Magna upgrades Australia’s VAST service with Appear TV XC platform

The Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service, an initiative by the Australian government, continues to deliver essential digital TV (DTV) access to remote communities across the country. Designed for areas lacking reliable terrestrial signals, VAST provides free-to-air channels, ensuring even the most isolated regions remain connected to news, entertainment, and sports. 

In a recent upgrade, Satellite Television & Radio Australia partnered with Magna Systems to enhance VAST’s capabilities using the Appear TV XC Platform. This modular, high-density head-end solution for IPTV and broadcast distribution addresses the need to replace aging equipment and supports the transition to HD broadcasting. 

Adrian French, Business Development Manager at Magna Systems, said, “VAST includes programming from major networks such as the ABC, SBS, Channel 7, Channel 9 and Channel 10, along with time-shifted versions where applicable.

“With aging equipment and the transition to high-definition broadcasting for several channels, Satellite Television & Radio Australia were tasked with enhancing and upgrading the re-broadcasting capabilities of various councils throughout Australia. For that they came to Magna and we supplied them with the Appear TV XC Platform.”

The Appear TV XC5100 platform is central to the upgrade, offering advanced media compression, stream processing, and robust de-scrambling capabilities. It supports multiple satellite feeds, reconstructs programme guides, and provides transport streams for downstream transmission. 

Glenn Welsh, Managing Director of Satellite Television & Radio Australia, noted the system’s importance in both replacing outdated equipment and establishing greenfield sites.

“The Appear equipment is at the heart of the workflow as it manipulates the source content and generates the required output for transmission depending on the location,” Welsh said.