Posted by Paul Kamp
Telecast has released a Fiber Optics in ENG and SNG White Paper that is a guide to applications, systems integration and field deployments. We developed this guide to assist non-engineering broadcast professionals in making critical decisions during the transition to 100% HDTV programming.
Not since the transition to color nearly a half century ago has the television broadcast infrastructure experienced such a dramatic shift in technology. Because of the vastly increased bandwidth requirements of HDTV signals, fiber optic technology is certain to play an expanding role in program production at all levels – ENG and SNG included.
The White Paper is divided into four parts:
- The first part introduces the basics of fiber optic technology at a level accessible to the nontechnical broadcast news professional.
- Part two reviews the factors involved in transitioning to fiber optics: planning, components required, possible system configurations for basic applications, and alternative approaches to multicamera systems.
- Part three deals with the practical aspects of system deployment, field maintenance and troubleshooting.
- The Appendix has a glossary of terms and a comparison chart showing maximum distances allowed for fiber- and copper-based systems at various signal bandwidths.
We hope this guide helps our customers and potential customers better understand where fiber can be used in their ENG and SNG applications. Register to get the white paper and if we can be of any assitance in helping you with your application please do not hesitate to contact us.
Posted by Paul Kamp
I just wanted to mention the efforts of our new corporate parent Belden at the 2010 NAB Show, where they showed if its Brilliance line of cabling. They received a nice mention in Government Videomagazine.
For those of us that use fiber regularly, the real news is how the FiberExpress Brilliance Fiber Optic Connector enables fiber terminations in five seconds or less, in just three simple steps. This is critical in the broadcast industry where you want to get your cabling working quickly in order to get your shots. If you are in the market for some cable that is easily assembled in the field please call.
Posted by Paul Kamp
According to Yahoo Movies:
"Nearly three-quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water and OCEANS boldly chronicles the mysteries that lie beneath. Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud dive deep into the very waters that sustain all of mankind - exploring the harsh reality and the amazing creatures that live within. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan and featuring spectacular never-before-seen imagery captured by the latest underwater technologies, OCEANS offers an unprecedented look beneath the sea."
Our partner in France, LeTeam, helped with the technical aspects of capturing that imagery. A majority of it was shot underwater which presented a number of interesting challenges. Challenges that were met with fiber.
The camera was tethered to the back of the boat by a long fiber optic link enabling the film makers to capture some great images of the Ocean and it creatures in their natural habitat. We hope you get a chance to see the this film and its great images. It is a bit blurry but you can see the credits above in the picture. And if you need help capturing a great shot contact Marc Belleville at LeTeam!
Posted by Rich Cerny
Detroit Public TV, WTVS, has built a 35ft high-definition production truck that includes six Grass Valley LDK 3000 HD cameras with LCD viewfinders, a Kayak 2M/E HD production switcher and a K2 Dyno HD replay system.
The new truck complements the station's new HD production studio, which features four Grass Valley Infinity camcorders and a Kayak 1.5M/E switcher in the control room. The new cameras will be used in both the studio and the field in stand-alone and system configurations.
The Infinity cameras in the studio are configured with a Telecast Fiber Systems CopperHead INF fiber-optic camera transceiver, which provides a robust fiber-optic link between the Infinity DMC camcorder in the new HD truck or production control room transforming the camcorder into a full system camera.
(Full Article)
Posted by Jim Hurwitz
Since 2004, we at Telecast have been busy enabling the 3D explosion. You saw one notable product in the blockbuster hit Avatar, the production of which relied on the Fusion 3D cameras from PACE, as well as the Telecast CopperHead JT systems that were part of the camera chains.
During the past few years, we've also pioneered in the technology enabling LIVE 3D -- that is, multi-camera live (or "live-to-tape") sports and entertainment events. In this embryonic industry, we've been instrumental in developing fiber optic technology to support the talented technical teams who have produced the following 3D events:
To Date:
- U2 3D (Latin America, 2006). Noted to be "the first ever 3-D multiple-camera setup, and was shot using every digital 3-D camera and recording deck in existence at the time."
- Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds (Salt Lake, 2007)
- NBA All Star game (feb 2008)
- BCS National Championship (Jan 2009)
- NBA All Star pre-game (feb 2009)
- Black Eyed Peas (March 2010)
- Rangers and Islanders (NHL) at Madison Square Garden (March 2010)
Upcoming:
- 2010 Masters golf tournament (April 2010)
- 2010 India Premier League Cricket Finals (April 2010)
- 2010 World Cup (June 2010)
The World Cup coverage will mark the launch of "ESPN 3D," which expects to showcase at least 85 live sporting events during the first year. Among other events planned for 3D broadcast: the Summer X Games, NBA games, college basketball and college football. Initially, it will all be live (no reruns), so the network will be dark when there's no 3D event.
