MIAMI—The first-quarter edition of the OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) report highlights a number of important trends in broadband usage, including the finding that median downstream fiber consumption is 3.15 times that of DOCSIS-based cable broadband networks during the four-hour evening period.

The study found that the highest ratio between fiber and DOCSIS median downstream use during Q1 2026 was 3.6 times at 6 p.m.

The report also notes that the widest absolute gap during any daypart is at 8 p.m., when median downstream fiber usage is 1.346 GB for fiber and DOCSIS is at 0.456 GB—a difference of 0.890 GB.

Using data collected by OpenVault’s network-agnostic broadband optimization solutions, the 1Q26 OVBI examines how fiber is becoming a pivotal factor in new consumption trends. The report also uses data from Aispire, a provider of consumption-centric intelligence, to provide insights into applications driving growth, particularly in the upstream.

Among the 1Q26 OVBI findings:

• Power Users: More than one-third (33.8%) of fiber customers are consuming 1 Terabyte or more of data per month, an increase of 35.1% over the 25.0% of Power Users on DOCSIS networks.
• Downstream: Average downstream fiber usage was 837.0 Gigabytes, 26.1% more than the 664.0 GB recorded by DOCSIS subscribers.
• Usage Drivers: Aispire data shows that cloud sync—especially for ChatGPT reasoning models, MS365 Copilot, Apple Intelligence and agentic AI workflows—is the dominant upstream category at 15–16% of classified upload volume, and up to 25.5% of upload traffic at the 1 Gbps-plus tier.
• Residential vs. Non-Residential: Residential subscribers run at a 23-to-1 download-to-upload ratio, with video comprising 48% of downloads. Nonresidential subscribers run at a 7.3-to-1 ratio, with cloud connections accounting for 20% of uploads.

“While almost half of residential traffic is video downloads, non-residential subscribers use cloud services that require symmetric fiber. Thus, the two market segments should be modeled separately for capacity planning,” the report noted. Further, “as fiber footprints expand, operators should anticipate a structural uplift in overall network demand.”

The entire report is available here.

OpenVault executives will be at Fiber Connect 2026 May 17-20 in Nashville, Tenn., and at ANGACOM May 19-21 in Cologne, Germany. Meetings at both shows can be arranged via email.

OpenVault Vice President, Operations Lauren Trudeau will speak on the “Leading the Future: Where Innovation Meets Influence” panel on Wednesday, May 20 (3 p.m. CET) on the ANGACOM Innovation Stage.

KINGS PARK, NY—MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems will introduce two new fiber transport solutions at the 2026 NAB Show—April 18-22 in Las Vegas—that support evolving IP and hybrid infrastructures, reduce fiber requirements and simplify system design.

On deck are the new FiberSaver-10G wavelength-shifting multiplexer and VF-9100 fiber optic transport platform. The FiberSaver-10G marks a significant expansion of MultiDyne’s FiberSaver Series, bringing high-capacity 10GbE connectivity to a platform known for maximizing fiber efficiency.

Designed for the modern IP-based data workflows of SMPTE ST 2110, Dante AV and NDI, the system can transport multiple 10G signals over a single fiber strand. Customers deploying fiber across live production scenarios can reduce fiber infrastructure by up to 94 percent using FiberSaver-10G without comprising bandwidth.

“10 gig is becoming the new baseline for media networks,” said Jesse Foster, Director of Strategic Accounts and Products at MultiDyne. “With FiberSaver-10G, we’re giving customers a simple way to trunk multiple high-bandwidth networks together and dramatically reduce fiber usage without compromising signal integrity.”

FiberSaver-10G delivers up to an 18 to 1 reduction in required fiber strands by optically isolating, wavelength-shifting and multiplexing multiple independent 10G networks onto a single fiber. This is especially valuable for mobile production trucks, stadiums, corporate campuses and large venues where fiber resources are limited or costly to expand. The platform supports flexible configurations across the series, allowing users to mix 1G, 10G and 25G connectivity within the same system. An external redundant power option ensures reliability in mission-critical environments.

