Archive notice: This article was originally published on September 13, 2005. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Harris wants to acquire the majority of Leitch for just under 600 million US dollars. With Leitch’s products, Harris also wants to cover the HD market and thus secure a leading position in the broadcast industry. The boards of both companies have already approved the takeover and issued a recommendation to Leitch’s shareholders. The shareholders’ meeting on October 24 will make the final decision, but it is considered certain that the deal will receive their approval.
At IBC, Leitch presented the new Platinum router. It has up to 512 inputs and outputs, which can be configured as either analogue or digital. Each output can be connected to each input because all signals are converted automatically. The router’s backplane works digitally. This means that all analogue signals are first converted into a digital signal during routing and then (with an analogue output) converted back into an analogue signal. According to Leitch, this double conversion is not visible thanks to the high quality of the converters.
The system consists of individual modules with 8 inputs or outputs each, so it can be scaled as desired. If required, the modules can be configured redundantly.
