CBC/Radio-Canada, the country’s national public radio and TV broadcaster, has hired Dielectric Communications to build a high-power television-channel combining system for installation at the CN Tower in Toronto. Dielectric is partnering with Rohde & Schwarz, a digital television transmitter provider, for the project.
CBC/Radio-Canada reaches Canadians through eight national radio and television networks, its full-service Web sites, local/regional stations and affiliates, the digital television channel Country Canada and the continuous music network Galaxie.
The new system combines two CBC/Radio-Canada digital television signals with one CBC analog signal and one analog signal from TV Ontario (Ontario’s provincial public broadcaster) into a common output feeding an existing broadband antenna. The combiner can accommodate additional channels in the future.
Ray Carnovale, vice president and chief technology officer for CBC/Radio-Canada, said the new installation is the first time that N-1 and N+1 channel pairings are being combined in close proximity within the same combiner. Incorporating innovations developed by Dielectric, the station is inserting two NTSC analog and two 8-VSB digital signals into a six-channel spread. This strategy allowed CBC to maximize its investment in its existing UHF antenna, avoiding the installation of new antennas and transmission lines.
For more information, visit www.dielectric.com.