Complementing FiberSaver-10G is the new VF-9100, the next-generation evolution of MultiDyne’s widely deployed VF-9000 fiber transport platform. Used in studios, stadiums and mobile production environments worldwide, the VersaFrame Series is known for high-density signal transport, wavelength shifting and format flexibility, the company said.

The VF-9100 features key enhancements that improve integration, usability and future scalability. A new hardware controller introduces RESTful API support for seamless integration with modern network management and control systems.

"RESTful API changes the game for how these systems integrate into today’s facilities,” said Foster. “Engineers can now monitor status, manage configurations and automate control through a single interface, regardless of vendor. It makes the VF-9100 a much better citizen in IP-based environments.”

Additional updates include a redesigned chassis with improved card guides for easier field servicing, enhanced rack-mount options for flypack deployments, and more powerful internal power supplies to support next-generation modules. The VF-9100 also introduces new modular cards for audio, serial data, GPIO and genlock/timecode.

Like its predecessor, the VF-9100 supports high-density signal multiplexing, enabling users to transport up to 18 signals over a single fiber — or 36 signals in dual configurations — while maintaining full flexibility across SDI and IP workflows.

While both FiberSaver-10G and VF-9100 deliver fiber savings, wavelength shifting and signal optimization, they are typically deployed for different purposes within the same environment. FiberSaver excels at aggregating existing optical signals and IP networks onto minimal fiber infrastructure, while the VF-9100 serves as a powerful, modular platform for signal conversion, transport and system-wide integration.

“Together, these solutions reflect MultiDyne’s continued focus on delivering practical, engineering-driven innovations that solve real-world challenges in broadcast and AV environments,” said Frank Jachetta, CEO, MultiDyne.

MultiDyne will demonstrate FiberSaver-10G and the VF-9100 at Booth C4425 in the Central Hall during the show.

MIAMI—New data from OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) for Q4 2025, indicates that as broadband usage continues to rise there is growing demand for faster upload speeds and capacity.

In the report OVBI conducted what it is calling a first-ever point-in-time comparison of Fiber vs. DOCSIS subscribers in a selected broadband system to see how usage was impacted by increased upstream speeds. OVBI found that in the final quarter of 2025, subscribers on a fiber network with symmetrical speeds of 677 Mbps consumed 93.0 GB of upstream bandwidth. Fiber usage was 66% higher than the 56.0 GB used by subscribers on the same system’s DOCSIS networks, which were provisioned at 17.3 Mbps, on average, in the upstream.

“As operators deploy higher-split architectures, expand usable spectrum, and leverage tools such as Profile Management Applications (PMA) to optimize modulation profiles and unlock additional upstream capacity, constraints on DOCSIS networks are steadily easing,” the report notes. “The Fiber comparison suggests that latent upstream demand already exists on DOCSIS networks and is likely to be activated as performance barriers are removed – resulting in rapid scaling of upstream consumption that further shifts.”

Overall, the report found that upstream usage continued to outpace all other metrics in 2025. The year-end average of 55.86 GB across fiber and DOCSIS platforms represented a 21.7% year-over-year increase over the 45.9 GB record in 2024 and a 16.4% increase over 3Q25’s 47.98 GB.

Other year-over-year findings included:

• Average monthly usage rose 9.9% to 767.4 GB, the first time average usage has exceeded 700 GB.
• Average downstream usage of 711.4 GB in 4Q25 itself exceeded the 698.2 GB average total usage at the end of 2024.
• Median usage of 531.8 GB was 15.3% higher than the 481.2 GB median recorded in 4Q24, a rate of increase that was almost equal to the median increases of the previous two years combined (15.7%).

The 4Q25 OVBI also explores the need for providers to be mindful that steady percentage growth figures can mask progressively larger traffic volumes that place increased stress on provider networks. The report notes that even though 4Q25 9.9% growth was up only 1% year-over-year, the absolute increase in traffic traversing broadband infrastructures averaged 69.0 GB per subscriber, compared to the 57.0 GB increase evidenced from 4Q23 to 4Q24.

