Guatemala goes HD with Harris for Cup coverage

Harris Corporation s Broadcast Communications Division (BCD) today announced that Radio Television Guatemala has purchased a turnkey HDTV transmission, encoding and master control package for the broadcaster s digital television launch in the Guatemala City region. Radio Television Guatemala s first HDTV broadcast, the inaugural Soccer World Cup ceremony and match airing today, marks the first HDTV broadcast in Central America. The station will continue with over-the-air digital and HDTV broadcasts on Channel 19 on a regular basis following the conclusion of the World Cup.

Radio Television Guatemala is excited to work with Harris for our initial foray into HDTV, said Mr. Angel Gonzales, owner and president of Radio Television Guatemala. This is the first step in digital television deployment in Central and South America, and our group plans to be very supportive of the process as it continues to build momentum in the Latin American region. Our DTV launch, coinciding with the very popular Soccer World Cup games, should prove to be a springboard for digital deployment throughout the region.

Harris will help with installation of a Harris Ranger ATSC 1kW transmitter, Harris NetVX HD encoders, and a Leitch IconMaster SD/HD-configurable master control system including character crawls and squeezeback effects; and NEO XHD series up- and down-converters. The equipment at the main transmission site in Guatemala City, a Leitch NEXIO video server, will be used for content storage and playout.

The Harris Ranger will be outfitted with the company s Apex exciter, featuring RTAC (real-time adaptive correction) technology to provide the best possible picture quality through enhanced digital signal processing. Harris will also provide transmission line, RF loads, combiners, and power management equipment to prepare the facility for digital and HDTV transmission.

Harris is well-regarded as a digital television pioneer, and they have been working very actively to bring digital and HDTV to Latin America, said Edgar Sandoval, director of engineering, Radio Television Guatemala. Digital television deployment is a major technical challenge, and Harris knowledge and experience will help spread digital TV beyond Guatemala City to greater Latin America.

Harris is privileged that Radio Television Guatemala has entrusted our company with providing the equipment for their digital television launch, said Nahuel Villegas, regional director of Harris Broadcast Division for Latin America and the Caribbean. This is a major television event in Latin America for viewers, and an important time in the history of Radio Television Guatemala. We believe our comprehensive transmission, encoding and master control equipment will prove valuable for end-to-end digital and HDTV content delivery moving forward.