German police helicopters upgraded with VITEC encoders

The video transmission system for a squadron of German police helicopters has been upgraded with VITEC encoders.

VITEC Teamed up with team2applications, a developer of electronic system solutions for aviation and security, and KMT, a security service application specialist, for the overhaul of the Airbus EC135 helicopters.

The bespoke solution features team2applications’ MLX100/VRX211/NGR421 routers and airworthy antennas, and VITEC single channel HEVC/H.264 MGW Pico+ TOUGH encoders or MGW Diamond TOUGH HEVC/H.264 quad-channel encoders.

The units are housed in ruggedised enclosures, and all products are airworthy-grade, designed specifically to support mission-critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) from both manned and unmanned airborne platforms operating in extreme conditions.

The equipment is contained in a ruggedised roll-on/roll-off rack, which can be installed in the helicopters within five minutes. Seat-rail quick-locks are attached to the airframe and easily connected to the helicopter’s standard power outlet, with the video-cameras hooked up to to 3G-SDI video outlets.

The solution meets the customer’s requirement for two independent video transmission systems on the helicopters and provides a WLAN/wifi network access point that extends the German police’s IP-network to the helicopter cabin.

The VITEC encoders provide up to four 3G/HD/SD-SDI or composite inputs for video capture and live streaming. In addition to providing H.264 encoding, the MGW Pico+ and MGW Diamond TOUGH encoders offer options for advanced HEVC compression for streaming HD/SD video (up to 1080p60), with bandwidth savings of up to 50% compared with current H.264 standards.

The team2applications/KMT/VITEC solution is the industry’s first ruggedised roll-on/roll-off system to bring bandwidth-efficient HEVC compression technology into field video streaming applications.

Team2applications’ general manager, Christoph Eder, said: “Winning this contract demonstrates team2’s position as a leading technology provider of mobile cell-based IP video streaming technologies, and our successful strategy in designing and delivering high-quality, reliable and IT-security-enabled networking and tactical video solutions that meet the most stringent specifications of governmental surveillance markets.

“The project required a rugged, reliable and versatile end-to-end solution, for which the VITEC MGW Pico+ TOUGH and Diamond TOUGH Encoders are the perfect fit. They provide every capability for processing and distributing ISR or situational awareness video generated by surveillance helicopters.”