The three networks covering baseball’s All-Star Game and related events, are using wireless camera systems from Vislink News and Entertainment, a U.K.-based supplier of wireless systems.
Wireless comms supplier CP Communications is supplying five High Definition Link wireless camera systems from Vislink News and Entertainment for the annual summer classic taking place in St. Louis this week. The company is giving ESPN, Fox and Major League Baseball Network coverage in HD, carried simultaneously over a shared fibre optic network.
The assignment includes the big game on Fox and ESPN’s Home Run Derby and All Star weekend. The MLB network is providing its own coverage in and around the stadium, including the Red Carpet ceremony.
ESPN is using two 7GHz Link HD systems on Thomson Grass Valley LDK 6000 cameras, and a system at 2GHz with an LDK 6000 camera. Fox Sports is using a similar configuration with two 7GHz Link HD wireless camera systems. The MLB Network will operate two Sony L1500 cameras with Link L1500 HD transmitters.
CP Communications will send the RF signal over fibre using two diversity receivers and will then carry the feeds from inside and outside the stadium back over fibre to the main CP Communications RF truck—HDRF2—from where it will be distributed by fibre.
The 7GHz wireless camera systems will be used in the center field to send the HD/SDi signal and audio back over fibre to the RF truck. CP Comms has developed its own multiplexed system that will take the feed from each camera with comms and audio both ways over one fibre connection to the truck.
CP Communications and Total RF Productions will use Link’s ASI switching and the latest version of the Link 2134 receiver to bring the ASI from two receivers and link to the decoders.
“We are introducing new technology in the ASI switching, which makes it possible for us to operate all of these RF links,” said Kurt Heitmann, president, Total RF Productions. “The latest release of Link’s receiver firmware enables up to three receivers to be cascaded with four inputs, each which will form a 12x antenna diversity receive network to deliver one continuous signal as the cameras move around. This greatly increases the flexibility of the Link receive system.”
