On 21 February 2008, Kordia handed over New Zealand’s Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) service to broadcasters for testing.

This was no mean feat. Charged with the design, implementation and operation of a complete DTT transmission network for New Zealand, Kordia had a massive job on its hands.

It was a mission that started with securing transmission contracts with buy-in from the country’s major broadcasters. Close co-operation between Kordia, Freeview New Zealand, major broadcasters and government led to the design of a truly world-class DTT network.

The result was a blueprint for a network with both standard and high definition (SD and HD) capability through the use of MPEG-4 video encoding; a capacity that enabled up to eight SD channels per multiplexer.

“Our New Zealand project involved full end-to-end systems design. We developed new DTT greenfield sites and integrated the DTT systems into existing broadcast sites and systems and combiners,” says DTT Project Manager, Alan Turner.

“Despite the country’s difficult terrain and low population density, we ensured maximum household penetration to satisfy cost constraints.

“In New Zealand we achieved greater spectrum efficiency by implementing single frequency networks (SFN) in some areas. This required precise coverage engineering to avoid timing issues that can lead to reception interference.

“We also developed tools for verifying transmitting antenna performance using helicopters. This reduced the time and expense of antenna commissioning and ensured early identification of any issues,” said Turner.

Leading the world in deployment of an entirely multicast IP-based DTT distribution network, Kordia also eliminated the need for a dedicated broadcast television distribution network and ensured increased flexibility for future network expansion.

“A technically complex project like rolling out a DTT network requires specialist management,” says Turner. “Kordia has over 60 years’ experience in stakeholder consultation, vendor pre-selection, equipment valuation and selection, and contractual negotiations.

“This, and our extensive installation, commissioning and maintenance experience ensured that project deployment—including site operational components and end-to-end commissioning—was completed on time, on budget and to Kordia’s exacting quality standards,” Turner said.