Envivio, after extensive competitive testing of its 4Caster HD30 video encoders have been purchased by CANAL+. The systems are to be deployed both in mobile trucks and at the CANAL+ broadcast center in Warsaw, Poland to support contribution of live HD football programming over both fiber and microwave links. CANAL+ recently won the rights to televise live football for the next three years.
The 4Caster HD30 HD encoder enables broadcasters to contribute high quality HD video in the same satellite bandwidth they currently use for SD contribution. This means that for the first time HD news and sports contribution is feasible within almost any sized market. End-to-end latencies as low as 300 milliseconds make the HD30 an excellent choice for bi-directional applications such as studio anchors interviewing reporters in the field. Outstanding video quality at below 8 Mbps combined with advanced DVB-S2 modulation means that broadcasters can cover local sports events in HD for the same per minute price they typically pay for SD feeds encoded using MPEG-2.
A number of additional features were of critical importance to the CANAL+ evaluation team. The HD30 has built-in two way voice intercom capability as a standard feature to provide easy communication between stadium and playout center staff. The system can be easily and completely configured via a web-based interface or from the system's front panel which gives operators access to all features and settings.