Thomson To Supply Transmitters

Thomson to supply transmitters

Arqiva, the independent broadcast transmission provider in the UK, has appointed Thomson as its supplier for high power energy-efficient digital television transmitters for the BBC. Arqiva has won a contract from the BBC for the BBCs new digital high power terrestrial network. To service this contract, which involves delivering two digital multiplexes, Arqiva has ordered 24 Thomson Paragon IOT (inductive output tube) transmitters.

Thomson has been working with Arqiva on the development of the product to ensure that it meets the real needs of digital television transmission. The technology used in the Paragon transmitter achieves unprecedented levels of energy efficiency, while IOT technology is widely recognized to use half the power of solid state transmitters, the Thomson technology in Paragon halves the power again over other IOT designs. The result is a reduction of as much as 75 per cent of the operating costs over long contract periods.

The contract calls for the transmitters to be delivered in 2008, with an installation programme resulting in the first transmitters going on air on behalf of the BBC in 2009. The UK is phasing its digital switchover by regions and the installation of the new Thomson digital transmitters will follow that phasing, up to the planned completion of the analogue switch-off in 2012.

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