DK-Technologies has supplied Sony Broadcast with four PT5300 Sync and Test Signal Generators, which are currently being installed in two new Outside Broadcast vehicles destined for Serbian state broadcaster RTS.
The 12-camera HD-ready vehicles will be used to capture sports programming and other live events. Sony Broadcast will complete the first truck at the end of this year and the second in 2009.
All four of the PT5300 units are fitted with DK-Technologies’ new global positioning system (GPS) genlock option, which enables ultimate timing stability of the generators by locking against a GPS time reference.
Sony Broadcast project manager Mark Carver says: “Both trucks will be equipped with the GPS option with these units. They were also chosen for their reliability and ease of use.”
The GPS genlock option (PT8616) allows the timing of the output signals from the PT5300 to be defined relative to the real time clock – e.g. the start of a video frame is defined in absolute time. This allows a number of independent PT5300's to run in sync even when they are physically separated by long distances and have no direct interconnection for synchronization.
The option also ensures that the frequency reference is always correct in a master generator setup. When redundant systems are used with changeover units, the individual master generators can be synchronized via the GPS genlock option, causing minimum disturbance if a changeover situation should occur. By using PT5300's with PT8616 options, remote facilities can be synchronized to the master complex and signals can be transferred without the risk of having artifacts induced by frame synchronizers or frame buffers skipping or repeating frames due to unsynchronized sync domains.
The PT8616 option consists of a hardware module that integrates seamlessly into the PT5300 generator. A robust weatherproof antenna, cable and mounting accessories are also included.
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