NTT Electronics Successfully Completed the Test Transmission of Broadcasting of the Beijing Pre-Olympic Marathon using its MPEG-2 HD Encoders and Decoders
June 11, 2008

The excellent portability of NTT Electronics encoders and decoders enables broadcast transmission of HDTV video from OB Vans, helicopters, and motorcycles

NTT Electronics Corporation (hereafter, NTT Electronics; Tomoyuki Toshima, President, headquartered in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward), a supplier of high-quality video codec devices for broadcasting markets worldwide, is pleased to announce that its H5000 Series MPEG-2 HD Encoders/Decoders were used in the test transmission of broadcasting of the Pre-Olympic Marathon "Good Luck Beijing," held on April 20, 2008, and achieved successful broadcast transmission over long periods and distances. The Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (hereafter, BOB; headquartered in Beijing, China)(*1) employed the H5000 Series for the broadcasting test, transmitting HDTV video using FPUs(*2) mounted on OB vans, helicopters, and motorcycles, taking advantage of the excellent portability of the 1U half-rack size units running on DC 12V.

The Beijing Olympics will be a memorable event for the broadcasting industry, as it is the first Olympic Games for which all international video signals will be generated and distributed in HDTV. NTT Electronics encoders and decoders will be employed for international broadcasting of the opening and closing ceremonies, the marathons, cycling, race walking, and other events at the Beijing Olympics.

"The Beijing Olympics, where full-scale HDTV global broadcasting starts, will be a special and impressive Olympics for NTT Electronics, as we provide high quality video codec devices to broadcasting markets all over the world, and focus on the promotion of HDTV broadcasting. Our video codec devices will be used by the IBC(*3) and many other broadcasting stations for broadcast transmission of the Olympic Games, as well as by BOB. We are pleased and proud that our high quality video images will contribute to sharing the drama of games played in earnest by the best athletes in the world at this festival of sports with international audiences," said Hisashi Kasahara, General Manager of Multimedia Systems Division at NTT Electronics.

H5000 Series MPEG-2 HD Encoders/Decoders

Overview of H5000 Series
The HD/SD dual-supporting H5000 Series high video quality MPEG-2 encoder and decoder support 1080-24p, 1080i, 720p, 576i, 480i, and a maximum of two audio systems, for a total of eight-channel encoding. Taking advantage of the compact and light-weight 1U half-rack size units running on DC 12 V, it is easy to mount these encoders and decoders on mobile units, such as OB vans, helicopters, and motorcycles. The H5000 Series encoder and decoder are the ideal video codec devices for broadcast transmission of sports events such as the Pre-Olympic Marathon mentioned above.

Terminology

*1

Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co. Ltd.
The international video production department for the Beijing Olympics

*2

FPU
Abbreviation of Field Pickup Unit, a radio broadcast transmitter

*3

IBC
Abbreviation of the International Broadcast Center, the international broadcast center set up when an international event is held, such as the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup, in order to provide international video images to broadcasting stations worldwide.