OpenVault CEO and founder Mark Trudeau will discuss the findings and their implications for the industry on a webinar on Thursday, February 26 at 11 a.m. EST. Registration is at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bIy9kBNLTS2fl-lzM2Wigw.

The entire report is at https://openvault.com/resources/ovbi/.

CLAREMONT, N.C.—Network connectivity provider CommScope said the CommScope XPND fiber termination panel platform for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks is now available.

The CommScope XPND platform creates a flexible connectivity interface for active equipment, with a modular design that allows users to easily scale components and capabilities in response to market changes. It provides fiber management, connectivity and cable handling to support next-generation fiber active technology, protecting outside passive infrastructure investments, the company said.

“The core feature of our new CommScope XPND platform is its completely open design. Each empty panel is a blank canvas, ready to be populated with a virtually unlimited combination of interchangeable cassettes and modules, including optical splitters,” said Erik Gronvall, vice president of strategy and technology, datacenter. “Service providers can build the network they need with the minimum number of SKUs for the maximum performance and applications. As FTTH buildouts shift to more rural areas it results in smaller-scale installs of single-rack or outside plant cabinets. Service providers are confronted with spikes in fiber demand, fluctuating budgets and less certainty in planning. The CommScope XPND panel helps service providers adapt to changing demands and grow at their own pace.”

The compact panels fit in a standard 19-inch rack alongside active equipment and feature an interchangeable system of panels, cassettes, modules and cables that are shipped and sold separately, allowing a provider to customize their network upgrade path while minimizing SKUs and inventory costs.

The company described the highlights of the CommScope XPND platform as follows:

• Complete suite of solutions: Panels with interchangeable splice cassettes, adapter modules, optical splitters and cables that work together to support virtually any configuration and application.
• Ease of ordering and upscaling: Ppanels are shipped empty, and the cassettes and modules are ordered separately. As networks evolve, customers can add cassettes and modules, mixing and matching as needed, or preserve room for future growth.
• Pay-as-you-go model: Offering a more agile, cost-effective path forward, especially for smaller, growing networks.
• Minimal real estate cost: Panels, which come in sizes of 1, 1.5 or 3 rack units, have a standard depth of just 12 inches and fit in 19-inch racks alongside active equipment, with no requirement for a dedicated frame.

The CommScope XPND fiber platform is available today for CommScope customers in North America. It will be on display at Fiber Connect 2025 from June 1-4 in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, visit the CommScope website.

NEW YORK—Altice USA’s Optimum brand has announced major network upgrade plans that will enable the provider of fiber internet, mobile, and TV services to offer multi-gigabit internet speeds across 65% of its service footprint by 2028. This will double the availability of multi-gigabit speeds over the next three years.

In announcing the upgrade plans, the company also announced that it has reached a significant milestone with its Optimum Fiber internet service now available in 3 million passings (i.e. homes and businesses who could sign up for its services.) That represents around 30% of the company’s footprint. Most of the homes are in the New York tri-state area.

The company also reported that it is focused on the continued expansion of its network, with plans to add an additional 175,000 passings in 2025, the majority of which will be fiber.

"Optimum is committed to empowering residents and businesses with the fast, reliable internet services they need to thrive in a digital-first world,” said Nate Edwards, executive vice president, network services at Optimum. “By investing in our network, boosting multi-gig speeds, and expanding fiber internet access, we’re not just creating a faster connection—we’re paving the way for innovation and growth for our customers.”

This expansion includes the introduction of mid-split upgrades across areas of the company’s hybrid fiber coaxial network, enabling download speeds of up to 2 Gbps downstream, as well as the continued extension of Optimum’s fiber network, which delivers symmetrical speeds of up to 8 Gbps. These ultra-fast speeds are designed to meet the growing demands of modern households and businesses, supporting activities such as 4K/8K streaming, cloud gaming, remote work, and the proliferation of smart home devices.

