[SatNews] ...broadcasters no longer have to pay for satellite bandwidth every time they deploy a remote contribution unit within the footprint of their satellite distribution network.

By reusing the existing satellite bandwidth in their distribution network, broadcasters, in essence, get a free return transmission of video and data from their remote news gathering units. As satellite bandwidth becomes scarcer and more expensive, this solution becomes very attractive to broadcasters who also deploy remote contribution units.

The Hope Channel is the international broadcasting unit of the Seventh Day Adventist Church providing programs on holistic Christian living focusing on faith, health, relationships, and community. They broadcast 23 channels on four continents. The trial was implemented at the Rede Novo Tempo de Comunicação broadcast center in Brazil. During the trial, using the broadcaster’s DVB-S distribution bandwidth, NovelSat FreeBand provided up to 56 percent extra bandwidth for a new contribution channel.

With NovelSat FreeBand, broadcasters who use satellite bandwidth to send video and data to the point-to-multipoint distribution network can now reuse the same bandwidth to receive video from remote contribution units such as Satellite News Gathering (SNG) trucks, flyaways and remote studios. In essence, with NovelSat FreeBand, broadcasters no longer have to pay for satellite bandwidth every time they deploy a remote contribution unit within the footprint of their satellite distribution network. This translates into huge savings in operational costs.