Sentech Selects NTT Electronics' Encoder/Decoder to Cover the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

South Africa’s state-owned communication service company Sentech has selected the HV9100 Series AVC/H.264 HDTV/SDTV encoder/decoder from NTT (News - Alert) Electronics as the codec equipment to be used in the HD coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

NTT Electronics deals in the fields of digital video, photonics and broadband networking.

During the 2010 FIFA world cup matches that will be played in ten stadiums across South Africa, Sentech’s satellite communications will be used for video coverage from the stadiums to the International Broadcast Center (IBC), which is the base for broadcasters from around the world. The NTT Electronics HV9100 Series will be installed in all the stadiums and will be used by Sentech to stream the feeds to the IBC.

In a release, NTT says that it has designed HV9100 series AVC/H.264 HDTV/SDTV encoder/decoder to cater to the demands of broadcast professionals and claims that its solution is the world's first High 4:2:2 Profile HDTV/SDTV encoder/decoder. The encoder/decoder supports both the MPEG-2 and AVC/H.264 video compression formats and can fit into any situation in this period of transition between any formats.

Sentech has stated that the MPEG-2 format will be used in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but they will also make use of the AVC/H.264 format in the future and the encoder/decoder is also compatible with the 4:2:2 Profile, allowing them to distribute high-definition video of Africa’s first FIFA World Cup in 2010.

The HV9100 series supports both HD (1080i / 720p) and SD (480i / 576i) and a maximum of two audio systems, for a total of eight-channel encoding and decoding. The HV9100 series also supports optionally up to 16 channels of audio input capability and an IP interface.

NTT has claimed that ever since it was released in January 2008, the HV9100 series has been deployed by many major broadcasting stations with a broad use ranging from domestic station content transmissions to contributions or distributions in Japan, North America, Europe and Brazil. The HV9100 had helped companies to stream the Beijing Olympics and UEFA 2008 and will also assist in streaming future sporting events like the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and 2012 London Olympics.

In related news, NTT Electronics had launched the ‘H.264/AVC’ HDTV real-time codec module, a PINEA module that incorporates PCI Express and unveiled its 4-Channel Encoder.