For more information on Optimum, visit optimum.com.

Verizon announced today that it is acquiring fiber network provider Frontier Communications in an all-cash transaction valued at $20 billion. Frontier—which emerged from bankruptcy in 2021—is the largest pure-play fiber internet provider in the U.S. and adding it to Verizon’s portfolio will significantly expand Verizon's fiber footprint across the nation, “accelerating the company’s delivery of premium mobility and broadband services to current and new customers” and “expand Verizon's intelligent edge network for digital innovations like AI and IoT,” Verizon said.

Verizon plans to integrate Frontier’s fiber network into Verizon's fiber and wireless assets, including its Fios network. Over approximately four years, Frontier has invested $4.1 billion upgrading and expanding its fiber network, and now derives more than 50% of its revenue from fiber products. Frontier’s 2.2 million fiber subscribers across 25 states will join Verizon’s approximately 7.4 million Fios connections in nine states and Washington, D.C. In addition to Frontier’s 7.2 million fiber locations, the company says it plans to build out an additional 2.8 million fiber locations by the end of 2026.

“Connectivity is essential in nearly every part of our lives and work, and no one delivers better than Verizon,” said Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg. “Verizon offers more choice, flexibility and value, and we continuously look for ways to provide the best product and network experience to our customers as we bolster our position as the provider of choice.”

Vestberg added: “The acquisition of Frontier is a strategic fit. It will build on Verizon’s two decades of leadership at the forefront of fiber and is an opportunity to become more competitive in more markets throughout the United States, enhancing our ability to deliver premium offerings to millions more customers across a combined fiber network.”

“Less than four years ago, we set out an ambitious plan to Build Gigabit America, the digital infrastructure this country needs to thrive for generations to come,” said Nick Jeffery, President and CEO of Frontier. “Today’s announcement is recognition of our progress building a best-in-class fiber network and delivering reliable, high-speed broadband to millions of customers across the country. It’s also a vote of confidence for the future of fiber. I am confident that this delivers a significant and certain cash premium to Frontier’s shareholders, while creating exciting new opportunities for our employees and expanding access to reliable connectivity for more Americans.”

Verizon says it expects to realize at least $500 million in run-rate cost synergies by year three from benefits of increased scale and distribution and network integration resulting from the acquisition of Frontier.

Fox News Media is deploying massive tech and production resources for its coverage of the Republican National Convention, with over 400 people on site, 24 plus cameras and over 9,000 feet of fiber connecting broadcast locations around the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisc. where the event will take place. 

One staple of political event coverage will, however, be missing. For the first time, Fox News won’t have a mobile production unit on site. It plans to send back all the feeds and content from its cameras and operations back to its New York control rooms using 45 transmission lines. 

“This is the first convention since we started doing conventions where we don't have a mobile unit here on site,” explained Scott Wilder,  executive vice president of production and operations at Fox News Media, who oversees all technical, field and production operations of Fox News Media’s special events and breaking news coverage, including the 2024 presidential election.

“Everything we're doing is being sent as a home run, as we refer to it, back to New York," he explained. "The producers who would normally sit in a control room are all back in New York, and the director is back in New York. All camera lines go back to New York. Shows are being cut in New York.”

The decision to remotely produce the convention wasn't a matter of embracing cutting edge technology, Wilder added. “We're not the first people to do this. Fox Sports have been doing a lot of production this way. Everybody's very comfortable with the technology.”

Instead, the biggest changes involved modifying their approach to planning and managing the production. “The producers are used to being in the same location as their talent and anchors, so we’ve worked to mitigate that issue," he said. Their director, for example, spent four days on site blocking out shots, working with the camera people and familiarizing himself with the setup before heading back to New York. 

“He now goes back to New York feeling that has a great connection and understanding of the space,” Wilder said. 

