Equipment of Telecast Fiber Systems Company

By Alexander Lugansky

Review contents:

Fiber Optic technologies in broadcast sphere Profitt Company equipment for Fiber Optic links of video, audio and data transmission Axon equipment BKtel equipment for Fiber Optic networks Fiber Optics in TV and Radio broadcasting Kramer Electronics equipment for Fiber Optic lines of TV signal transmission Network Electronics equipment Snell & Wilcox Fiber Optic receivers and transmitters Equipment of Telecast Fiber Systems Company Optical node getting closer to the household Fiber Optic equipment from Vistek

Telecast Fiber Systems Company manufactures wide range of equipment designed for operation within systems for signal transmission over Fiber Optic links. In Russia this equipment appeared in 1998. Its appearance initiator was Proline Company based in Saint Petersburg. Thanks to it work the Telecast devices not only came to Russia bit became the standard solution in facilities of many broadcast centers.

Telecast equipment range consists of several series:

• Adder — family of multiplexers for transmission audio signals, Intercom and data signals;
• Cobra — Fiber Optic communication link for triax cameras including HD cameras. It also contains SHED (SMPTE Hybrid Elimination Device) adapters;
• CopperHead — CCUs for TV cameras and camcorders of various purposes as well as for HD cameras used in Digital Cinematography;
• DiamondBack — NTSC/PAL video multiplexers with additional ports for Adder Series devices;
• Mamba — commutation devices for HD/SDI, AES and analog audio signals;
• Python — wideband compact HD-SDI media converters;
• Viper I — portable broadcast systems (including a reel fop Sidewinder optical cable);
• Viper II — modular systems for all types of signals.

Scheme of a system built on Adder Series equipment

Adder I systems family consists of devices for audio signal transmission using “point-to-point” and “point-to-several points” schemes. It also includes multiplexers for data and Intercom systems. Number of audio channels can reach 64 per single Fiber Optic cable which makes these systems pretty effective. Adder systems are wide used in TV broadcasting and audio industry. Adder I product range is given in a table.

Adder I product line
Model	Description
Adder 162 and 322	Adder 162 (16 audio channels) and Adder 322 (32 audio channels) designed for large installations. 24-bit digital systems for transmission of mic and line levels audio, Intercom and data signals. They contain additionally up to six duplex Intercom channels, four duplex data transmission channels and two GPI channels. There is optical splitter for 4 outputs and tone-generator and speaker.
Adder 882	Adder 322 designed for duplex signal transmission multiplexes 8 audio channels and 8 data channels for transfer over one or two optical cables. Device supports transmission of 4 GPI signals in both directions. Data can have RS-232, RS-422 or RM-M7 (Sony CCU) type.
Adder 882i	Multiplexes up to 10 audio signals, up to 8 data channels and 4 GPI channels for duplex transmission over one or two optical cables. Four two-channel plug-in modules allow provide compatibility with Clear-Com or Telex RTS Intercom systems or transmit audio signal over 4-core balanced cable. Data format: RS-232, RS-422 or RM-M7 (Sony CCU). Coaxial outputs can operate with DiamondBack system’s inputs.
Adder 161	Designed for simplex transmission of up to 16 audio channels with mic or line level as well as two simplex data channels and 4 control GPI signals over single mode or multimode optical cable. Device equipped with optical and coaxial outputs and can operate in conjunction with DiamondBack system for simultaneous video and audio transmission (up to 8V/+16A via one cable on the single wavelength).
Adder TD-161	Adder TD-161 distribution device allows building flexible networks for signal distribution via optical and coaxial links and their combinations. A possibility to control the commutation lets choose from incoming stream from Adder 161 transmitter two audio channels transmitting at once all 16 channels to other Adder TD-161 and/or to Adder 161 receivers.
Adder AES-8 Mux	8-channel multiplexer of digital audio allowing transmit 8 AES/EBU channels (16 mono channels) over single optical cable. It provides a possibility of digitizing frequency selection as well as external reference signal frequency selection and automatically re-clocked upon first standard AES signal.

Besides Adder I Series the new Adder II Series had appeared recently. It contains analog/AES audio signals multiplexers. The core of devices is Natrix engine and separate devices with up to 16 analog or digital audio channels for each can be connected in cascades allowing develop the system for transmission of up to 256 audio channels. It provides gathering audio “on the fly” in different points over whole technological chain of a signals path with the further transmitting them to the central facility. And vice versa, large number of signals can be delivered to various points and users can choose packets consisting of 16 channels each.

Adder II transmitters and receivers in addition to high speed output bus (1.5 Gbit/s) are equipped with low speed (75 Mbit/s) outputs for “point-to-point” transmission and for work with DiamondBack II system.

All Adder II Series devices are compatible with Mamba AES Patchbay which also features Natrix engine.

Cobra is a camera system which allows transmitting video, audio and control signals working with TV camera and camcorder. It can successfully replace triax systems. This series also contains SHED adapter which allows replace many optical and cooper cables by single Fiber Optic cable. System works with different cameras including Ikegami, Sony, and Thomson. Using Cobra allows move camera from CCU on distance up to 20 km.

Cobra Series device

Cobra system provides duplex transmission of all signals (video, audio, control) including component video signal; return channel video signal and reference signal as well as audio, Intercom, IFB, Tally and camera control signals.

Plugged from front panel side modules allow adapt the system to cameras of various models, for instance HD-Triax or Super-Motion.

SHED adapter is the compact device for connecting via conventional single mode optical cable the HD and Slow-Motion cameras to facility’s infrastructure and avoiding large and heavy copper and optical cables. For this purpose one adapter is installed on camera while second one — on CCU. Moreover, by means of SHED adapter signals from several cameras can be transmitted over single cable.

CopperHead is the on-camera Faber Optic transceiver of analog and HD/SDI video signals and designed for use in sports live production, in digital cinematography and in TV programs and news post-production. It provides multiplexing of coming to camera and going off it signals and transmitting the result stream over single optical cable. A device itself is compact and lightweight; it is easy mounted to the back side of camera.

Cine version designed for digital cinematography provides additional audio channels.

	On-camera Fiber Optic transceiver and CopperHead base station

CopperHead features low power consumption and operates from camera’s battery but it can be powered also from additional PowerPlus adapter.

DiamondBack II Series devices execute multiplexing of 8 channels of broadcast quality composite video of NTSC/PAL/SECAM standards and transmit resulting signal over single optical cable via single wavelength. They equipped with additional AUX port which is able to receive at once up to 16 audio channels (from Adder coaxial output). Doubled optical outputs allow providing optical redundancy or/and output signal doubling. Besides, device features monitoring of any video channel from the front panel, loop-through video inputs and doubled video outputs. For transmission with high density CWDM technology use is available.

Viper Series equipment

Mamba is a family of devices for optical signal distribution designed for use if TV production. The bases of a system are HD-SDI and AES signals commutation panels supplied with Mini-WECO connectors.

Python II Series of transmitters and receivers is developed with regard of digital TV production volumes increase. Compact Python devices can work with 16 SDI channels at 19.4 Mbit/s…1.5 Gbit/s bit rates, i.e. even with uncompressed HD-SDI signal. Depending on model the number of channels is 8 or 16. If device works as duplex transceiver than channels’ number is 8 in both directions. Python apparatuses are compatible with other SDI equipment of Telecast, for example, Viper and Mamba Series.

Some Viper 1 devices including Sidewinder reel system allow “push in” all studio signals to single flexible lightweight optical cable. Systems are modular and provide duplex transmission of NTSC/PAL or HD-SDI signals; audio, Intercom and data signals.

Material provided by Proline Company