C-SPAN Taps Moto for All-Digital
Motorola will supply its Digicipher-II video encoding systems to enable C-SPAN Network’s transition from analog to digital distribution. Motorola’s modular uplink system and commercial receiver/decoders (IRDs) will be deployed to make all three C-SPAN SD services available in a digital format starting this June. The transition is intended to enable C-SPAN to optimize the efficiency of its infrastructure to deliver more compelling opportunities to view government activities, including the future delivery of HD services.
C-SPAN will continue to operate two satellite transponders. The first will carry C-SPAN in the legacy analog format to ensure reception by all existing affiliates. The current C-SPAN2 transponder will transition from analog to digital to carry C-SPAN, C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3 digital programming. Initially, this will be carried as SD using MPEG-2 video compression but will expand to include MPEG-4 as C-SPAN enhances its lineup with three HD channels.