The broadcasting division of Churchill Downs Inc. is replacing analog routing equipment in the operation’s trucks with the new Utah Scientific Utah-400 series as part of a general digital equipment upgrade.
Churchill Downs Simulcast Productions provides live programming from five racetracks in America, including Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. More than 1,000 U.S. off-track betting parlors make use of the video.
CDSP’s Mobile Unit B, which is based at Calder Race Course in Miami, Fla. was first to be upgraded with a Utah-400 router, which included 48x40 SDI capacity. Utah’s SC-4 control system is being used with the new router.
“We had very little time allotted for getting MU-B up and running,” said Paul Kucharski, director of engineering for CDSP. “So it was particularly important that Utah could configure the router system in the factory. That meant we didn’t have to spend time reading manuals and looking up IP addresses. The router arrived ready to plug and play.”
MU-B was renovated in March. A second truck, Mobile Unit C, is currently undergoing a digital upgrade. As with MU-B, in addition to a router replacement, a new video server will also be installed.
