Designed to allow cable operators to aggregate multiple HDTV programs received in IP format and to deliver them over a standard coaxial distribution network, the EQAM-420A was ranked a “well-designed” and “flexible” edge QAM unit by the Diamond judges. The product accepts up to 24 HD MPEG-2/H.264 transport streams in unencrypted (clear) 1000Base-T Ethernet format, and aggregates them in up to eight QAM RF channels in the 54-996 MHz range.
It can be configured with one or two output modules, each capable of delivering four adjoining QAM channels, and each QAM channel can contain up to three HD programs. “I can see this being used in a commercial or hotel environment to deliver a custom lineup with or without Pro:Idiom encryption,” said one Diamonds judge. It could be fed by IP over fiber or direct from satellite receivers, he added, or it could be used in a small system headend in place of more expensive edge QAM devices.http://www.blondertongue.comSee them at Cable-Tec EXPO, booth 908Return to the BTR Diamond Technology Reviews Elite.
