Macau TDM (Teledifusão de Macau) provides public broadcasting news services in this Special Administrative Region of greater China. Running five digital terrestrial television channels, a satellite television channel and two radio channels, the broadcaster recently extended its HD network with the addition of four BroaMan Mux22 interfaces, provided by Hong Kong-based systems integrator, ProHarmony Technology (PHT).

Macau itself is situated on China’s southern coast, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong, and the new installation is specifically to service requirements at the Macau HQ. PHT is a long-term service partner of the broadcaster, having worked with Macau TDM over the past ten years; the latest provision of Mux22s expands the existing system, giving six in total.

The multiplexer supports every signal in use in the professional environment, combining 3G/HD/SD-SDI I/O with Optocore and SANE digital audio networks, to create an elegant solution to transport video, audio and data, on duplex fibre. One of its advantages is the ability to handle these multiple system protocols in a compact, 1U-high unit, and in this application it transports signals over distances up to 1km.

With Chinese and Portuguese its two official languages, since Macau TDM specialises in news, two of the Mux22’s are used to transport audio, video and intercom between the Master Control Room and the main news room studio. A further pair are used similarly for broadcast of the Macau Grand Prix Formula 3 Racing every year through the streets in late November.

‘The customer was already familiar with the Mux22, as we demonstrated it a long time ago,’ says PHT Sales Director, Angus Yeung, who project managed the installation. Nevertheless the client still considered other options before backing the German interfaces.

According to Yeung, Macau TDM is extremely happy with the deployment and functionality of the new system.