SONY UK SELECTS AEQ PHOENIX MOBILE FOR HD OB VANS 15/11/2009
Sony Professional Services has obtained a major deal with Algerian state broadcaster. Algerian Public Television, L'Entreprise Nationale de Télévision (ENTV) has commissioned Sony to build five High Definition (HD) OB vehicles for the TV channel.
ENTV was created officially in 1986 as successor of RTA Radiodiffusion Télévision Algérienne founded in 1962 after the independence of the country. ENTV is responsible for transmitting five channels of locally produced news, entertainment, culture and sports programming to French and Arabic speakers in the North African region: Canal Algerie, Algerie 2, Algerie 3, Thamazighth and Kannat el-Coraän channels. ENTV is also a member of the European Broadcasting Union EBU.
Sony is building five HD OB vehicles as part of a major ENTV internal modernisation strategy and its move towards HD production. The HD trucks will include 48 cameras; 80 LMD monitors; 10 VTRs; and five video switchers amongst others Sony units. Along with this contract came the opportunity to also provide twelve mobile codec’s and AEQ’s Phoenix Mobile fitted the bill!
Phoenix Mobile is a compact, light, and portable multi-function IP audio codec which is fully compliant with the N/ACIP EBU Tech 3326 recommendations.
AEQ Phoenix is a completely flexible and extremely versatile communications platform that includes several communication interfaces: built-in IP, and two slots which accommodate additional interfaces, allowing us to use POTS/PSTN and ISDN lines, or any type of line that can be adapted to the USB interface such as 3G/GSM.
Phoenix comes equipped with a wide variety of encoding modes including AAC, allowing us to link with other compatible IP codecs, and through its additional comms modules, with virtually any ISDN codec on the market. The equipment allows us to choose the encoding mode and output bit rate suited to the bandwidth and type of network available at any time, which is perfect for the journalist operation.
The Phoenix’s, fitted with both POTS/PSTN and ISDN modules, were recommended not only because of the portability but because the codec is simply ‘future proofed’ with the IP encoding already in place. The fact that it has expansion slots with a variety of available interfaces that suited the customer’s needs also appealed as this would allow future upgrades if necessary. An ideal small mixer (Phoenix has an internal digital router) for every occasion- not only an audio encoder.
Phoenix Mobile is made of tough ABS materials making it especially resistant to the rigors of working on the road, and its high-capacity Li-Ion battery (2.5 hours) is more than adequate to cover most remote events.
