SES ASTRA chooses integrated solution by Barco and Pixelmetrix for its Network Operations Center
IBC, Amsterdam, September 2003, Pixelmetrix and Barco Control Rooms join forces to provide a state-of-the-art total monitoring system for SES ASTRA’s ground control facility in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. The seamless integration of Pixelmetrix award-winning monitoring solution, DVStation™, and Barco’s high quality control room display, iStudio, provides unparalleled information on overall broadcast quality and won the approval of SES ASTRA.
SES ASTRA, Europe’s leading direct-to-home satellite system, demonstrates full satisfaction with Pixelmetrix by choosing Pixelmetrix again. The DVStations currently installed in their Digital Network Operation Centre are in charge of continuously and automatically monitoring the signal transmission quality of all the downlink signals from the entire ASTRA fleet of thirteen satellites. The system, internally called ASTRA D-AAS III (Digital Automatic Analysis System, Generation 3), consists of multiple DVStations fitted with multiple QPSK analyzer cards and a comprehensive remote control software system developed in-house.Their confidence and trust in Pixelmetrix' solutions is shown again by appointing Barco and Pixelmetrix to provide an integrated monitoring system.
Barco’s iStudio is currently the most advanced display solution for managed monitoring. It consists of a high-quality display with rear-screen projection, the Hydra graphic controllers, and Web-based operating software.
DVStation, Pixelmetrix’ flagship product, is an award-winning multi-port, multi-layer system. It is a unique system that, through a set of plug-in modules and a powerful processing architecture, can simultaneously monitor the global health of a network.
The combination of Barco’s iStudio and Pixelmetrix’ DVStation provides customers with flexible, scalable and high-performance solutions critical to the rapid and fast-moving digital environment.
At SES ASTRA, Barco installed the OverView cDR67-DL displays in a 7 by 2 configuration controlled by 14 Hydra Compact graphic controllers enabling them to display over 250 sources in its control room. The iStudio software acts as a single point of control and includes advanced warning capabilities. Pixelmetrix’ DVStation monitoring functionality with real-time fault detection and alerts was integrated with iStudio. This allows problems and alarms detected by the DVStation to be collected and displayed on a single monitor wall. In addition, with a single click on the iStudio GUI, operators can access DVStation information on their workstation to interact with the information displayed on the display wall.
For SES ASTRA’s operators, this means significantly higher value and higher performance thanks to advanced interactivity and real-time visualization. The integrated network-based solution enhances SES ASTRA’s control center operational efficiency because it provides a large overview display of both satellite communication content and alerts detected by DVStation, allowing collaborative actions across multiple operators.
Both Barco and Pixelmetrix, experts in their respective fields, bring to the table an unmatchable strength. This strong collaboration will provide an impressive solution for the digital broadcast market, bringing network monitoring into a new realm.
About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, is active in three key areas of imaging technology. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco has a network of subsidiaries, distributors and agents in almost 100 countries. Barco is quoted on Brussels/Euronext and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company.
About Pixelmetrix Corporation
Pixelmetrix Corporation is the global expert in Preventive Monitoring for digital television networks. The company provides equipment and network intelligence systems to television broadcasters for management and monitoring of quality of service. Headquartered in Singapore, Pixelmetrix has offices in the United States and Europe. Pixelmetrix' customers include CNN, CBS, Disney, HBO, NHK, Japan Telecom, KPBS, NTL, Sky PerfecTV! Japan, British Telecom, BBC, Canal+ and Télédiffusion de France. It is the winner of the Peter Wayne Award for Best Design and Innovation IBC 2000, winner of the STAR 2000 Superior Technology Award from TV Technology Magazine, and recipient of a Cable-Satellite/Mediacast Product of the Year Award in 2003. For more information, visit www.pixelmetrix.com.
About SES ASTRA
The ASTRA Satellite System is Europe’s leading Direct-to-Home satellite system chosen by a wide range of television and radio broadcasters and multimedia service providers for the delivery of free-to-air and pay broadcast and broadband services to more than 92 million Direct-to-Home and cable households in Europe. The ASTRA satellite fleet currently comprises 13 satellites, transmitting more than 1100 analogue and digital television and radio channels as well as multimedia and internet services. ASTRA’s two prime orbital positions for DTH (Direct-To-Home) services are 19.2° East and 28.2° East. Professional services are offered from the orbital positions of 23.5°/24.2° East and 5.2° East.
SES ASTRA is wholly owned by SES GLOBAL, a publicly quoted company with securities listed on the Stock Exchanges in Luxembourg and Frankfurt (SESG). SES GLOBAL wholly owns two operating companies, SES AMERICOM and SES ASTRA, and has strategic holdings in other leading regional satellite service providers around the world - AsiaSat, AMERICOM ASIA PACIFIC, NSAB, Nahuelsat and Star One. Through these SES GLOBAL can provide outstanding satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 41 satellites across the globe. Additional info at: www.ses-astra.com.
