DIPOL Weekly Review - TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

Will it shake up TV market in Europe?

Since January, Netflix, American leader in on-demand Internet streaming media available via the Internet (Over-the-Top TV - OTT), has been providing its services in the UK. For less than 6 pounds a month the subscriber gets access to a collection of 100,000 movie titles!!!
Which is extremely important, the OTT service is available via mobile phones, tablets, or consoles connected to normal TVs. The largest manufacturers of televisions with Smart TV functions promise to support the Netflix service.
A major advantage of the service is graded quality, including High Definition video and 5.1 surround sound, which is novelty in the on-demand video market. In this respect, the new offer beats LOVEFiLM, already present in the UK.
However, there are minimum requirements for the Internet connections, from 1.5 Mbps to 8 Mbps, depending on the quality of the video feed. This may somewhat hinder the implementation of such services in regions and countries with less developed telecommunications infrastructure.
Netflix offers its service on a "cloud computing" basis, using Amazon EC2 (Elastic Computing Cloud 2) platform, with over 1 Petabyte of data stored there.

OTT services are available via mobile phones, tablets, or consoles connected normal TVs
(source: hulu.com)

Is the service model offered by Netflix able to compete with traditional TV services?
The case of the United Kingdom shows that the main magnet to customers is the feature not available on traditional television market - almost unlimited choice of movies that can be watched any time and (nearly) in every place.
The Netflix service perfectly illustrates the prevailing trend in television technology - migration to the Internet and "Cloud Computing" area, with possibility to watch everything-anytime-anywhere-on-anything.

Is the rest of Europe nearing a revolution similar to that in the UK?
The activity of Netflix shows that it is possible. In 2011, the company entered a completely new market, which was South America. Since then, it has been providing services in several countries in this continent.
Another European country to be served is Spain, where the on-demand service will start this year already.

Remote control of CCTV DVRs.

In many CCTV systems it is advantageous to install the DVR(s) in a site other than the operator's room with the monitor and console. Below we present several ways of transmitting the video and control signals.

The DVR is controlled remotely with its RC through IR remote control extender Signal-Link R93109 (transmission via coaxial cable). The video from the DVR is transmitted via active HDMI cable H1302,
over a distance up to 30 m

The DVR is controlled remotely with its RC through IR remote control extender Signal-Link R93109 (transmission via coaxial cable).
The video from the VGA output of the DVR is transmitted to the monitor via UTP cable,
using CAT5 VGA Extender TRVGA300 M1679.

The CAT5 VGA Extender TRVGA300 M1679 is capable of sending video with resolution up to 1900x1200 pixels.

A similar configuration, with employing Etrix baluns to eliminate coaxial cable

Feeding video signals from security cameras into SMATV systems based on bus architecture

(part 1 - CCTV images distributed as analog TV channels). The application of multiswitch systems based on bus architecture is the most universal and reliable way to distribute television signals in shared antenna systems. The systems can be easily adapted for distribution of images from CCTV cameras.

The diagram shows the idea of feeding signals from surveillance cameras to the bus linking Terra multiswitches. Such systems are suitable for delivering SAT TV, TV, DVB-T and FM radio signals to hundreds of outlets, using only one antenna array.

An example configuration of a multiswitch system based on bus topology
for distributing SAT TV, DVB-T, and CCTV signals

DVB-T multiplexes are distributed via a set of modern, digitally programmable channel amplifiers Terra at420 R82510. The images from 6 CCTV cameras are fed to the system through three twin modulators mt420 R82515. Each of theses units is equipped with two VSB modulators with a maximum output level of 90 dBuV, which fully satisfies the requirements of further processing.
A very important feature of the mt420 modulators is the possibility of mounting them on universal DIN rail, which takes much less space and allows for better cable management in comparison with conventional solutions based on standalone single-channel modulators.

In the next issue we will present a method for injecting signals from surveillance cameras in the form of an additional digital DVB-T multiplex.

Optical transmission standards.

When designing and installing optical transmission systems, it is important to correctly interpret optical transmission standards. The table below lists the most commonly used standards with their basic characteristics.

Each marking includes three basic components coding the transmission features:

Rechargeable battery capacity.

Electrical capacity is the basic parameter characterizing any rechargeable battery. Due to the fact that the capacity depends on the discharge conditions, it is usually rated for 10-hour discharge current, at room temperature (e.g. 2 A when the the rated capacity of the battery is 20 Ah). To determine how long the battery will work with actual load, manufacturers provide graphs showing discharge characteristics for different discharge currents.

How to create an email account for NUUO products?

Surveillance software packages NUUO K3104, K3108, K3116, K3132 and network video recorders Titan K4204, NVRmini K4108, K4316 can send email notifications to predefined email addresses. To run the email notification service, the administrator has to create an account on Gmail, from which the notifications will be sent, and then:

Email configuration window

Via the email account the operator can be notified about motion detection and various system events such as:

Connecting two local area networks - ULTIAIR.

The LANs can be connected via a wireless bridge composed of ULTIAIR devices which are characterized by short delays and high throughput. They can be managed via WinBox utility or telnet. They operate in unlicensed 5 GHz band - no special permissions are needed. The devices can operate as client or base stations.
The RouterBoard with Mikrotik system has been put in outdoor IP66 rated housing, which guarantees full protection against adverse weather conditions and corrosive environments (industry).

Worth reading:

Upgrading satellite systems for PVR receivers. The solution shown below is dedicated to people who simultaneously want to watch and record two different channels from any of the two satellite positions they receive.

It uses TWIN MONOBLOCK LNB A98254 and subscriber terminal outlet SIGNAL TV/FM/SAT1/SAT2 (PVR) R694140. The installers/users of Monoblock, Twin Monoblock, and Quad Monoblock LNBs should know that each model is designed for a specific size of the dish.

A simple SAT TV system allowing the user to simultaneously watch and record any two channels
from two satellites

Low-cost wireless monitoring solution for properties. The video from a security camera located at the entrance to the property can be transmitted wirelessly with the use of the transmitter/receiver set Signal TR-3000 R94110. This installation requires only a short length of cable connecting the camera to the transmitter and power supply. Selecting one of the 4 channels in 5.8 GHz band, the user can watch the image from the camera on the TV, free from noise and interference that may occur the case of transmitters operating in the 2.4 GHz band...

The concept of a low-cost wireless monitoring solution
with the preview of the image on a TV

How does DDNS work? Computers (hosts) on the Internet are seen in the form of numeric IP addresses, e.g. 62.121.128.13. Remembering multiple IP addresses in this form is difficult, that's why DNS (Domain Name System) provides possibility of using "normal" names. This means that there is no need to keep in mind the address 62.121.128.13, but it is sufficient to remember www.dipol.com.pl. Translation of the domain name into the set of numbers is performed by the appropriate DNS server, to which the user's computer sends the request for the translation of the address. After receiving the response with the numeric address, the computer connects to the relevant computer/server...

www.No-IP.com is a free DDNS service

Index of published issues