Contemporary Research HDTV Tuner Keeps Helicopter News Broadcasts In Sync With Studio Needs

April 18th, 2009 in Case Studies

DALLAS, April 19, 2009 - The Contemporary Research 232-ATSC HDTV Tuner has
become standard equipment for operators of TV station helicopters when they race
to cover breaking news.

Once overhead and hovering, the helicopter’s electronic news gathering system
allows the pilot and reporter to synchronize with the studio and enables them to
anticipate the take for the shot and the hand-off from newscaster to helicopter
reporter.

ENG is an application going through a digital transition. In the past, CR’s 232-series
analog TV tuners have been handling the task; now operators are upgrading to the
232-ATSC HDTV Tuner.

“Employing digital TV is part science, part art, and mostly trial and error,” states one
company’s video engineer. “Bristling with advanced avionics and HD ENG gear, a
helicopter is a hotbed of EMI to begin with. The spinning rotors overhead add
another layer of interference, and the metal body of the aircraft can block reception
as well. Add to that the fact that ATSC was never designed for moving TV reception,
and you’ve got a big challenge.

“Our solutions are always evolving as we experiment with placement of multiple
high-end antennas for the best reception. Once we hover for the shot, we can lock in
to the station’s signal and manage the broadcast in full HD.”

Attention NAB attendees: To see a CR-232-ATSC installed, please visit Helicopters Inc.’s booth C3646 where you will see an actual news helicopter equipped with our 232-ATSC HDTV Tuner. And also please visit CR at Booth SL6428.

About Contemporary Research
Contemporary Research designs and creates solutions for an HDTV world, offering cutting edge
products, HDTV display control, digital signage, and tuning. In addition, CR supports a
proven line of analog TV tuners, closed-captioning tools, as well as commercial and
educational media systems. For more information about Contemporary Research products,
visit us on the web at www.crwww.com or call (888) 972-2728.