EtherGuide Systems Customers and Clients

Customers

KPTV Portland, OR/KPDX Vancouver, WA

Meredith Corporation's Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA duopoly of KPTV and KPDX employs the reliabilty, temporal and bit-stream standards-compliance and flexibility of EtherGuide Parallax to do something no other vendor of system information systems could provide: the ability to keep their Portland channel numbering of "12-1" and "49-1" throughout their digital television translator network.  EtherGuide Parallax's stringent compliance with the underlying ATSC, SCTE and MPEG-2 standards and implementation flexibility within those standards means that when viewers of KPTV and KPDX tune into the new combined translator network, most or all of those viewers will employ the same channel numbering as do Portland viewers.

KYES-DT (Anchorage, AK)

EtherGuide Systems first customer, KYES-DT, the MyNetworkTV affiliate for Anchorage (market rank #150), and much of the rest of Alaska.

KYES-TV/DT is owned by Fireweed Communications, Inc. and operated by Fireweed Communications, LLC. Jeremy Lansman is President and Chief Engineer of KYES-DT.

Jeremy Lansman is well known in the field and annals of non-commercial radio and is the Chief Engineer and genius in residence at KYES, which is the Alpha site for EtherGuide Systems and the non-disclosure agreement between Fireweed Communications, Inc. and EtherGuide Systems only prevents us from disclosing the confidential and trade secrets of the other party.

His insight into the needs and capabilities of small-market TV stations is almost as important to the development of EtherGuide Systems products as was his license fee that came well before EtherGuide Emissary and EtherGuide Ferret were ready for air.

If you'd like to hear his viewpoints on EtherGuide Emissary and EtherGuide Ferret, you might give him a call on 907-339-3800.

Navajo Nation Television Project (Window Rock, AZ)

The Navajo Nation has put the first digtal television station on air which is entirely owned by an Indian (tribal indigenous peoples of North America) tribe.  The Navajo Nation requested EtherGuide Systems to develop a system information generator that would enable the tribe's stations to comply with all ATSC and MPEG-2 metadata requirements without the need for an explensive traffic or automation system or a program listing service to provide program listings.

Using the exclusive "Sincronizada" technology from EtherGuide Systems, the Navajo Nation will be able to generate electronic program guide listings locally in any language, including the written Navajo language for their local programming.  In addition, the Sincronizada technology enables the NNTV station to repurpose applicable system information from primary station KNME-DT (PBS) Albuquerque, NM so their station's PBS virtual channel (in HDTV) always offers full electronic program guide information without requring any involvement of NNTV staff.

What needs does your station or cable system have that other vendors of system information generators cannot or will not provide? 

Clients

KNME-DT (PBS) Albuquerque, New Mexico (University of New Mexico)

Jim Gale, the well-regarded Chief Engineer of KNME-DT Albuquerque, NM/KNMD-DT Santa Fe (both New Mexico) retained EtherGuide Systems to analyze the two originating digital stations operated by the University of New Mexico to try to resolve severe reception problems that arose after a transport stream reconfiguration. Previous analysis had indicated there were no radio frequency (RF) issues with the signals of KNME and the low power station KNMD.  .

Without knowledge or interest in the particulars of the transmission chain, and using a variety of analysis tools, EtherGuide Systems produced detailed reports that clearly identified standards compliance issues with distinct references to the associated provisions and, where applicable, FCC rules.

Using the reports, KNME was able to isolate problems that were caused by particular pieces of equipment that were solved when the maker provided firmware updates, and by rationlizing transport stream workflow by removing or bypassing equipment that were creating errors in mandatory descriptors and MPEG-2 packets.

As a result, KNME was able to effectively expand service to previously disenfranchised viwers without taking the main station or translator network off air nor the purchase of additonal equipment.

KWTV-DT/News 9 (CBS) Oklahoma City, OK (Griffin Communications LLC)

Griffin Communication's VP of Technology, John Schilberg, retained EtherGuide Systems to prepare a PSIP plan to minimize audience disruption and maximize their opportunity for future virtual channels. KWTV-DT had been operating on RF channels 9 and 39 under STA and wanted to transition exclusively to channel 39. The plan prepared by EtherGuide Systems analyzed transition options from abrupt to graceful. Griffin Communications chose the graceful approach, moving to a single program service with dual virtual channels and branding via PSIP. Audience disruptions were minimized by a combination of factors, including specific RF channel 9 PSIP changes so as few receivers as possible would be confused when that transmitter was turned off. The plan was written in a vendor-neutral manner and was compliant with all applicable FCC regulations and standards. Schilberg commented, “The plan EtherGuide Systems developed met all of our goals and was clever and elegant.”

How can EtherGuide Systems help your station maximize use of your digital transmission facilities? For assistance, send an email message to [email protected], instant message via skype to jmwillkie, (MSN IM to [email protected]), or call on +1 619-567-9486.