenko, Avateq's CEO. "It is vital to ensure that the audio and video signal received by the end user - the customer - retains full quality."

In many cases, there are several repeater stations located in remote regions, making it difficult and costly to maintain them. Remote monitoring is therefore essential, but often expensive and limited to specific broadcasting standards.

AVQ1020 offers an embedded solution that is cost-effective. More importantly, it functions smoothly across all platforms. The core of AVQ1020 is based on proprietary algorithms and provides support for all major broadcasting standards - including proprietary modulation schemes. That includes the hybrid "satellite-terrestrial" digital broadcasting so widely used in North America.

Two of the main AVQ1020 applications are permanent monitoring of QoS (quality of service) and of transmitter/repeater system operational conditions.

Quality of service is assessed by monitoring a set of vital parameters including MER, EVM, and SNR. AVQ1020 also measures and reports essential standard-specific parameters, such as modulation modes and signal physical layer structure.

The operational health of the transmitter station, no matter how remote it might be, is also essential. AVQ1020 monitors individual sections of transmitter stations by tracking RF signal characteristics, such as the signal bandwidth, group delay, non-linear distortions and spectrum mask. Shifts and variations in RF frequency parameters reveal potential hardware problems, such as GPS signal loss or transmitter local oscillators drifting or growing unstable.

AVQ1020 can also be used to develop broadcasting equipment and can serve as an integral part of production testing environment in the transmitters and repeaters manufacturing process.