Chile – In both national and regional channels, the Argentine company has successfully installed its multiplexers in Chile through its local partner DUO.
VideoSwitch multiplexers have been the primary solution chosen for the modernization of digital television signals by companies across both national and regional channels, facilitated and implemented by its representative and partner DUO in Chile. This solution involves the installation and implementation of ISDB-Tb multiplexers from the DMUX line, manufactured by VideoSwitch in Argentina, within Chilean DTT.
This technological deployment takes on particular relevance within the framework of a recent historic milestone in the country’s telecommunications sector: the completion of the digitalization process. With the “Analog Switch-Off,” a concept referring to the cessation of analog signals and the transition to fully digital television, fully completed in April 2024, the Chilean television industry was required to complete its mandatory migration to the ISDB-Tb standard. This technical challenge required stations to renew their critical infrastructure to guarantee high-definition transmission and comply with the territorial coverage mandated by law, a context in which VideoSwitch technology proved fundamental.
Currently, VideoSwitch, an Argentine manufacturer with more than 30 years of experience, has maintained a presence in Chile since 2016 through its DMUX line multiplexers and other products such as ECD Encoders. These units are present in nearly 80% of national channels within Chile’s main television network, and in 90% of regional channels.
The DMUX line equipment is the only one fully compatible with the ISDB-Tb standard. These devices perform the function of receiving a massive data stream, in which multiple video and audio channels travel together, separating them with precision so that each piece of content reaches its final destination with maximum fidelity and without interruptions at a highly competitive price.
VideoSwitch in national channels
An example of the efficiency of DMUX equipment in Chile is the case of TV+, one of the main national channels and a member of Anatel. Selected since 2018 to date, VideoSwitch multiplexers have demonstrated not only an effective level of performance, but also efficiency that is sustained over time.
In the event of a failure in one of the transmission channels of the multiplexer, a secondary channel comes into play, allowing live transmission to continue without signal loss during the program, a fact that has been evidenced at the Chilean television station. Roberto Epuyao, Technical Manager of TV+, explains that when faced with these issues, “you don’t even notice it (when watching the broadcast), and I loved that. That’s why I chose the VideoSwitch equipment, exactly because of those efficiency features.”
VideoSwitch in regional channels
DMUX equipment is not only present in national channels. More than half of the channels based in Chile’s regions, such as Bío Bío Comunicaciones (Radio Bío Bío, biobio.cl, BBTV, Canal 9 Regional BBTV, Página 7 and Radio Punto 7), have chosen to include this solution within their transmission systems. This is the case of the television and radio station located in the Bío Bío region, which uses VideoSwitch multiplexers in Concepción, Santiago, Viña del Mar, Osorno, Temuco, Chillán, Los Lagos and other locations from which they primarily operate.
Cristián Rojas, Technical Manager of Bío Bío Comunicaciones, comments that “VideoSwitch, both in Santiago and in the regions, has allowed us to operate their solutions in a very intuitive way, from configuration and implementation to, not least, technical support.” In this regard, Rojas adds that these types of features in a technical solution “are extremely important in order to have solid backup under any circumstances.”
Esteban Erize, Commercial Manager of VideoSwitch, expands further on these types of situations and how they are resolved despite geographical distance, noting that “with Bío Bío we have had the need to truly put ourselves to the test in a support case, and we resolved it very well within the same day.” The Argentine manager also commented that “these things make the client feel confident in such a critical business as television.”
The key factor in the implementation of VideoSwitch in Chile: DUO
The successful implementation of Argentine technology in Chilean territory has been possible thanks to DUO, a local company specialized in telecommunications services for both television and radio, with a strong presence in the DTT segment and representing professional broadcast equipment brands.
DUO’s main role in this alliance with VideoSwitch has not only been to implement these systems, but also to ensure smooth operation over time.
Roberto Epuyao commented that DUO in this alliance with VideoSwitch “has been a facilitator and adapts very well to the client, always finding ways to complement its main service.”
Cristián Rojas also highlights that “DUO has also been a very important partner in this relationship with VideoSwitch, therefore we see it as a fundamental ally. (…) The relationship has been very good, very fluid, and we have always maintained permanent contact regarding the solutions we have implemented.”
Esteban Erize refers to DUO as a key factor in this process, since the fact that both companies “operate in the same language segment and the time difference is almost nonexistent. Therefore, in some way proximity helps foster common business.” This not only contributes to agile interaction, but also flexibility, “which the client values greatly,” as the Argentine manager adds.
In this way, the collaboration between VideoSwitch and DUO has become integrated into the infrastructure of Chilean digital television. By combining specialized engineering with local technical support, they have enabled channels of different sizes to operate under high-quality and high-definition standards, prioritizing signal continuity and the technical stability of the service received by viewers.
