IKUSI NEWS FEBRUARY 2013

MULTIMEDIA MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2012 Nº 21

www.ikusi.tv/en

The Mac Home modulator P. 4 incorporates a new video playback feature 4 Ikusi, I have a question

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Ikusi support: Pre-sales,

5 After-sales and Training

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Ikusi, gearing 6 up for LTE

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CSTB (Moscow) 6 and CABSAT (Dubai)

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“We are pushing forth an outand-out transformation, with actions that are going to seem even more clear to our customers over the coming months”

Fixed signalling, changing a 7 hotel channel grid without having to retune the television sets in every room

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8 MTI, digital transmodulation

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Interview with Germán Agúndez, Director of Ikusi’s Multimedia Unit. >page 2

interview with... launching

With a new business year just begun, we met with Germán Agúndez, Head of Ikusi’s Multimedia Division, and held a conversation that revealed a new and enthusiastic approach, new developments in Ikusi resulting from the significant process of transformation that the Division is undergoing and that is already bearing fruit, based on the farreaching assumption that the client must be at the centre of the Division’s work.

How would you assure our readers that future the client is truly at the centre of your business and that this is not just an empty statement?

If I may paraphrase a colloquial but illustrative expression, I’d say that we are “putting the horse back before the cart”, in the sense that the equipment wethat...? bring on to the mardid you know ket is no longer solely the result of our R&D Department’s developments and proposals, based on the latest trends or on the impressions our salespersons gather from their interactions with the market, as used to be the case. That time is now over. our clients speak

Our emphasis is now on our new marketing strategy, which puts the client at the very centre of all our processes: instead of simply consulting with our clients to find out what they need, we are now actually bringing them in to actively help develop our own products, in what we might call a process of co-creation.

But because our relationship with clients does not only encompass the sale and development of products, we have taken this a step further and clients are now actively involved in revising our key processes, which allows us to offer the best customer service possible.

“Our goal is to become the technological partners of our customers.”

So this is a significant change…

I would say it is more than that: we are embarIkusi presence king on a comprehensive transformation and we are doing so with the track-record and realities that our clients already know us for and appreciate, but with developments which will become more and more evident to them in the coming months. We’ve always known that improvement is an ongoing process, that a company always has to move forward. But now we know exactly how to move forward and in which direction, thanks to the guidelines set by our clients, which we are already following.

We are determined to pursue this path because we no longer want our clients to see us as mere suppliers, but as technological partners.

How does Ikusi intend to implement this strategy, given the number of clients and the diversity of their profiles?

We have invested a lot of time and effort in getting to know our clients very well, establishing segments for them and then preparing and defining a specific offer and specific type of relationship that will work for each specific segment. We know that what may work for one won’t work for all. This is why we have been very demanding and ambitious in designing the different types of offer that will fit each different type of client segment.

At the same time, having clients with very diverse profiles has been a boon for us, as well as

“We are embarking on a comprehensive process of transformation, with new developments that will become more and more evident to our clients in the coming months”

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for the clients themselves. Let me explain: for years, Ikusi has been working closely with the leading operators in Europe and maintaining these relationships has required the development of high-tech products, with the associated investments in R&D. Consequently, we have been able to remain at the cutting-edge of technological development and create pioneering products, such as the MAC modulator or MTI transmodulator ranges to name just two examples, and offer them to others in the market.

Apart from technological leadership and strategic client relationships, what other characteristics define what Ikusi has to offer?

Before answering that question, I’d like to stress that I think the market already appreciates Ikusi’s technological leadership as a natural thing and that it will soon see our strategy, in which we put the client at the core of our business, in the same light: this will be the defining feature of our offer.

“We have put the customer at the core of our key processes, in a bid to offer the best service.”

But to answer the question, the technological expertise and vast experience of our professionals permit us to design advanced technological solutions for the market, which are easy to install, easily maintained and reliable and these are just some of the characteristics that define what Ikusi can offer. What we offer is geared toward developments in our clients’ actual businesses, and this is a direct consequence of Ikusi’s in-depth knowledge of its clients, technological leadership and proven track record in innovation.

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Create your own channel using only your Mac Home

Creating a channel with the Mac Home is as easy as copying a video to a USB drive and connecting it to the unit.

in hotels

in restaurants

in museums

in retail establishments, etc.

new developments in Ikusi

The Mac Home modulator incorporates a new video playback feature future

Ikusi presence

This new feature has made the Mac Home the only digital modulator on the market capable of playing video files. To make it easy for them to did you create videos to know play that...? on the Mac Home, Ikusi is offering its customers an application for PC that can generate videos simply by mixing files with different image, audio and video formats. Creating a channel with the Mac Home is as easy as copying a video to a USB drive and connecting it to the device.

