The Tuner Company

January 14th, 2021 in CR Life

2021 is a landmark year for Contemporary Research (CR), marking the 25th year of manufacturing integration friendly controllable AV tuners. With a legacy like that, it is no doubt that Contemporary Research is "The Tuner Company". Founded in 1994 by Scott Hetzler, Contemporary Research designs and manufactures intelligent, yet simple solutions for system integration that have set the standard for the AV industry and the AV tuners from Contemporary Research are no exception.

Beginning with the first AV tuner model, the ICC-STA, introduced in 1996, CR has been “totally tuned in” with their customers tuning needs. The staff at Contemporary Research consults with AV integrators, consultants, and users in the field to understand what features are important additions for future models. Whether delivering video to mission critical emergency operation centers or helping to enhance the entertainment experience at a local pub, Contemporary Research products are important and CR customers agree:

“Quality, American made products. You listen to integrators suggestions on how to improve your products.”

Steve Covey
AVL Systems Design

"Best darn HD Tuner available and easy to control via 3rd party control systems”

John Toohey
Unified AV Systems

“Quality products, good customer service, our go to for commercial grade tuners.”

Greg Goodwin
Commercial Media Systems

"Quality products, proven performance."

Al Cohen
Diversified

With a 25-year history and reputation of bringing superior tuner technology to the market, CR has no plans to stop with their dedication to providing customers with the tools they need to confidently integrate and deploy AV systems.

1996 - ICC-STA

The first aircraft analog NTSC TV tuner with stereo audio and 2-way RF coax control

1997 - 232-STA

The first commercial analog NTSC TV tuner with stereo audio and RS-232 control

1999 - 232-MTA

Created a lower cost mono audio tuner that was similar to the 232-STA

2002 - ICC2-VDC

An analog tuner with mono audio with 2 way RF control capabilities and RS-232 Display Control

2002 - ICC2-IRC

An analog tuner with mono audio with 2 way RF control capabilities and IR Display Control

2003 - 232-STS

this model added S-Video and balance audio outputs, as well as, channel number/label OSD and CC

2004 - 232-STSi

The first international analog PAL/SECAM TV tuner

2005 - IP-HDTV

Offered digital and analog tuning with Ethernet and RS-232 control

2006 - IP-HDVR

Offered many of the same features as the previous IP-HDTV, but added DVR functionality

2007 - 232-ATSC

A digital and analog tuner with RS-232 control, made smaller, now only taking up a half rack width (height 2RU)

2007 - ICC2-ATSC

A digital and analog tuner, 2 way RF coax control, and RS-232 display control

2010 - 232-MCT

similar to previous versions of the mono audio tuner with added channel number/label and CC

2010 - 232-ATSC+

The updated version of CR's (now) standard 232-ATSC tuner, but with a smaller rack height of 1.5 RUs

2010 - ICC2-ATSC+

The updated version of the ICC2-ATSC tuner/controller, but with a smaller rack height

2012 - 232-ATSC+1

Updated version of CR's (now) standard 232-ATSC tuner, but with a smaller rack height of 1 RU, Ethernet control, and LCD front panel display

2012 - ATSC+SDI

The first digital and analog tuner with SDI, Component, and Composite outputs

2014 - 232-ATSC 4

Updated version of CR's (now) standard 232-ATSC tuner with the additions of h.264 decoding and 1080p output

2015 - ATSC-SDI 4

Update on the ATSC+SDI, but added h.264 decoding and 1080p output

2015 - ICC2-ATSC 4

Similar the the previous version of the ICC2 tuner controllers with the addition of h.264 decoding and 1080p output

2017 - ICC2-ATSC 4S

Similar the the previous version of the ICC2 tuner controllers, but with a reduced rack height of 1 RU

2018 - 232-ATSC 4K

The current version of the standard 232-ATSC tuner with video output scaling up to 4K and IP streaming via the Ethernet output

2019 - ATSC-SDI 4i

This updated version of the ATSC-SDI 4 adds and HDMI output and IP streaming capabilities

2020 - ICC1-TC

With a new low profile enclosure and mounting wings this digital and analog tune offers one way RF coax control and RS-232 display control

2021 - ATSC-mini

With a new low profile enclosure and mounting wings this digital and analog tuner offers POE and RS-232 or Ethernet control

About Contemporary Research

Contemporary Research is a market leader in designing, engineering, manufacturing, and supporting HDTV modulators, IPTV encoders and decoders, HDTV tuners, and control products for enterprise IPTV networks and digital RF systems that operate 24/7. Ready to learn more, contact us today.

232-ATSC-4K-Front_DolbyAudio.jpg

232-ATSC 4K HDTV Tuner

The 232-ATSC 4K HDTV Tuner, the 5th-generation ATSC HDTV tuner from Contemporary Research, adds new capabilities to the industry-standard ATSC series.

ATSC-SDI-4i Tuner Front  View

ATSC-SDI 4i HDTV Tuner

The ATSC-SDI 4i HDTV Tuner, the 3rd-generation SDI tuner from Contemporary Research, adds new capabilities to the industry-standard ATSC series tuners with SDI.

ATSC-mini Front View

ATSC-mini HDTV Tuner

The ATSC-mini is an HDTV Tuner designed for use with HD and UHD video displays and projectors in a distributed CATV system. Housed in a new, smaller low-profile enclosure, the unit with built in mounting wings can be attached flush to walls or displays.