Modernisation in Bhutan Broadcasting Service
31
Modernisation in Bhutan Broadcasting Service
by Rajesh Kr. Kafley Chief Engineer, BBS-Bhutan
network is underway. Similarly, for FM radio BBS has over 30 FM Transmitting stations, all across the country, with powers ranging from 4W to 1KW.
Progress in the Studio
BBS started operating its first broadcasts from a small studio, which it used for about three years. In 2003, using its own in-house capabilities, BBS designed a new studio and gave itself a facelift. A big generator shed was modified and converted into a professional studio. However the professional studio could not be complimented by professional equipment, due to financial constraints.
BBS Studio in Thimpu
Television Broadcasting in Bhutan was launched on 2 June 1999, coinciding with the silver jubilee celebration of the coronation of Bhutan’s fourth King. Till then, Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) had been only a radio station. The one-hour TV programme per day was first broadcast only in Thimphu, the capital city, but it was soon possible to take the signal to two main towns of the country namely Phuentsholing and Paro using Bhutan Telecom’s lines. Low power (150W) transmitters were used in Band III channel 7 to transmit the signal terrestrially. It was only after the establishment of an Satellite Earth Station, towards the end of 2005, that the signal was made available all over the country, using satellite.
Using a Satellite Platform
The signal, transmitted via satellite, made it possible for BBS to strengthen its terrestrial transmission. Both FM and TV signals, for terrestrial transmitters are fed via satellite. Several TVRO systems have been established with low-power transmitters to cover terrestrially. In Bhutan, a mountainous country with rugged terrain, coverage using terrestrial networks is a big challenge.
At present BBS has 20 TV transmitting stations all over the country with transmitting powers ranging from 150W to 1KW, operating mostly in Band III channel 5 and 7. This, along with cable service gives, approximately 60% of population coverage. Further expansion of the terrestrial
It was only in 2009 that new TV centre was built with assistance from the government of India. The TV centre had one programme and one news studio. With this new building BBS acquired state-of-the-art studio facilities with News Room Automation and Program Play Out Systems. The system comprised four main servers each for News Room control system, automation, video servers and graphics. Thus, in a short span of time BBS moved from a fully tape-based medium to a semi tape based system with video output in DV25 format and analogue audio.
Second TV Channel
Faced with challenges of upholding its Public Service mandates and at the same time meeting public demand to have more entertainment-based programs, BBS have recently launched a new satellite based TV channel named as BBS 2. This was also a way of catering to the government’s demand for the live airing of both upper house and lower house Parliament sessions. In addition, it has enabled BBS to venture into more commercial activities, towards being financially sustainable in the long run, through the second channel.
The new channel was launched in one and a half months. On the satellite transmission side all that was required was to upgrade the transmission system from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 so the existing bandwidth could accommodate two TV channels..
However while doing so it was also necessary to design the system in such a way that the existing terrestrial stations, with MPEG-2 receivers, were not disrupted. This
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48