TV/Satellite distribution forms an integral part of our business, our consultant engineers design and implement these systems to meet the exacting requirements of our clients. There are various systems and options available to suit every budget, a brief description of the major systems are shown below and further detail can be found within our site.

If you require to purchase any of the headend processing or distribution equipment as standalone items they can be found in our online store.

Basic Systems

A basic distribution system based on coaxial is shown below. Using multiswitches, cascading switches and amplifiers - this type of system is typically installed for shared antenna systems in small apartment blocks or commercial complexes. This type of system is a MATV distribution system, (Master Antenna Television), it is usually deployed to feed an an entire building complex individual feeds from a common single or collection of antennas.

Advanced TV distribution systems

Distribution systems, or more accurately re-distribution systems are available in many guises, we normally provide digital systems which adopt the DVB standards, with the advent of cheaper technology and new protocol advances in the MPEG fields - it is rare for clients to wish to build or extend analogue systems.

Advanced systems can take many forms, examples include IPTV, CATV, MMDS or even bespoke designs to customers requirements. The major systems are breifely described here and more information can be found on the major sub headings and within our online store.

What is IPTV?

Internet Protocol Television or IPTV as it is more commonly known provides television content over a computer network to a multiple of users.

Our simple, cost effective IPTV distribution system provides high quality, full screen digital TV over an Ethernet network using IP. Both digital satellite and terrestrial channels can be broadcast directly to a PC, or using an IP set top box, to a TV anywhere on the network.

Features such as subtitling, basic programme and event guide, mute, colour/contrast control, aspect ratio and different screen sizes, are all included as standard. Options to run in standalone, or embedded within a standard web page are available.

Problems such as space, background noise, screen positioning and support of a separate coax network are removed. By using IPTV the content is delivered direct to each users own TV (via a STB), or PC allowing them access to the full range of terrestrial and satellite channels. In situations where there is a requirement to put live TV content onto large Plasma or LCD screens, an IP STB is used, ensuring the same picture quality and user experience is available to all.

IPTV covers both live TV (multicasting) as well as stored video (Video on Demand VOD). The playback of IPTV requires either a personal computer or a set-top box connected to a TV. Video content is typically compressed using either a MPEG-2 or a MPEG-4 codec and then sent in an MPEG transport stream delivered via IP Multicast in case of live TV or via IP Unicast in case of Video on Demand. IP Multicast is a method in which information can be sent to multiple computers at the same time. The newly released (MPEG-4) H.264 codec is increasingly used to replace the older MPEG-2 codec.

By contrast "Internet TV" generally refers to transport streams multicast over IP networks (normally the Internet) from outside the network that connects to the users premises. An Internet TV provider has no control over the final delivery and so broadcasts on a "best effort" basis. Elementary streams over IP networks and proprietary variants as used by websites such as YouTube are now rarely considered to be IPTV services. It takes a substantial investment to build an end to end telco distribution system for customers homes, our systems whilst scalable and built upon the same designs are aimed towards commercial complexes such as hotels and offices and can make use of existing structured cabling, although in some cases bandwidth constraints may dictate other solutions.

Wireless / MMDS Systems

Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS), also known as Wireless Cable, is a wireless telecommunications technology, used for general-purpose broadband networking or, more commonly, as an alternative method of cable television programming reception. MMDS is most commonly used in sparsely populated rural areas, where laying cables is not economically viable, although some companies may also offer MMDS services in urban areas.

A typical MMDS system uses microwave frequencies from 2 GHz to 3 GHz in range. Reception of television signals is done with a special rooftop microwave antenna and a set-top box for the television receiving the signals. The antenna usually has an integrated down-converter to transmit the signals at frequencies compatible with terrestrial TV tuners down on the coax (much like on satellite dishes where the signals are converted down to frequencies more compatible with standard TV coaxial cabling), some larger antennas use an external down-converter. The receiver box is normally a digital satellite or cable television receiver box. The MMDS band was separated into eleven "channels" which are auctioned off like other bands. The idea was that entities could own several channels and multiplex several television and radio channels onto each channel using digital technology. Each "channel" was capable of 10 Mbit/s, exclusive of any forward error correction technology that is required for this type of technology.

Since MMDS uses licenced frequencies - setting up and distributing such a system can be a costly affair - we have developed alternate solutions in house to use unlicenced frequency bands.

Bespoke Systems

We are able to deliver systems which broadcast in any frequency you want, for example we have technologies using the UNI unlicenced 5ghz bands. We can provide systems based on QPSK or QAM modulation and moreover compatible with off the shelf STB's.