BarcoNet installs digital headend for Kosmos

KORTRIJK -- BarcoNet is pleased to announce the delivery and installation of a complete end-to-end digital headend system to Kosmos TV in Moscow, one of the largest wireless cable operators in Russia.

From the studio/headend, a studio-to-transmitter link was also established by BarcoNet's Lynx fiber optic backbone system, directly to the top of the Ostankino transmission tower (500m high). The multitude of digital programs and services are then distributed over Kosmos TV's MMDS network. Both the digital headend and transmission link are centrally managed by BarcoNet's ROSA network management system.

BarcoNet has supplied a digital headend, including conditional access. One of the main benefits of BarcoNet's comprehensive range of open standards digital products is guaranteed equipment compatibility throughout the chain: from video acquisition over processing and encoding, to transmission via backbone and network management.

On-site tests have shown that the QAM signal was receivable up to 50 km from the tower, covering the entire Moscow area. Mikhail Smetnik, general director of Kosmos TV,said, “BarcoNet was selected among other suppliers due to the complete range of products it can offer. The system is unique for the CIS, and definitely offers Moscow inhabitants the most advanced services of interactive TV combined with fast Internet access.”

Stefaan Verhelst, Vice President of Sales and Services of BarcoNet, said: "The digital headend at Kosmos TV is a reference project in Europe, and proves that Eastern Europe is clearly investing in bringing professional quality services to their customers. The smooth roll-out of the project demonstrates once again that our digital headend solutions, based on our GALAXY platform, are very flexible and easy to integrate. GALAXY is entirely based on open standards, and can be used for any application, be it wireless, cable, terrestrial or satellite."