The What: Contemporary Research has launched its fourth generation 232-ATSC 4 HDTV Tuner. New features include tuning MPEG-4 TV programs, delivering up to 1080p video, and simplifying firmware updates, according to company president Scott Hetzler.
232-ATSC 4 HDTV Tuner
The What Else: The 232-ATSC 4 is a commercial HDTV tuner that can receive both analog and digital off-air and clear QAM cable channels, controllable via RS-232, Ethernet, and IR. Full interactive control is also available from onboard Web pages.
Integration with custom systems is a snap, using ready-made control modules from AMX, Crestron, Extron, and RTI. The addition of MPEG-4 playback enables use with commercial on-site RF channels from DirecTV and Dish. The new tuner is fully compatible with existing ATSC-series control and 1 RU mounting.
“With every ATSC tuner generation, we like to keep what works and add new features requested by our customers. To assure compatibility with RF systems driven by commercial DirecTV and Dish in-house TV channels, we’ve added the ability to tune MPEG-4 as well as standard MPEG-2 programs. All channels can be scaled up to 1080p. At the same time, the new 232-ATSC 4 tuners are fully compatible with RS-232, Ethernet, and IR commands for previous ATSC tuners,” Hetzler stated.
“Our tuners have been proven in thousands of installations and are constantly improved in response to user demand,” Hetzler concluded.
The Bottom Line: The 232-ATSC 4 has a suggested list price of $1055 and is available for shipping the week of November 3.
