Channel Stacking Switches™ (CSS)™ & Band Translation Switches (BTS)

In the past, households with satellite television needed multiple cables and set top boxes (STBs) to watch more than one TV station simultaneously, watch one station while recording another, or to pause, rewind or fast forward live programming. Additionally, it was costly to consumers and the satellite service provider to make continuous “truck rolls” to upgrade services. The CSS and BTS from RF Magic are changing that.

The technology behind RF Magic’s BTS & CSS employs advanced filtering and multiplexing capabilities so that Direct Broadcast Satellite providers can deliver multiple TV channels through a single cable and at the specific frequencies requested by the STB.

As an example, the RF5210 can deliver up to 12 unique, individually selected channels to viewers while requiring only one cable from the satellite outdoor unit into the home. The service provider can offer multiple in-home “taps” from this single cable installation to support multiple tuners and future upgrades can be done without a truck roll.

CSS technology offers satellite service providers and free-to-air installers significant opportunities to:

• Increase subscriber and equipment revenues: Simplified cabling scheme eliminates barriers for adding multi-tuner STBs and add-on STBs in homes and MDUs. New STBs, with support for value-added features like PVR and HD content, drive up ARPU for operators and equipment sales to FTA customers.
• Simplify and lower cost of upgrades: No new cable drops are needed for new STBs so upgrades are significantly easier and less expensive.
• Simplify new installations, lower costs, better system reliability and improve aesthetics: Much less cabling and connectors are required compared to non-CSS installations.

These CSS benefits are critical with the growing number of viewing locations and opportunities to offer more content with increasingly available feature rich STBs that include functionality like simultaneous watch and record (PVR or DVR), picture-in-picture, and in-home redistribution of content (media centers). Also, by eliminating the extra cabling into the home and MDU, CSS systems make DBS more marketable against cable and terrestrial TV systems. CSS technology is available now from RF Magic to meet the needs of DBS operators and FTA retailers and installers.

For more information read the RF Magic “The Benefits of Channel Stacking Switch Technology” White Paper. For details and technical specifications on RF Magic’s Band Translation Switches and Channel Stacking Switches, simply click on each product listed below:

• RF5000
• RF5100
• RF5210
• RF5220

Please note that some product information requires registration or is restricted to partners with a MyMagic password. If a link does not provide the information you need, please email us at info@rfmagic.com.