Televisions of the future.

Television sales in Europe have remained stable for several years. Manufacturers of televisions are looking for new, unique solutions that will convince customers to exchange their TVs for newer models. At CES 2018 in Las Vegas, the largest trade fair for consumer electronics, they presented a number of innovative TV models. LG showed a 65-inch flexible OLED panel with UHD resolution, which can be rolled up like a poster. Its appearance resembles a projector screen which is unreeled from the bottom to the top. Before or after turning the TV off, the screen can be hidden in a discreet rectangular box. This allows both for safe and trouble-free transport to any place and more efficient use of room space. In addition, it does not matter if the user is looking at the TV screen straight or at an angle, the image features the same, perfect quality.

4K LG Display made in OLED technology can be rolled up. It can be unrolled from a base only partially, turning into an informational display that can show family photos, the weather, or simply the date and time.

OLED displays are produced from organic substances. Their elements, organic light-emitting diodes, are arranged in the form of a film of organic compound that emits light in response to an electric current.

A completely different vision was presented by Samsung, which presented a large TV with a diagonal of 146" (3.7 m), called "The Wall". The huge TV screen is in fact built of several smaller elements that can be set in any way, and in the future such screen could even be extended with additional ones. The matrix has been made in an innovative MicroLED technology.

The big panel consists of millions of light-emitting microchips. In contrast to OLED technology that uses organic substances, MicroLED is based on conventional GaN LED technology. The MicroLED diodes are distinguished by extremely small dimensions. They are smaller than 0.1 mm (typical diameter of a human hair).

What are the requirements for computers used in Hikvision monitoring systems?

An extensive monitoring system, in addition to standard cameras and DVRs/NVRs, may require additional devices such as hardware IP video and audio decoders (e.g. DS-6404HDI-T K2304) used for displaying HD video from IP cameras or encoders on multiple monitors or video walls, dedicated workstations running iVMS-4200 client application, or stream servers - Stream Media Server and Storage Server. The diagram below presents the architecture of such a system.

The performance of the workstation should be determined by the number of channels and recording and displaying resolutions. It directly depends on bit rates and codecs used (to be discussed in the next issue of the Newsletter).

Requirements for workstations running the client application:

Requirements for storage and stream media servers:

SMATV system in a hotel.

The pictures below show fragments of the antenna system deployed in a hotel in Zakopane, Poland. The hotel complex consists of three buildings, one of them carries master antenna set composed of the LOG 5-12/21-60 A4015 DVB-T antenna and 90 cm Corab satellite dish. Thanks to the application of two GT-WB1 A98222 LNBs and SRM-522 R80522 multiswitch, all working in Wide Band technology, the system allows for reception of satellite channels from two satellite positions with the use of only 4 coaxial cables. The cables (Triset-113 PE E1017) transmit the signals to the building that houses TERRA headend and other equipment. The installation has been made by Dipvision company.

The system also distributes hotel channel which is injected through Signal-400 R86700 DVB-T modulator. The input HDMI signal comes from a player managed via LAN. All the signals in the DVB-T COFDM standard are distributed to 112 rooms equipped with Signal RTV R694130 outlets. Each of the two smaller buildings of the hotel complex has been equipped with TERRA HS-004L R82032 house amplifier, which ensures that every outlet provides signals at least at 50 dBμV level. All system components have been installed in TPR-23p+w R90567 housings (600x400x200 mm).

FreeIP - mobile application for Signal IP cameras.

Remote viewing of images from Signal IP cameras on mobile devices is possible via FreeIP application. The app is dedicated for Android or iOS smartphones. A camera can be added to the app by entering its serial number, by scanning its QR code, or entering its IP address. Having Wi-Fi connection, the user can scan the network to add new devices. The application also can work on the basis of a free cloud, thanks to which access to cameras from the external network is possible in a simple and quick way without having to route ports. After connecting and switching on a camera, the user of the app can add it by entering the main menu, clicking the Devices -> Add device -> Serial number tab and scanning the QR code located by the serial number of the camera. For proper operation it is also necessary to complete basic network settings of the camera.

FreeIP - free app for mobile devices

Fiber optics - single or dual fiber connections?

Installers can choose solutions based on Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM), which require only one fiber for bidirectional data transmission or those with two fibers (duplex). Choosing a solution, they usually take into consideration its cost and the number of fibers available in the cable. However, there is one more technical aspect associated with the use of one or two wavelengths.

In the simplest form, WDM transmission uses two different wavelengths in one fiber (typically 1310 and 1550 nm, like in the case of the L11521 media converter). Duplex solutions use two fibers and only one wavelength (e.g. 1310 nm) in the both fibers. In each case, the characteristic feature of fiber optic transmission is the fact that different wavelengths are differently attenuated by the fiber optic fiber. This also applies to macrobending attenuation, i.e. the attenuation caused by bends exceeding 2 mm in diameter. Generally, fiber bends cause substantially higher attenuation for longer wavelengths.

The graph shows that accidental fiber bending will result in different attenuation for different wavelengths - for example, a 20 mm bend does not cause significantly greater attenuation at the wavelength of 1310 nm, but in the case of the wavelength of 1550 nm, the attenuation of the bend will exceed 2 dB. Compared with normal attenuation of the fiber at the level of about 0.25 dB/km, the loss increase is gigantic.

In the case of systems using more than one wavelength, every installer should be aware of the above phenomenon. That is why it is generally recommended to take measurements at all wavelengths used in the installation.

New HDMI to DVB-T modulator.

The R86211 modulator is a multipurpose device that converts the input audio-video signal provided to its HDMI or A/V input to RF channel modulated in DVB-T COFDM standard. The device is a single-channel modulator, which means that the output DVB-T multiplex contains one channel modulated by the signal from a single source. High quality of the modulation is guaranteed by the application of H.264 codec and bit rate up to 31 Mbps. Wide configuration options allow for combining the output DVB-T multiplex with existing DVB-T broadcasts distributed in the system, in a manner chosen by the administrator or investor.

View of the SIGNAL HDMI to COFDM (DVB-T) modulator R86211 with HDCP support

Distinguishing features:

• HDMI to DVB-T modulator (output: digital DVB-T mux)
• Conversion of signals from any HDMI source (full support for HDCP)
• High quality digital HD/SD output signal (H.264, bit rate up to 31 Mbps)
• Ideal for SMATV/MATV systems, hotels electronics stores, shopping malls, pubs etc.
• Simple installation, intuitive configuration

Thanks to the support for HDCP protocol, the source signal may come from a variety of devices: a multimedia player, DVR or Blu-ray player, PC, STB etc. The modulator can distribute high quality content in the form of DVB-T multiplex via typical RF coaxial cables used in antenna and CCTV systems.

Satellite and terrestrial TV signals over single coax. To use two satellite receivers or the function of simultaneous recording and watching two different channels provided by a PVR (Personal Video Recorder), it is necessary to have two independent SAT signals. Individual satellite installations with a SINGLE type LNB installed several or more years ago cannot provide such a functionality... >>>more

An application diagram of the multi-band converter KIT Johansson R85261.
Transmission of two independent DVB-S/S2 signals (from one satellite)
and DVB-T broadcasts via one coaxial cable (red).

SIGNAL rack cabinets - performance and completeness