BACKUPS AND MORE BACKUPS

To handle all the feeds, both the main feeds and the backups, Fox News has forty-five transmission lines from Milwaukee to New York and thirty-one lines from New York to Milwaukee. Those include 16 JPEG XS lines that provide extremely low end-to-end latency.

For quality control and monitoring, they also have an engineering hub in a parking lot near the Fiserv Forum that includes a trailer where they built a facility for monitoring the feeds. “It mimics a mobile production unit in terms of having a monitor wall and being a place where all the tech managers and producers can sit comfortably and we can watch the remote feeds come in and out and see all cameras,” he said. 

While most of the transmission is fiber, they have a KU truck in the engineering hub area to provide a satellite backup. For further redundancy they have a streaming backup option as well. 

In the engineering hub area they also have a studio van. The van and its studio can be used in an emergency Wilder said if “there is some Secret Service issue or a technology issue. If for some reason we are locked out of the Fiserv we can put an anchor in the van and get them on TV.” 

Wilder spoke with TV Tech prior to an attempted assassination attempt on Trump on Saturday July 13, which is likely to make security and redundancy planning at the convention an even bigger issue.

LONG FIBER RUNS

During the RNC, Fox News will be working out of several main areas spread out over a five block area. Those include the Fiserv Forum where the convention is being held, The Gather, the Baird Convention Center and an engineering hub. It has laid more than 9000 feet and 180 strands of fiber to connect its broadcast locations and will be using more than 24 cameras. 

Inside Fiserv Forum, Fox has three sets of robotic cameras. Those include Sony FR7 cameras controlled from their engineering trailer as well as Panasonic UE150.

BSI is providing connectivity and comms for Fox, which will have two RF cameras providing feeds. In addition, Wilder said “LiveU come up with some solutions of dedicated Ethernet bandwidth and we will be working with them for one backpack.” 

The Fiserv Forum and the other facilities are relatively new, which has made it much easier to get the connectivity they need, Wilder said. 

Unlike many earlier conventions, when the networks were given luxury boxes above the arena for their studios, Fox will have a 30,000 square foot spot on the concourse of the Fiserv Forum for its operations. Inside the Fiserv Forum it will have three sets, one of which will use three Sony robotic cameras controlled from the engineering hub. 

The end result reflects extensive planning. Wilder says they have been planning for the convention since Milwaukee was announced as the site for the 2024 RNC convention in 2022 and that they were already extremely familiar with the site. The Democratic National Convention was scheduled to be held in Milwaukee in 2020 and Fox already had people in the city when it was canceled at the last minute. “So between that convention, all the visits for that and our debate [in 2023] and now this, we all are very, very familiar,” with the area, Wilder said. “We've had people on the ground now for three weeks.”

Fox News Media (FNM) will present live programming surrounding the 2024 Republican National Convention beginning Sunday, July 14th through Thursday, July 18th. Originating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the network’s convention coverage will be available across all of Fox News Media’s platforms, including Fox News Channel (FNC), Fox Business Network (FBN), Fox News Audio, Fox News Digital and Fox Nation.

KINGS PARK, NY—MultiDyne plans to debut a new generation of the NanoBrix Series at NAB Show 2024, introducing new functions into the diverse family of miniature signal processing solutions. 

The new NanoBrix features a ruggedized enclosure, setting the stage for a second rollout phase that will allow users to house and connect multiple NanoBrix devices in a single chassis, the company said.

The NanoBrix Series became part of MultiDyne’s product family following a strategic acquisition, adding a broad range of flexible 12G/3G/HD/SD-SDI conversion and distribution solutions for managing high densities of analog and digital signals. The original NanoBrix Series includes a range of fiber-optic transceivers, multiplexers/de-multiplexers, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders/de-embedders, most of which will be retained in the new series.

MultiDyne will add new devices to the series over time beginning with a new 12G to HDMI converter at NAB The new NB2-12G-HDMI provides a way for broadcast engineers to monitor 5.1 audio streams and downmix the surround signal to 2.0 stereo audio. The device accepts a 12G 4K SDI signal and converts it to HDMI for live confidence monitoring. At the same time, the embedded surround signal is used to provide a L/R multichannel downmix for stereo applications, including television sets and web streams.

