Eutelsat offers with NewsSpotter an interesting option for contributing news via satellite

Compact enough to be carried in a backpack as carry-on luggage and small enough to be installed on the roof of a car, NewsSpotter can instantly connect recording equipment to studios for the transmission of data, images and for making live recordings.

Eutelsat Communications has presented a new and innovative satellite news contribution service that under the name NewsSpotter expands the range of professional services provided through Eutelsat's high-performance KA-SAT satellite, provided through its subsidiary Skylogic.

Using a new generation of lighter equipment, NewsSpotter expands the possibilities, simplifies the work for camera operators and filmmakers and offers broadcast stations and service providers the ability to transmit video in high definition or standard quality in directly in a more efficient and economical way. The service is also ideal for quickly streaming copies of recordings and transferring proxy files from anywhere.

Compact enough to be carried in a backpack as carry-on luggage and small enough to be installed on the roof of a car, NewsSpotter can instantly connect recording equipment to studios for the transmission of data, images and for making live recordings. Providing native IP connectivity, NewsSpotter is seamlessly integrated for modern news distribution workflows and operations and is available in areas under KA-SAT satellite coverage: Europe, North Africa and large parts of the Middle East.

From the place of the news directly to the screen. The NewsSpotter terminal and satellite dish can be set up in just two minutes, including automatic deployment, satellite pointing and connection. In addition, bandwidth can be reserved online by the news recording teams themselves, using a self-reservation or pre-reservation application, thus guaranteeing the broadcast plan. Users simply need to register on the Skylogic OSS portal, enter their terminal number, user number, location, required time slots and bit rate on forward and return links.

NewsSpotter uses professional-grade terminals for video delivery from recording equipment to editing and control studios. Using standard IP routing the service is capable of transmitting at speeds of up to 20Mbps through the KA-SAT satellite and its complete ground infrastructure.

NewsSpotter user terminals have been developed by several manufacturers in three different versions, one for each need: Fly Away, Vehicular Compact and Vehicular Rugged. Specifically, Fly Away terminals require manual pointing at the satellite and have the configuration and dimensions of a backpack or carry-on luggage; They weigh between 5 and 10 kg and the size of the dish of their satellite dish ranges between 60 and 75 cm in diameter. For its part, the Compact Vehicular terminal has been motorized, has the ability to self-point at the satellite and is available with parabolic antennas between 75 and 90 cm in dish diameter; while, finally, Vehicular Rugged allows mounting an antenna up to 120cm in diameter.

Broadcasters such as BBC, RTL, RAI and Sky have already tested the NewsSpotter system by carrying out live broadcasts across Europe.

NewsSpotter operates via Eutelsat's high-throughput KA-SAT satellite, which entered commercial service on May 31, 2011. With a total capacity of more than 70 Gbps, KA-SAT has ushered in a new era of satellite services an competitive price for end consumers, businesses and now for broadcasters. The satellite is the cornerstone of a new infrastructure that includes eight satellite gateways in Europe interconnected to the Internet by a fiber optic network ring.

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