Harris Corporation, a communications and information technology company, has stated that their Apex (News - Alert) M2X software-defined broadcast exciter has been tweaked to support the next-gen DVB-T2 digital terrestrial transmission standard. The company has supposedly signed a software licensing agreement with broadcast organization BBC for this purpose.

DVB-T2 is the world’s most advanced digital terrestrial transmission system and has introduced the latest modulation and coding techniques to enable highly efficient use of valuable terrestrial spectrum for the delivery of audio, video and data services to fixed, portable and mobile devices. These new techniques gives DVB-T2 an incredible 50 percent increase in efficiency over any other DTT system in the world. 

Vice President of Transmission Systems for Harris Broadcast Communications, Phil Argyris has stated that the BBC Research & Development has been at the heart of the evolution of the DVB-T2 standard and has involved in the first worldwide implementation. Through the joint efforts of BBC and Harris, the DVB-T2 standard capability has become a reality for their Apex M2X customers.   

The DVB-T2 standard has delivered efficiencies of 30-50 percent in its use of spectrum compared to the DVB-T standard. Global broadcasters are now showing strong interest in using DVB-T2 in order to gain significant transmission efficiency improvements by allowing increased capabilities for high definition, mobile and multicast content while minimizing costs. 

Argyris added that the Apex M2X exciter has been designed to accommodate evolving standards such as DVB-T2 through a simple software upgrade, enabling customers to seamlessly migrate to DVB-T2 cost effectively and on their individual schedules. This announcement is the latest example of Harris’ commitment to provide broadcasters with the technology they need to support new standards and make the most of their bandwidth. 

According to Harris, the Apex M2X exciter provides a digital signal of flawless integrity with complete technical and regulatory compliance for Harris tube and solid-state digital transmitters. The Apex M2X exciter works across a wide spectrum of frequencies that include UHF, VHF and L band since its launch in 2008. In addition to DVB-T2, the exciter also supports ATSC, ATSC M/H, DVBT/H, ISDB-Tb, FLO, CTTB, DAB, DMB, CMMB and a wide range of analogue TV standards, including NTSC and PAL.    

In related news, Harris was selected for FAA's IDIQ contract for system engineering and Harris Corporation entered into definitive agreement to acquire CapRock (News - Alert).