The single channel MPEG-2 encoder allows the compression of both an analog (CVBS) or digital (SDI) video stream according to the MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818-2) standard, and two analog audio channels according to the MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172-3) Layer 1/2 standard. The MPEG-2 Transport Stream is in turn converted to the ASI format, enabling the insertion of the single channel MPEG-2 encoder as the first block into a digital DVB transmission system. The encoding parameters can be simply and quickly set from the operator through the easy rotary knob and the compact LCD display available on the front panel. Firmware modifications and updating can be easily performed thanks to the provided RS232 or Ethernet connections.