Digita's wireless camera network goes live for news in Helsinki

Digita's new service, Live@City was used for the first time in a live broadcast when the Finnish broadcaster, Channel Four Finland, used the new digital service to cover the Finnish presidential elections.
Three live news clips were made from a Helsinki downtown nightclub where the supporters of the other candidate, Mr Sauli Niinistö, were gathered on the day of the election.
Live@City is new kind of service for mobile newsgroups and other teams using wireless cameras. It is a wireless service is based upon a cellular receive network designed by Link Research.
Digita has built the network so that any TV Channel can bring wireless cameras into Helsinki as a news story breaks and their live pictures will be delivered through Digita's network. There is no need to bring OB vehicles with satellite dishes and uplinks.
This new network uses Link Research's Cellular Diversity concept where COFDM signals from a digital wireless camera system are reflected off buildings and travel directly to fixed receivers installed in the city.
Link Research won the Peter Wayne Award for its Cellular Diversity technology in 2005. It is an ideal solution for newsgathering in cities because it enables a cameraman to cover a breaking news story without a large OB vehicle.
Digita Oy is the leading Finnish distributor of radio and television services, and an important developer of data communication networks and network infrastructure. Digita's nationwide organisation ensures the high quality of services 24 hours a day. Customers include television and radio broadcasting companies, as well as mobile and broadband operators. The company's turnover was 89 million euros in 2004 and it employs 374 people. Digita is part of the international TDF Group.
Link Research was started by David and Len Mann, to produce equipment for the field of professional TV. The company manufactures encoders, encoder/modulators and the LinkXP wireless camera system, which won the IABM's Peter Wayne Award for Design and Innovation 2002.
Link Research was given the Queen's Award for Enterprise, for Innovation in 2004 and won the Peter Wayne Award for the second time in 2005 for its Cellular Diversity newsgathering concept.
Link's customers now include many big names in broadcasting, such as the BBC, BT, ITN, Sky News, ABC, NBC, CBS and NTL. The company has a network of over 30 distributors.
Visit www.linkres.co.uk for further information.
(SP)