It allows any business to generate its own promotional and information channel simply and inexpensively using only the Mac Home.

our clients speak

The new feature can also be incorporated into Mac Homes that are already up and running.

Both the new firmware version, which will allow for Mac Home updating, and the application itself, which can be used for easy video generation, will be available shortly on the www.ikusi.tv website for Ikusi customers.

All Mac Homes already on the market can be updated with the new feature.

reference installation

Ikusi... I have a question

Ikusi solutions

I am having problems with the audio of the output channel service of the MAC HOME, but only with certain televisions.

Some old television sets do not support the default audio BIproblem solved TRATE configured in our modulator, so the problem would be solved in most cases by lowering the audio BITRATE to one supported by the TV. Is it possible to manage my head end composed of transmodulating modules (MTI) via the Internet instead of having to go out to the installation? interview with...

In these cases, we generally recommend placing a HMS-120 Control Unit connected to a router with Internet connection configured by your operator in the head end.

Is it normal for the surface of a unit from the ONE or MAC series to heat up, or could there be a problem?

A hot surface on a device does not indicate a malfunction, quite the contrary, since what is happening is that the heat inside is being driven out correctly.

Why is it advisable to install a charge of 75 ohms at unused inputs-outputs in an installation?

It is very important to install these charges at points we are not using to ensure that the impedance of the whole installation adapts to 75 ohms, and in addition, to prevent these inputslaunching outputs from acting as antennas of the impulse noise in the atmosphere.

new developments in Ikusi

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did you know that...?

“The support offered by Ikusi can be split into three main lines: Pre-sales, After-sales and Training” our clients speak

How can we achieve a comprehensive support service? This is the key question. And Ikusi has answered it with a masterful combination of two service levels: local, from the subsidiary itself, and global, from the head offices.

The subsidiaries have a degree of autonomy that allows them to adjust the company’s strategy, adapting it to local needs. Support is reflected in a better local service that is more independent and personalised.

for the specific needs of each case.

Ikusi, however, has opted to become the technology partner of its customers, so it must keep up the service even after the sale is made. The after-sales service is what gives continuity to its customer relations. Hence, Ikusi accompanies the customer throughout the commissioning of new products or systems and provides the necessary support in the event of setbacks.

It is often the case that Ikusi’s own technology is used to streamline and improve the after-sales service. This is true of the HMS head-end control units, for example, where installers can remotely check the status of a Class A head end of a hotel or other facility from their own offices.

“The support provides value-added to the client and strengthens the relationship of technology “Integral support: local, partner” from the subsidiary, and global from the headquarter”

In certain situations, such as when particular projects require new solutions, technologies or services, the subsidiaries can turn to the head offices for help or mentoring by their specialists. This mentoring helps to expand the knowledge and independence of the professionals at the subsidiaries.

The support offered by Ikusi can be split into three main lines: Pre-sales, After-sales and Training.

Josu Aristizabal, Ikusi´s Support Department

the Department sends out the necessary information and explanations on how to apply them. To illustrate this, in the hotel industry for example, we could mention the information on the new features of the MTI transmodulator, which changes the channel line-up of a hotel without the need to retune the television sets in every room.

Training is another of Ikusi’s lines of support and a key area in a company that is constantly incorporating new technologies and new products. Here, training is understood in its broadest meaning, since it is aimed at sales representatives and Ikusi technicians, both from the subsidiaries and head offices, and at the customers themselves. In this sense, support is yet another way to give value-added to the customer and to reinforce this vocation of forging an alliance between Ikusi and the customer in order to build a technology partner relationship.

Constant communication with professionals is another of the essential tools for the Support Department. Hence, whenever new features are incorporated into Ikusi products,

In Pre-sales, the support service deals with technology issues and works closely with the customer to come up with the best solution

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did you know that...?

Gearing up for LTE

FLASHD LTE antenna

Ikusi solutions our clients speak

Ikusi has designed and patented technological solutions capable of rejecting any LTE signal interference on TV channels, even in areas close to the main transmitters (exclusion zone) and regardless of the equipment in use.