Since each 3D camera is essentially a custom rig with two full 
cameras on it (one for each "eye" of the stereographic signal), we are often asked about how 3D production is handled in prewired venues. Can you use triax infrastructure? Is there fiber installed? If so, is there enough fiber installed to send discrete L&R signals back to the truck? Do they have to compress the signal(s)?
The answer is that with 3D, triax can no longer be used, due to the extreme bandwidth of the signals from (and back to) the 3D camera rigs. But with fiber optics, bandwidth is not a problem. We can multiplex lots of HD onto just a few strands of fiber. If the venue isn't prewired with single mode fiber infrastructure or hybrid fiber, they'll typically pull fiber cable for the event to each 3D camera drop. Either way, the cameras on every major live 3D sports and/or entertainment shoot so far (that we know of) has used fiber optic gear to get the signals from the camera rigs back to the truck.
We have made a variety of custom products for these 3D production companies (PACE, 3ality and others) to make the 3D production possible. In addition to their 3D-specific products, the talented engineers at these top, elite 3D houses also make their own fiber optic solutions, using Telecast's off-the-shelf fiber optic products as "building blocks."
For a sneak peak of our latest solution (for an entire 3D rig with two Dual-Link HDC1500 cameras, along with all of the ancillary bi-directional data streams, and return HD/SDI on a single piece of tactical or SMPTE hybrid cable), come to our booth and ask for me. If I'm not there, ask for Eugene Baker (our CTO) and say the secret word (the astrological sign of the Twins). We'll fetch it for you.
Posted by Paul Kamp
Having been in the broadcast industry since our inception we thought what better way to let people know about what we are doing than by launching a YouTube channel. On the Telecast channel we will provide information about what we are doing and other interesting developments in the industry
The channel actually went live two weeks ago with our first video about our the Adder II, our Fiber Optic Audio Multiplexer. Last week we added an overview video of the CopperHead, our fiber optic camera transceiver.
Over the years we have also had the opportunity to work with leading camera technology manufacturers and users. We were there at the advent of HD and were also there in the early days of 3D. To see how the 3D cameras work and some of the electronics behind them you may want to watch the video with Vince Pace.
We will be providing more videos going forward. Leave us some comments and let us know what you think of the videos. Also tells us what else you would like to see from us
Watch for exciting announcements at NAB. We look forward to helping you with your broadcast application.
Posted by Joe Commare
A great article by Carolyn Braff, Managing Editor of the Sports Video Group on some of the broadcast challenges at the recent Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Jeff Coleman is a veteran sports producer, having spent the last decade producing a variety of events from countries around the globe. But nothing could prepare him for the challenges of spending 17 days broadcasting eight alpine ski events atop a mountain. Home to men and women’s downhill, super combined, Super-G, slalom, and giant slalom Olympic events, Whistler Creekside is a steep, unforgiving hill, made all the more difficult to navigate because the rest of the mountain remains open to the public throughout the Games. Coleman took a few minutes out of his non-stop schedule to explain to SVG how his team has overcome the early challenges that this venue – and these Games – have posed to his Olympic Broadcast Services productions.
Of course, Telecast and fiber optics were a critical component in delivering all those great images you saw. Jeff said: "The Telecast SHEDs where we can send six cameras back on one fiber, that system is fantastic. I’m pretty pleased with the way that was installed."
Head over to the Sports Video Group site for the full article.
Posted by Bob McAlpine
I'd like to welcome
Mike Edelman as the new sales manager for Telecast’s South-Central U.S. region. He will be responsible for driving sales growth and strengthening reseller relationships in an eight-state area from Texas to Nebraska.
I'm thrilled that Mike has chosen to join our team at such a watershed time in our company’s growth, as momentum continues to build industry-wide for fiber optic video solutions. With more than 30 years of technical sales experience in the video industry, Mike has the technology know-how, industry relationships, and geographical knowledge to take our sales to the next level in this vital region.
Prior to joining Telecast, Mike served as Midwest regional sales manager for NVision and then moved into the South-Central sales manager role for Miranda Technologies when Miranda acquired NVision. There, he managed all aspects of selling for the entire Miranda product line in a five-state territory. Earlier in his career, Mike was with PESA Switching Systems, Inc. for 16 years, serving in multiple sales management and senior marketing roles. Prior to that he had various technical and sales positions in several different divisions of 3M, including the Broadcasting and Related Products Division, Audio Visual Division, and Office Products Division.
Mike's take on the opportunity is that Telecast’s superior technology and market leadership positions the company to take advantage of the enormous opportunities for fiber optic video interconnectivity solutions — especially as more and more mobile producers and broadcasters adopt fiber as their primary means of transporting video. If you are in his region give him a call. He would love to help solve your broadcasting challenge.
Posted by Rich Cerny
It is time to start preparing for the NAB Show in Las Vegas next month. If you are looking for a
free exhibition pass you can have one on us.
We have been quite busy of the last year. The biggest news is that we have become part of the
Belden family. This will allow our customers to capitalize on their continued need for mixed copper and fiber solutions and growing bandwidth demands in 'live entertainment' applications.
