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Receiving & Decoding

Receiving and Decoding

A broadcast receiver demodulates an incoming signal and decodes the video and audio it contains, converting a compressed transport stream back into a baseband output. Receivers are a fundamental part of any workflow where content arrives over satellite or IP and needs to be decoded for monitoring, processing, or re-distribution.

MK.IO Beam's Receiver handles both satellite and IP inputs. For satellite, it supports DVB-S, DVB-S2, and DVB-S2X standards with hardware demodulator cards. For IP, it accepts transport stream inputs directly from the network. You can route a single satellite input to multiple Receiver services, or assign each input independently.

Decoding

Once the transport stream is received, MK.IO Beam decodes the video and audio from the selected service. The first video and audio components listed in the service Programme Map Table (PMT) are decoded automatically. Supported audio formats include MPEG-1 Layer II, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, and pass-through of formats such as Dolby E and LPCM.

See Decoding configuration for a full list of supported formats and configuration options.

Outputs

MK.IO Beam's Receiver delivers decoded output in several formats:

  • SDI (HD, 3G SDI) for broadcast equipment and monitors.
  • UHD SDI for ultra-high-definition workflows.
  • SMPTE ST 2022-6 and SMPTE ST 2110 for IP-based studio and production environments.
  • HDR to SDR conversion and HD downconversion for compatibility with legacy equipment.
  • SCTE-35 to SCTE-104 conversion for passing ad insertion signals to downstream encoders.

Multiple outputs can be configured from a single Receiver service. See Output configuration for the full range of options.

Decryption

Broadcast streams are often encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. MK.IO Beam's Receiver supports several decryption methods:

  • BISS (Basic Interoperable Scrambling System): A broadcast standard for contribution and distribution encryption.
  • Common Interface Module: Hardware-based conditional access decryption using a CA module.
  • Director: MediaKind's conditional access system.
  • Over-Air Control: Key delivery and management over the air.

See Decryption configuration for setup details.

Common use cases

  • Receiving satellite-delivered channels for headend or monitoring workflows.
  • Decoding IP contribution feeds for production or re-encoding.
  • Converting encrypted broadcast streams to baseband for downstream processing.

For reception solution guides, see Reception.

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