About ARG Digital

The ARG product portfolio provides Multi-Program Transport Stream primary distribution for Broadcasters, IP/TV, Digital Terrestrial, Mobile TV and Broadband TV operators who demand the ultimate in reliability.

This product range offers operators the most cost-effective telecommunication technology available for DVB-ASI and high speed data. Whether it is Fibre Optic, Ethernet., SDH or PDH networks, services are delivered transparently with excellent reliability and QoS to points of secondary distribution, such as TV transmitter sites, satellite earth stations, cable head-ends and IPTV heads.

Most of the world’s leading media companies’ output, at some point, is channelled through ARG equipment to satellite earth stations and TV transmitter sites. Every day millions of people receive entertainment and educational services dependent upon the continuity that only ARG equipment can provide.

ARG equipment provides a totality transparent solution for transmission preserving end to end data integrity at all times. Services are channelized to optimise bandwidth and guarantee delivery. Any network issues such as re-synchronisation or high error rate are efficiently managed by forward error correction and our Acu-Sync technology. Sophisticated switching and auto-re-routing are avoided as theses features are better handled by an underlining IP/MPLS or SDH networks. In the unlikely event of equipment or line failure ARG offers a range of high availability managed protection switches.

Easy configuration and management enables ARG equipment to be quickly deployed without staff re-skilling and training saving on installation time and overall cost of ownership. All equipment is web manageable and can be managed via SNMP to seamlessly fit in with other vendors’ equipment.

No matter what the network, ARG equipment always provides the most proven and reliable solution for MPEG Muti-Program Transport Stream transmission and continues to be product of choice by many of the world’s leading media companies.

BSi ISO 9001:2008

Our Quality Management System (QMS) in accordance with ISO 9001:2008 provides us with a set of processes that ensure a common sense approach to the management of the company.

The system ensures consistency and improvement of working practices, which in turn provide products and services that meet our customers requirements. ISO 9000 is the most commonly used international standard that provides a framework for an effective Quality Management System.

Satellite Back-haul

ARG equipment can be found in most of the world’s teleports. Our Media Combiner product is renowned for its reliability and transparency. Back haul circuits are the terrestrial part of any satellite service bringing signals to and from a satellite teleport. Leading companies such as Arqiva, Discovery, Globecast and SES Astra, to name a few, have been using ARG equipment for many years for satellite back haul.

When you consider that a Media Combiner running at 155 Mbit/s could be carrying 4 or 5 satellite transponders worth of traffic, and the possibly millions of viewers and associated revenues that depend on a 24x7 365 days service, it helps to you to understand the importance of ARG’s renowned reliability is to our end users.

Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) and Mobile TV Networks (DVB-H)

Worldwide implementation of DTTV networks is now taking place. Field trials are being deployed or finalised, and new digital networks must be simulcast with existing analogue network prior to ‘Digital Switchover’.

ARG equipment can assist in a strategy for a smooth switch over and handle the requirements of the digital TV distribution for many years on.

Existing analogue services use not only analogue FM links but also digital PDH and SDH infrastructure to get analogue TV to transmitters sites. This existing infrastructure may be re-deployed for distributing the Multi Program Transport Streams of MPE2 and MPEG4 using ARG technology. Then later, this technology can then be converted to work over IP and MPLS networks.

In operation, the ARG equipment has proven compliant with the requirements of Single Frequency Networks (SFN), due to its low delay, transparency and jitter-less transmission. In most networks, the ARG receiving equipment automatically configures to the incoming signal from the telco network. In this way, system installation and commissioning is fast and the chances of human error are minimised. Any future re-configuration can be made from the master site or via web client; there may no be a need to visit every remote transmitter location, saving on considerable time and cost especially at an un seasonable time of year.

FM radio and Digital Radio (DAB)

Just like television, the Radio Broadcast industry is slowly waking up to the spectrum savings and additional services possible with Digital Radio, also known Audio Broadcasting (DAB), the replacement for the analogue FM broadcasts we are all familiar with.

ARG has been associated with DAB for some years, providing the network adapters for the first DAB transmissions in the UK. Now these networks are being put onto new Internet Protocol (IP) based backbones and again, ARG has the ideal equipment to feed multiple Digital Radio station to national and local transmitters.

EPIRB Tests Sets

ARG in partnership with Sartech Engineering have been designing and manufacturing equipment for the Marine Electronic safety and signalling market. Products have so far included Satellite Emergency Beacons (EPIRBs), Search and Rescue Radar Transponders (SART's) and Test Equipment for these units. The 5410 EPIRB Tester has become the "de-facto" world standard and is used by manufacturers, safety inspectors and service agents throughout the world.

Company History

Originally formed in 1974, ARG has operated in modern premises in Cirencester since 1987. The wide range of products offered today has been based on a strong technical background in the Telecoms industry, and on its proven ability to supply specialist design and manufacturing services.

ARG has a long and successful history of designing Digital Telecommunications Test Equipment for BT and other PTT's. This market area has formed the historical backbone of ARG's business and the high calibre of engineering knowledge we have acquired has allowed us to diversify into other related markets (i.e. Broadcast) and to strengthen into a position as a leading supplier.