Acterna's Award-Winning DTS Digital Video Analyzer Enhancements on Display at NAB2004, Booth # SU 11600.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NAB2004

GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 2004

DTS QAM Interface Reaches Milestone; DTS-330 Introduced to Answer Broadcast Industry's Need for Superior MPEG T&M, Management and Solutions

Acterna, the world's largest provider of communications test solutions for cable network operators, today announced new enhancements to its award-winning DTS product line. These enhancements provide the digital broadcast industry with the tools and capabilities to meet the highest performance standards, achieve greater efficiency, improve troubleshooting of network signals, and more effectively analyze and monitor critical MPEG streams. Acterna will display both traditional and new features of the DTS at the NAB Show, booth # SU 11600 in Las Vegas, April 18-22.

QAM Interface Joins Family of DTS Product Line, Catapults into Variety of Core Markets

Acterna recently introduced and is now shipping a Quadrate Amplitude Modulation (QAM) RF interfaces for the DTS MPEG-200 Transport Stream Analyzer, an enhancement that has generated strong industry interest based on its ability to troubleshoot network signals with more efficiency. With this interface, the DTS can analyze and monitor any MPEG-2 transport stream being carried within a QAM RF signal. In addition, the QAM interface now joins the family of DTS products and interfaces that support the satellite, broadcast, cable and OEM markets to fulfill an expanding variety of MPEG test and measurement needs.

Introducing the DTS-330: New Platform and Operating System

Acterna today introduces the DTS-330 as the newest member of the DTS product family. The DTS-330 is a digital broadcast test platform that offers multiple combinations of MPEG-2 (DVB and ATSC) transport stream generation, capture, stream creation and analysis. Building on Acterna's highly regarded DTS-300, the DTS-330 is equipped with a host of new features, including a more robust high performance platform, the Windows XP operating system, and the ability to simultaneously analyze up to seven unique streams across as many different interfaces.

The DTS-330 supports up to seven different combinations of inputs and outputs, such as QAM, ASI, SMTPE-310, DHEI, and full bandwidth Gigabit Ethernet with both optical and copper interfaces. With the new DTS-330 platform, cable providers, broadcast technicians, and equipment manufacturers can enjoy the benefits of a more durable and robust chassis, along with the most up-to-date hardware and a significant increase in computing and processing power. The DTS-330 underscores Acterna's continued commitment to provide efficiency, cost savings and speed when ensuring the integrity of network performance.

"Acterna's DTS has proven to be an invaluable tool for the cable and broadcast industries to accurately monitor, analyze and create complex transport streams - our continued success with the DTS, as well as the launch of the DTS-330, are proof that we are providing meaningful solutions that meet today's digital demands," said Bill Robertson, vice president of marketing and international sales for Acterna. "Our popular and award-winning DTS family now offers a truly comprehensive set of unique features to enhance our customers' testing and network management abilities, resulting in better quality of service and faster resolution of issues for their digital video services."

Acterna's Bill Robertson and Rob Shevlot, Acterna's new broadcast channel manager, will be on-hand to discuss the DTS family of MPEG analyzers that have made Acterna a leader in communications test solutions.

About Acterna

Acterna is the world's largest provider of communications test solutions for telecommunications and cable network operators. A trusted communications test partner for more than eight decades, Acterna offers an unmatched portfolio of award-winning instruments, systems, software and services that help its customers reduce network costs while improving performance and reliability. Headquartered in Germantown, Maryland, USA - with European and Asia-Pacific operations based in Eningen, Germany and Hong Kong - Acterna serves nearly every major communications service provider and equipment manufacturer around the world through a skilled sales and support organization in 31 countries.