We hope you can make it to Las Vegas. Here are some of the things we will be showing:
3-D Technology
Using Telecast technology, 3-D camera engineers have been able to devise a system that enables the controlling electronics to be de-coupled from the camera lenses. Connected by a fiber link, the lenses can be deployed far away from the electronics for difficult shots such as undersea scenes, and can be controlled independently of each other to create the highly realistic, stereoscopic 3-D effects that are rapidly transforming movie-making and audience expectations.
TeleCube™ Modular Media Interface
Developed specifically for OEM applications, the
TeleCube MMI system offers broadcasters a highly flexible, cost-effective I/O solution for distribution of HD-SDI signals via fiber optics as well as copper cable. Simply by plugging a TeleCube onto any FPGA-based device, engineers can instantly configure the device for 3Gbps optical or electrical input and/or output. For a range of applications including HD monitors and displays, switchers and routers, cameras, and modular DAs, the TeleCube modules help lower engineering design costs and improve time-to-market for broadcast engineering solutions.
CopperHead™ 3000 Series
The
CopperHead 3000 Series has been designed to offer a cost-effective solution for a variety of applications and users, and provides a single fiber optic link between any professional camera or camcorder and the broadcaster’s truck, control room, or “video village” position. Representing the best of Telecast’s award-winning fiber optic technologies, the CopperHead 3000 is designed to handle all vital camera signals and can be configured for specific applications such as ENG or multi-camera use.
The system will simultaneously transport both digital (SDI or HD/SDI) and analog (NTSC or PAL) program video, as well as all two-way camera control, audio, video, data, tally/call and intercom signals between the camera and the Base Station.
Posted by Ed Miley
On New Years day the NHL’s Winter Classic rolled into Fenway Park for a nationally televised game on NBC between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. What a great place for the outdoor game complete with a classic ending!While the event by all accounts was a great success there were considerable changes made to the typical setup that the local news media is accustomed to over at Fenway.
The biggest change was to the normal SNG/ENG truck parking location which was hi-jacked by the NHL for trailer mounted generators and the mobile plumbing unit for keeping the ice frozen. The usual parking area for the locals at Fenway is on Van Ness Street with an access point into the stadium cross connects right inside the ambulance bay. While during the baseball season this would be the typical setup for this eventa whole new approach was taken.
The NHL secured parking for the local media in a parking lot beyond the right field area of Fenway Park and put the local trucks about 500’ further away then usual and on the opposite side of the street from Fenway.
So you ask, how does Telecast figure into this equation? Would you venture a guess as to which type of cable you were not allowed to flyover the street to cable into Fenway? Now would you venture a guess as to which cable was allowed to be hoisted over the street to connect into Fenway? Yes the answer is fiber optic tactical cable. A temporary modification made to a street light pole and some rope paved the way for some Tactical Fiber to flyover the street. On a side note, a very similar scenario takes place during MLB Playoff and World Series games at Fenway. This tradition started at Fenway in1999 when Fenway hosted the MLB All-Star game.
Through the NHL and some other local vendors Thistle Communications (Telecast’s New England rental house) from nearby Pelham, NH was contracted by the NHL to supply fiber to connect the media lot to the cross connect point inside the ball park. Any media outlet wishing to provide live shots from inside the park was tied into a series of TelecastFiber Systems Diamondback II and Adder II systems for audio and video transport back to the local truck compound. The Diamondbacks provided the path forstandard def video and the Adders were used for “dry” analog audio . With some prior arrangements Thistle Communications could also supply HD/SDI video and Ethernet connections using the Telecast Viper system that was also on scene. In all a few of the stations from Boston, Philadelphia, Comcast Sports and ESPN tied into the fiber system on New Years Eve which was the setup day and kept the lines in place through the end of New Years Day.
Thistle Communications racked up the Telecast Fiber equipment and secured it in a trailer that served as the field office and the demarc in the truck parking lot, while the otherend of the gear was located inside the ambulance bay at Fenway where the localmedia normally ties in. According to Thistle Communications President, Jim Thistle and his engineer Jay Arthur the setup and performance of the Telecast equipment was flawless and made life very easy for all involved. Noting that there are really not many options available seeing as conventional copper cables were not going to be allowed to be hung over the street.
The weight of the Telecast Fiber Tactical Fiber that was used is about 15lbs per 1000’ feet, far less then conventional ENGstyle copper cables. The weight of the cable crossing the street from the pole to the park was probably between two and three pounds. The total reel of 1000’of fiber plus the reel is close to 30 pounds total. As mentioned earlier for the MLB playoff games at Fenway a similar setup is used and again due to thelight weight the fiber is the only cable allowed to fly over the streets astemporary install. Again the increased signal capacity on the fiber vs.conventional copper lines makes the fiber a logical choice.
Without a doubt another example of how fiber can solve the problems of multiple connections, different standards, distance and weight all in one light weight manageable cable.