The Australian government's VAST (Viewer Access Satellite Television) service stands as a direct-to-home digital satellite television service, offering comprehensive coverage across the entire nation. This service proves to be highly beneficial for viewers facing challenges in receiving digital signals from terrestrial transmitters in their respective areas. It provides a reliable free-to-air satellite television alternative, encompassing the full spectrum of digital channels.

Recent Purchase and Its Significance

Satellite Television & Radio Australia has recently made a significant purchase. They acquired an Appear TV XC flexible, modular head-end solution from Magna Systems for their VAST service. Adrian French from Magna explains, "Satellite Television & Radio Australia works closely with regional councils across Australia. They design and provide DTV transmission solutions, delivering terrestrial broadcasting to communities and leveraging VAST's distribution to access essential services. VAST includes programming from major networks like the ABC, SBS, Channel 7, Channel 9, and Channel 10, along with time-shifted versions where applicable. With aging equipment and the transition to high-definition broadcasting for several channels, they were tasked with enhancing and upgrading the re-broadcasting capabilities of various councils. That's where Magna came in, and we supplied them with the Appear TV XC Platform."

Requirements and the Chosen Solution

Satellite Television & Radio Australia had specific requirements. They needed the option to receive multiple satellite feeds, a common Interface (CI) CAM for decrypting all services, full PID remapping functionality to rebuild correct PSI/SI table information for specific regional council locations, the ability to rebuild Electronic Program Guides, and a minimum of four ASI outputs for transport stream delivery to their downstream DVB-T modulator across seven sites in Western Australia. To meet these demands, they purchased the Appear TV XC5100 platform from Magna.The XC Platform is a highly flexible and modular head-end solution for IPTV and broadcast distribution. It offers advanced media compression, stream processing, and robust de-scrambling capabilities. It supports distribution across various networks such as cable, satellite, terrestrial, and hospitality applications, providing versatile performance to meet all media needs.French further elaborates, "The XC Platform is a flexible, all-in-one solution for broadcast distribution. Its modular, high-density chassis design serves the broadcast distribution market, delivering a complete broadcast solution from a single platform. It is tailored to meet the unique content distribution needs of broadcasters and media service providers. For regional councils, it offers a low-footprint, reliable, and flexible solution to handle satellite feeds and present DVB-T ready transport streams for downstream modulation and transmission."

Work with Regional Councils

Satellite Television & Radio Australia collaborates with regional councils in Australia to maintain terrestrial broadcast delivery to local communities. This Appear TV solution from Magna Systems now enables remote communities to stay connected with the wider Australia, receiving news, sports, and entertainment for free.Glenn Welsh, the MD of Satellite Television & Radio Australia, adds, "In some cases, we are simply replacing older equipment, while in others, it's a green field installation. For a greenfield site, we are the prime integrator responsible for the design and installation of the antenna, satellite dish, modulator, and key elements of the overall solution. The Appear equipment lies at the heart of the workflow as it manipulates the source content and generates the required output for retransmission based on the location."

Performance and Advantages

It is evident that the Appear TV XC Platform supplied by Magna to Satellite Television & Radio Australia not only meets their needs but exceeds expectations in terms of performance, flexibility, and versatility. Adrian French concludes, "The density of the XC Platform solution was a crucial factor as real estate footprint is of great importance. Compared to other solutions that use multiple boxes, the Appear's sleek 1RU dual PSU chassis incorporates all I/O and processing requirements. The robustness of the solution is also paramount given the remote locations, and the durability provided by the Appear units is unmatched. The ease of control and management was also a key aspect to ensure simplicity throughout the product's life. Another significant bonus is the ability to accommodate the customer's preferred system architectures while reducing complexity. Finally, Satellite Television & Radio Australia required support from a local supplier who holds spares in the market for quick turnaround due to the remote planning required to attend sites. This service and support have been and are being provided by Magna Systems."