SAPEC (SA de Productos Electrónicos y de Comunicación), was founded in the year 1976 as a company engaged in the manufacture and installation of devices for the broadcasting and reception of the Piped Music service commercialised by Telefónica. In the 90s, it started its R&D activities developing its own products of audio compression, and installation and commissioning of devices for contribution
links of television signals. From the year 2000, through heavy investments in R&D, it started its experience in the world of video compression (MPEG2, MPEG4/AVC, HEVC) for Television professional environments. Nowadays, Sapec is the only Spanish company with extensive experience in the world of “video contribution” in professional environments with internally-designed products and competing with industry giants. Along the history of Sapec there have been many important milestones, to name a few:
Launching of SIVAC. Family of MPEG-2 (profile 422) encoders/decoders for SD developed by Sapec and certified by the Telefónica labs in the year 2004. Family of H.264/AVC (profile 422) Encoders/decoders for HD developed by Sapec and certified by Telefonica and the EBU in the year 2008. UHD transmission tests, conducted during 2013 together with Abertis, Hispasat, RTVE, Sony and other collaborating companies, where Sapec contributed its technology to encode UHD contents in MPEG4/AVC and the new HEVC coding standard. SAPEC’s objective is to become a worldwide benchmark of professional video compression products. SAPEC believes in a world where technological obstacles to create and provide content quality no longer exist. SAPEC’s vision is to allow the transport of audiovisual content with professional quality in real time and without limitations. The idea is that the video can be generated anywhere, but it must arrive to every television, and it must go through different paths: satellite, fibre optics, IP, radio relays… The television channel edits and post-produces it, and inserts comments, subtitles and music, but all must be broadcasted as a whole for it to get to the televisions in our homes, mobile phones, tablets… and SAPEC is there to transport all this. SAPEC significantly reduces these ways, providing an advantage by reducing the transport cost of that signal. SAPEC provides a clear added value to the client, by reducing what they would have to pay for carrying the signal from one point to another. To find this value, we look for the best algorithms, the best formulas to compress this signal without losing its quality. SAPEC counts on the development of its own technology, implemented with advantages and products that we sell to the client. Our target market are the main Telecommunication operators, TV channels (broadcasters) and video transport services providers. Among our clients we find Telefonica, RTVE, EBU, Televisa, etc. From mid-2006, SAPEC started its international commercial expansion, reaching distribution agreements with local companies in each country. Nowadays we have offices in Mexico and Colombia; and more than 20 distributors around the world, mainly in South America. SAPEC’s strategy is to develop technology and solutions for the transport of audiovisual signals that facilitate our client’s success.
