Latin America. TVyVideo+Radio spoke with Rich Redmond, President and Managing Director International of GatesAir, who told details of the company's operation in Latin America, recent projects in the region and the latest technology developments they were going to present at NAB Show.
He noted that over the past 18 months, GatesAir has aggressively invested in new resources to prepare for global growth. This includes the appointment of Felipe Luna as Managing Director for the CALA region, and the expansion of support teams in support centers in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.
"Felipe continues to build his own sales team to better serve the wider region. That includes the recent hiring of Antonio Satta to lead our efforts in Brazil, where we're seeing a lot of new business opportunities. We are focused on providing a strong voice for our CALA customers, and we are developing problem-solving products for their unique challenges."
Regarding care during the emergency generated by Covid-19, he noted that "As far as COVID-19 is concerned, we remain open to business and are well prepared. Our supply chain has secured enough incoming materials to support production. We have begun to see renewed supply chain curation from Asia, and as it stands today, we do not foresee any substantial production slippage."
Rich Redmond recalled some recent projects in the region in which Gates Air technology has been implemented. He recently won a digital TV broadcasting (DTV) contract with Televisión Nacional de Chile, TVN Chile. The contract stipulates a three-year deployment of 124 ISDB-Tb DTV transmitters in key cities across Chile, with initial deployments focused on the metropolitan centers of Concepción and the city of Valparaíso.
They also recently won contracts with Telefuturo in Paraguay (two 12kW Maxiva ULXTE transmitters) for digital TV, and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (two 30kW Flexiva FAX air-cooled radio transmitters). The latest system will also support government testing for HD Radio DRM digital radio.
New technology
GatesAir had product announcements in the works for the three major companies: TV, Radio and Intraplex, comprising Audio over IP and other network products. The cancellation of NAB means they will announce some of these at fairs later this year.
"Specifically for Latin America, we are working on a new update to our HD Link STL system. That includes a new amplifier to support microwave-to-transmitter studio link connections in frequency bands that apply in the CALA region," said GatesAir President.
They will also introduce several new streaming products, many of which they will offer at CALA. The VLX-OP series, which represents the first range of liquid-cooled VHF transmitters in the Maxiva product family, is at the top of the list. "Liquid cooling offers our VHF TV customers a high-efficiency, cost-cutting option for higher-powered analog and DTV systems," he said.
