Brian Rose and the 11 Gepco HDR1 panels installed at Lincoln Center
SAN DIEGO
As an internationally known broadcast systems integrator, TV Magic always looks for the best products to fit our clients' needs. When the David H. Koch Theater in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York decided on a complete renovation and the addition of a facility for shooting in-house video, our biggest challenge was accommodating everything in the very limited space available. One of the most helpful products in this project was Gepco's HDR1 high-density hybrid fiber distribution rack.
UNIT PROVIDES SPACE-SAVING BONUS
I'd used Gepco's HDRA 2RU hybrid fiber distribution rack in connection with a previous project and knew the product quite well. It has six SMPTE hybrid fiber connectors that break out to separate fiber and electrical connectors on the rear of the chassis.
The HDRA worked so well in that application that I thought it would be a perfect fit for the job at the Lincoln Center. Then I found out about Gepco's new distribution rack, the HDR1. While this unit has the same number of positions and same rear panel breakout as the HDRA, it's supplied in a compact 1RU package.
With so little working rack space available, the compact HDR1s made a huge difference for us on this job.
The Koch Theater has 63 SMPTE fiber drops positioned throughout the building—including backstage, under seats, and in the lobby. This allows cameras to be connected and used from virtually any location within in the theater building.
As part of the project, we routed these multiple fiber connections to the Gepco HDR1s. With 66 SMPTE connector positions in only 11RUs of space, we saved a lot of room, using only about half of the rack space that we anticipated. As we needed only 63 positions, we were left with three spares. While we could have ordered a system with exactly 63 positions from Gepco, another two fiber drops were being considered, so we specified that all 11 HDR1s be supplied completely populated.
NO SPECIAL TOOLS
The HDR1s proved to be easy to install, with only standard fiber termination gear and a soldering station for the copper side required. My installation crew and I were able to quickly terminate the connections by using the provided pin-out diagram.
Another important plus associated with the Gepco HDR1 system is that it provides electrical isolation, ensuring that camera power and low voltage being fed from the CCU to each camera remains discrete.
Labels provided on the front of the HDR1s allowed us to number each SMPTE connection. Although the label space is small, it serves the purpose nicely. After labeling everything, we then created a "cheat sheet" that associates circuits brought up with their corresponding locations throughout the theater.
I'm glad that I discovered this Gepco product and will be using it again in a project that we will be working on later this year. In addition to providing a really useful product, Gepco's customer support is also really great.
Brian Rose is a project engineer at TV Magic Inc., and has worked on a wide range of projects including government facilities, theatres and houses of worship. He may be contacted atbrian.rose@tvmagic.tvFor additional information, contact Gepco at 800-966-0069 or visitwww.gepco.com.
