It has long been considered that a common European standard for Terrestrial Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB-T) would be impossible, but thanks to a new chip technology it is becoming reality. Siemens Semiconductors and Nokia Multimedia Network Terminals signed a letter of intent for their joint development of a new, integrated receiver chip to be designed for the use in terrestrial digital TV reception equipment. Terrestrial digital services will be launched in a trial starting before end of 1997. The chip supports both the 8k and the 2k Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (COFDM) standards, enabling one type of receiver unit to be used in continental Europe, in Scandinavia and in the UK. 

A novel Gripper LED sensor for printing applications has been launched on to the UK and Irish markets. It has been designed to compete on price withtraditional mechanical counters yet offers the performance of an advanced laser design.

Swedish based LIMT (Local Insertion Media Technology) has developed a method to insert local commercial TV spots into national terrestrial and satellite based television transmissions. The company’s LVS 300 system uses leading edge MPEG2 digital communications technology to allow national and regional stations to split commercial air time among a number of advertisers. In this way they are able to increase advertising revenue while staying within existing concession constraints. 

A new radiation surveying system using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology for geographical positioning has recently been launched by the Swedish manufacturer of radiation detec-tion equipment, Gammadata AB. The GDM 40 is said to be ideal for environmental analysis and large-scale mapping operations from a variety of platforms. The unit uses the GPS unit to determine exactly which section of land is being measured thereby giving an exact position of a potential radiation source.

A range of new and innovative products has been introduced by Swedish-based vacuum equipment manufacturer, Piab AB. Compact pumps, electronically switched valves and suction cups made from a new kind of plastic are just some of the latest additions to the company's line up providing increased flexibility for process industries which use vacuum technology. 

New aM fuses from ABB Control is said to meet the latest regulations for motor protection more economically and conveniently than general purpose fuse links and circuit breakers.In the new IEC 947-4-1 standard for motor starters, co-ordination categories are defined for protection.

Raisio Chemicals Ltd., Raisio, Finland and Emsland-Stärke GmbH, Emlichheim, Germany, have decided to form a Joint Venture to sell and market the parent companies’ chemicals and starch products to the paper industry in Germany, Austria and Netherlands. "The result of this merger offers customers an advantage, as the strength´s of Raisio´s know how and Technology Centers and Emslands strength as a quality starch producer are made available to customers through new highly qualified sales and technical service organization," says Mr Günter Herms, Chairman of the Board at Emsland-Stärke.

Easier communication and seamlessdata interchange for project partnersin the construction and buildingindustry is the aim of thepartnership between EPM Technology (EPMT) and concad GmbH. The two companies are now teaming up, integrating their suites ofsoftware tools for development andstandardized data modelling.

Short-run colour printing is now faster, less expensive, and more flexible, thanks to RIP (raster image processing) servers, which allow printing on colour photocopiers direct from the computer. The Swedish company Visutech will present its new short-run print solutions for both professional and untrained users at the CeBIT 97 exhibition at Hanover, Germany. They claim to have the best price and performance in the market, plus the possibility of printing and distributing colour material through global networks like the Internet.