1. COMPANY REPORT Digital TV Meter Manufacturer, UK
■ Nine Horizon employees are
currently working in the ‘Allen
House’ in Harlow’s business
district. Production is actually
outsourced to another company
in England.
• Numerous new products for
new DVB sectors
Horizon on
• Exports to every country as an
OEM and under their own name
• Focusing expansion to
emerging countries such as
the Way Up
South Africa and in South
America
• Specializes in easy to use
analyzers for installers
180 TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 01-02/2013 — www.TELE-audiovision.com www.TELE-audiovision.com — 01-02/2013 — TELE-audiovision International — 全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志 181

2. COMPANY REPORT Digital TV Meter Manufacturer, UK
British Signal ë
Analyzer
Harlow
Manufacturer with
Numerous New
Products
Paul Pickering founded the signal For the end of 2012 he is able to add that now cover every other DVB fre-
analyzer manufacturer Horizon back in another surprising figure: “By then quency range.
2001. In 2011 the company celebrated we’ll have sold 160,000 analyzers in
its 10-year anniversary and could be every DVB sector.” Horizon started as Paul Hardcastle, who has been with
proud of the 125,000 satellite signal a manufacturer of satellite signal ana- Horizon for seven years and is now
analyzers that they had sold thus far – lyzers but over the past several years their Technical Director, explains to us
see TELE-audiovision issue 10-11/2011. they’ve expanded into other sectors more about their product palette. “We
■ Paul Pickering founded
Horizon in 2001 and with
enormous foresight has
expanded Horizon’s
market niche: that would
be very reliable and
also easy-to-use signal
analyzers for daily use by
installers.
182 TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 01-02/2013 — www.TELE-audiovision.com

3. 1 3
1. Paul Hardcastle is Technical
2 Director and developer of many of 4
Horizon’s new analyzers. He’s been
the technical heart of Horizon for
seven years now.
2. Trevor Salter is Horizon’s
Service Manager and is primarily
responsible for repairs and quality
issues, as well as assisting
customers with technical
questions.
3. Technical Manager is Rob Sydee.
Long-time readers will recognize
him: he made it to the front cover
of TELE-audiovision back in the
12-01/2007 issue. He’s holding here
one of Horizon’s success models
– the yellow color reveals that it’s
a satellite signal analyzer. He says,
“All of our terrestrial DVB-T and
DVB-T2 signal analyzers come in
red housings, combo units come
is green and DVB-C analyzers
come in blue.” The HD-TC8
(for tooway Turbo Internet-via-
satelliteservices) is in a grey case.
4. Ivan Valbuena is the Senior
Hardware Engineer. He checks
the mechanical components of
Horizon’s analyzers and does a
lot of the new hardware design,
working with Paul Hardcastle on
new products.
started with DVB-T a few years ago analyzers: “That would be the HD-CM+ signal analyzer for them.
and since May 2012 we’ve also been model for which we see the primary
offering signal analyzers for DVB-T2 – markets to be in South America, Can- “We’re also developing an extremely
namely the HD-T2 series.” But Horizon ada, India and other Asian countries.” easy to use device for DVB-C, the Nano
doesn’t only have DVB-S2 and DVB-T2 DVB-C is very popular in the cable net- Cable, which should become available
products; they are currently prepar- works there and for the installers in in the first quarter of 2013.” The Nano
ing for the introduction of DVB-C signal those regions Horizon now has the right Cable is Horizon’s solution for those
184 TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 01-02/2013 — www.TELE-audiovision.com www.TELE-audiovision.com — 01-02/2013 — TELE-audiovision International — 全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志 185

4. 1
2
1. Gill Baker is
Horizon’s Office
Manager. She lived
for many years
in Germany and
surprises callers from
German-speaking
countries with her
excellent German.
2.Admin Manager
Susan Pickering
is responsible for
administration. She
makes sure that all
documentation is
perfectly organized.
186 TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 01-02/2013 — www.TELE-audiovision.com

5. installers who want it very easy and So, what are the geographical tar- a niche for themselves in the difficult
yet still want perfect measurements. A get areas for Horizon? That’s the right and hard-fought signal analyzer mar-
DVB-C2 device is also being developed. question to ask Horizon’s founder and ket: they are highly reliable and yet
“Our HD-C2 model will make its ap- General Manager Paul Pickering. “40% very affordable signal analyzers that
pearance in the third quarter of 2013.” of our products are exported to the are highly regarded by installers be-
Whether or not DVB-C2 will catch on USA. 10% are shipped to France and cause of their ease-of-use.
remains to be seen, but Horizon is pre- 5% to Germany.” This involves mostly
pared if the installation of DVB-C2 net- OEM products that are then redistrib- And there are another two essential
works picks up. uted in the respective countries exclu- arguments in favor of Horizon signal
sively under their own brand name. The analyzers that are particularly appreci-
When it comes to DVB-S2 satellite re- remaining 45% of production is distrib- ated by the end users: on the one hand
ception, Horizon hasn’t been idle there uted under the Horizon name. “20% of it’s their extremely high reliability. Paul
either. “Since June 2012 we’ve been our products remain here in the UK, Hardcastle: “From over 160,000 units
offering the HD-S2 with an option for 10% goes to South Africa and the rest that have been delivered so far, only
SCR.” By the way, Horizon doesn’t only of the 15% is divided between India, 6-7 units are returned to our repair
have signal analyzers for the analy- Australia and other countries.” shop every month.” On the other hand
sis of TV reception. Technical Director it’s the guarantee that older units can
Paul Hardcastle highlights two unique The export to South Africa sounds in- still be repaired. “We can still repair all
devices: “The signal analyzer HD-TC8 teresting. “Right now we’re delivering the units that were manufactured since
has been available since 2009 and is mostly DVB-S2 signal analyzers there”, 2007.” Those are arguments that in-
designed to aid in the set up of the In- reveals Paul Pickering, “but we’ll soon stallers love to hear in that they want
ternet-via-satellite service TOOway in be expanding to include DVB-T2 ana- to be able to rely on their instruments.
the Ka-band.” lyzers as well.” South Africa is actually
a starting point for the further expan- Horizon signal analyzers have be-
This unit can also receive the Ku- sion into other African countries that come very popular with installers, and
band and therefore can also be used as have selected DVB-T2 as their terres- rightly so. The sales figures confirm to
a DVB-S signal analyzer. “Brand new is trial transmission standard. The future founder Paul Pickering that he is on the
a signal analyzer for the Avanti Inter- markets of importance have subse- right path.
net-via-satellite service that operates quently become clear: “We’re expand-
in DVB-S2 in the Ka-band. Switching ing primarily in South America, Canada
polarizations here requires a tone gen- as well as South Africa.”
■ Psst, Paul Hardcastle turned his head
for a moment and it gave us a chance to
erator that has been integrated into the snap a picture of this test sample of the
brand new HD-CM+ analyzer for DVB-C. It
HD-S2 Avanti signal analyzer.” Horizon has managed to create quite will become available soon.
188 TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 01-02/2013 — www.TELE-audiovision.com