Amplifier Headend

FLTE Filter

Amplifier Headend

These solutions have been developed to act on three areas: the antenna, the head-end filter and protection of the head-end equipment, as described below. launching

Flashd LTE: Ref. 1808 y 1810 LTE reject filter: Ref. 1435 Single channel Headend SZB: Ref. 2293, 2294, 3152, 3160 y 2246 Broadband Amplifier NBS-800: Ref. 3531, 3532, 3533 y 3534 Programmable Amplification Headend ONE SAT: Ref. 2844

Collective installation Application example

Ikusi presence

Ikusi presents its offer at CSTB (Moscow) and CABSAT (Dubai) Once again, Ikusi has visited the Russian market to present its proposals for the products that best suit their needs and it has done so by revisiting the CSTB expo, held this year from 29 to 31 January in Moscow.

The proposals that Ikusi took to the fair, now in its fifteenth year, included the MTI transmodulator, which changes the channel line-up of hotels without having to re-tune the TV sets in every room.

Another of the products that Ikusi showed to the Russian market was the One Sat central programmable amplifier, designed to selectively filter analogue and digital channels. This device is ideal for both houses and blocks of flats.

Ikusi also showed its Mac 401 and Mac Home digital modulators at CSTB. While the Mac 401 is a stand-alone AV-COFDM modulator with four video and stereo audio inputs, the Mac Home is a stand-alone residential AV-COFDM modulator with a single input that comes with a video playback feature.

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The range shown by Ikusi at CSTB was rounded off by the SZB single-channel amplifier, which covers all the processing functions of a high quality SMATV head end, and the multiswitches, both the stand-alone and cascadable ranges. In both cases, the modules are active, which means that the signal level at the module input is guaranteed to be the same as that of the output for users on any floor of the building. This reduces the number of references and, hence, stock requirements of customers and makes the design of complex installations far easier. Another of the top rated features of these ranges is that they both have an external power supply.

CABSAT FAIR (DUBAI) Another important event for Ikusi is the fair to be held at the Dubai World Trade Center (Hall 4, Stand number C4-22) from 12 to 14 March.

As in Russia, Ikusi will present its new developments (MTI, Mac Home) showing once again its advanced technological solutions for the hospitality sector.

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future

Ikusi presence

Fixed signalling, changing a hotel channel grid without having to retune the television sets in every room did you know that...?

Hotels areour bigclients consumers of digital content speak in COFDM format, which they receive via satellite or terrestrial broadcasts. It is also very common for hotels to want to change their channel grid to meet the demands of their guests.

Television sets that memorise which channel they are receiving can use different parameters (usually a combination of several, rather than all): transmission frequency, ONID, NID, TS_ID, SID and LCN (if used).

If we change any of these parameters when we change the channel grid, it is likely that some TV set or other (it depends on the model/brand) will be unable to tune the new channels automatically. This means that we will have to go into the room concerned and retune the TV manually. For hotels, this is obviously problematic.

Aware of this situation and as part of its goal to develop solutions that meet the needs of hotels, Ikusi has developed a solution that allows the installer to change the channel grid of a hotel without having to retune the TV sets in every room by setting the parameters above in the head end.

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Let’s imagine that a hotel wants to receive BBC World. To do so, it installs an Ikusi satellite-COFDM transmodulator (MTI-800) distributing the signal in C21. The installer knows that this hotel changes its channel grid from time to time so he decides to set the signal values like so: ONID: 101, NID:101, TS_ID: 201, SID: 301.

For this feature, which gives users increased flexibility, Ikusi offers a complete range of products (MTI, TGT, MAC) that incorporate the feature of setting DVB signalling.

A few months later, the hotel decides to replace the BBC channel with Al Jazeera. The installer would then have to retune the MTI to receive the new channel and force the other parameters so that they are exactly equal to the ones used in the original installation (output frequency: C21, ONID: 101, NID: 101, TS_ID: 201, SID: 301). If LCN is used, this value needs to be maintained too.

Thus, the televisions in all of the rooms would be able to show the new channel without having to be manually retuned, with the consequent time savings and lack of inconvenience to guests.

Javier Larzabal, Ikusi Marketing Department

This feature can also be applied to other uses, such as avoiding having to retune TVs when there are frequency changes in terrestrial broadcasts or showing the hotel’s own content at certain hours of the day, replacing the existing channels without having to enter rooms.

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MTI Digital Transmodulator Change any channel in the hotel without retuning TV sets room by room

• Fixed signalling (to edit ONID, NID, SID, TSID) • The most reliable on the market • LCN function • Remote Management (HMS)

IKUSI - Ángel Iglesias S.A. · Tel.: +34 943 44 88 00 · television@ikusi.com · www.ikusi.tv