Dielectric’s Breakthrough for Manifold Combining

OVER-THE-AIR broadcast pioneer Dielectric is adding another industry-first to its legacy with the introduction of reconfigurable manifold combiners for multistation RF facilities.

Adaptable for FM radio and UHF television, Dielectric’s innovation introduces system expandability to manifold designs that have long only been expandable by adding constant impedance filter (CIF) units. This offers an attractive option for sites installing new master broadcast antennas that can quickly add new tenants in the future, without the space constraints and assembly labour that CIF-based expansion requires. Dielectric’s reconfigurable manifold combiners are essentially modular fixed units built to specification. For example, a site owner with five broadcasters today and a goal of seven total tenants can specify a manifold combiner with seven ports. Dielectric builds the initial system with five filters and protects the two open slots with shorted ports, or “shorts”. Shorts are removed as filters for new tenants, which Dielectric can also build in advance, are added to the manifold combiner. Dielectric raises the value proposition by providing calculations that carefully consider how site owners can add other broadcast frequencies in the market in various combinations. Importantly, these calculations even look beyond what the site owner may have originally envisioned as the maximum number of tenants.

“We first provide an analysis of the market that confirms how many potential stations in the market can logically join the master antenna system,” said Keith Pelletier, President, Dielectric. “We may find that number to be 10 broadcasters. The site owner ultimately decides how many broadcasters they want to accommodate immediately, and how many they want to add in the future. Using our High Frequency Simulation Software (HFSS) tools, we can calculate how each possible frequency will affect the combiner’s output splines. New tenants are added quickly and easily by simply removing a shorted port, plugging in a new filter or changing some transmission line.”

The magic of the system’s reconfigurable design shines even brighter should a new broadcaster request to join the system after the original open ports are filled.

“The work we put into our original market analysis accounts for all potential frequency combinations,” said Pelletier. “As long as the site can physically accommodate more tenants, we can add new modular units with ports to our manifold combiner.”

The likelihood of having extra site space is increased when using a manifold combiner, as they offer a considerably smaller footprint than alternatives, including CIF systems.

“A typical CIF unit has two filters and input/output hybrids for each

Evertz Tackles Live Events, IP, 12G-SDI, Monetisation and REMI

AT BOOTH N2225 during NAB 2023, Evertz will showcase a host of solutions for Live Media Production, IP, 12G-SDI, Content Monetization and Remote Production in the Cloud.

For Live Media Production, Evertz has products such as the DreamCatcher BRAVO Studio collaborative live switching platform, which gives operators a virtual environment that looks and feels like a traditional control room. This integrates seamlessly with new products such as the 22-fader Vista 1 Carbon compact console from Studer, a world leader in IP audio solutions. For remote production, there are a plethora of useful tools such as the XPS Live 4K/UHD/3G/

Translation router that expands Evertz’s high capacity IP switching platforms and delivers all the power of IP with the simplicity of SDI. In addition there is the award-winning MAGNUM OS orchestration, monitoring and analysis software that lies at the heart of Evertz’s Software Defined Video Networking (SDVN) portfolio of IP-based end-to-end solutions. supporting both 12G-SDI and SMPTE ST 2110. For broadcast facilities and OB trucks operating in a 12G-SDI world, there is NEXX, Evertz’s next generation processing routing solution. This compact and robust product has a modular-based frame for maximum flexibility and is controlled by MAGNUM-OS, which provides all the common user interfaces including traditional hardware router control panels, virtual web-based control panels, and VUE intelligent panels.

In addition, Evertz will highlight the technologies it has developed to help content providers attract and retain audiences through interactive personalised experiences. SaaS solutions such as the evertz.io platform are giving live sports, live entertainment and linear channel station,” said Pelletier. “A manifold combiner requires only one filter for each channel plus an output spline. The part count and footprint are substantially lighter.” Manifold combiners are also revered for their consistent electrical specifications across all stations on the system, with similar loss and electrical characteristics across the chain. That means that stations further from the antenna in the combiner chain will not be affected by higher group delays or signal loss that can ultimately degrade signal quality.

Dielectric will exhibit at Booth W3601 in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Visit https://www.dielectric.com customers the ability to launch new channels and monetise content across a wide range of Over-the-Top (OTT), free ad-supported television (FAST) channels, Connected TV and traditional Broadcast distribution/streaming applications. In addition, Evertz’s Ease Live interactive graphic solution is making it easier for content providers to create and build interactive overlays for millions of end users on multiple platforms in real time.

Finally, Evertz will shine a spotlight on its latest technology for the RF and Satcom industry, spanning key applications such as RF over Fiber and IP transport, RF distribution and routing matrices, RF Receivers and monitoring, and antenna and teleport services. Among the products on show will be the large-scale XQRF-512 routing platform, the industry’s best-performing and most reliable RF router matrix that offers exceptional density, flexible configurations and hot-swappable and modular architecture – all within a compact 14RU formfactor.