SBS quickly on the scene with Inmarsat's BGAN

About three years ago SBS Broadcasting, the company behind Dutch commercial tv-stations SBS6, NET 5 and Veronica first started using an Inmarsat BGAN-system. As a flexible solution for ad hoc satellite communications BGAN allows reporters working for Hart van Nederland, Shownieuws and other popular programs to quickly arrive on to the scene and instantly start relaying footage to SBS’s production company in Amsterdam.

SBS first linked up with 2connect-IT at a demo of the Inmarsat BGAN satellite system by the satcom service provider, a little over three years ago. “From the outset we were impressed by the system’s straightforwardness”, says Ewoud Flameling, Chief Technical Facilities at SBS Productions. “What we had in mind was reporters abroad working on their own, as true one man bands. For that to happen, the system for relaying the footage had to be truly 'plug & play'. Thanks to the accompanying video software it really takes only two or three steps to get a news item to Amsterdam.”
Its compactness is another key characteristic of te BGAN system. Says Flameling: “Sometimes it is paramount to be on the scene really quickly, as was the case just after the recent plane crash in Tripoli. The quickest way to travel is with just hand baggage. The BGAN system fits neatly into a small rucksack and is therefore a truly 'fly-away’ satellite system.” An additional advantage of BGAN is that it does not require a broadcast permit, which means it can be employed anywhere without time consuming paperwork.
It was the codec provided with BGAN, however, that really clinched the deal for SBS when they were looking for a new satellite system. “It is the codec that determines the image quality of this type of broadcasts,” Flameling explains. “The items our people relay simply have to be of consistently good quality.” The video encoding 2connect-IT provides is based on the M-Link video software developed by British company Livewire. Flameling: “M-Link really is invaluable.”

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