MultiDyne will refresh the appearance of the NanoBrix Series beginning with the NB2-12G-HDMI, with MultiDyne’s familiar branding added to brighter orange and black foundational coatings. The NB2-12G-HDMI and other updated NanoBrix products include 5-volt USB/USB-C powering and an accessory cable, along with magnetic mounting capability that makes it easier to conceal devices inside studios and equipment racks, according to the company. The NB2-SDI-HDMI is also available with a single-channel fiber input and can regenerate the incoming signal for daisy-chained monitors.

Jesse Foster, VP of Products and Western Sales, says that the NB2-12G-HDMI essentially offers the same functionality as the NBX-3G-HDMI-DMX, which broadcasters worldwide use today to monitor and/or downmix HD signals. 

“This specific product represents the continued expansion of our 12G products for the 4K single-link infrastructure,” said Foster, who adds that MultiDyne has also added 12G connectivity and transport to its HoneyBadger bulk fiber transport platform, introduced at NAB Show 2023. “These are problem-solving devices that allow broadcasters to troubleshoot the absence of surround channels in the 5.1 audio mix, or noise issues that result from oddities or artifacts in the stereo downmix.”

The updated NanoBrix Series will soon expand with the NB2-10G-TRX copper 10G over fiber transceiver, with optional PoE+ support. Foster says this product will be available in single and dual-fiber configurations and “will fit right alongside the NB2-12G-HDMI in the frame system, as will all future NanoBrix products.”

MultiDyne will also highlight its HoneyBadger, a ruggedized field fiber solution for today’s content producers faced with a broader array of formats, signals and connectors than ever while seeking to bridge the gap between fiber and IP. The 5RU solution removes limitations around local signal connectivity and extension through high I/O density and two independent 1Gb local-area network (LAN) extensions, the latter of which enables IP connectivity over single-mode fiber strands. 

MultiDyne will be in Booth C7107 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2024 NAB Show, April 14-17.

NEW YORK—Altice USA’s Optimum brand has launched what it is billing as the largest rollout of a new 8 Gig symmetrical fiber internet service in the U.S. The service is available to more than 1.7 million residents and businesses across the company’s fiber footprint at launch and by year’s end, Optimum 8 Gig Fiber is expected to be available in areas that have more than 3 million homes and businesses. 

“After launching 2 and 5 Gig symmetrical Fiber Internet speeds last year, Optimum is pleased to have invested even further in our network and infrastructure to bring next level 8 Gig symmetrical internet speeds to our fiber footprint,” said Leroy Williams, chief growth officer, Optimum. “Optimum is now the nation’s largest 8 Gig Fiber Internet provider, and availability will continue to increase as we deploy fiber to more homes and businesses as we solidify our position as the connectivity provider of choice across all the communities we serve. We look forward to bringing these reliable and faster speeds, along with an enhanced customer experience, to meet our customers’ growing data needs today and into the future.”

Optimum said that the launch represents the largest deployment of 8 Gig internet speeds in the country and cements Optimum as the nation’s largest 8 Gig internet provider. Those speeds are four times faster than Verizon, 60% faster than Frontier, and 32 times faster than T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, the operator claimed. 

Backed by Optimum’s 100% Fiber Internet network, Optimum’s 8 Gig Fiber Internet offers 8 Gig symmetrical upload and download speeds to support data-intensive applications like AR/VR, gaming, graphic design, and video production, all while providing increased bandwidth that can simultaneously connect 100+ devices to the internet at once. The service is delivered directly into the home via the Optimum Fiber Gateway to enable fast, reliable WiFi in the home or business, with extenders available for extra coverage, the operator said. 

“Optimum’s Fiber is deployed using XGS-PON, an advanced technology that enables multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds and that is superior to the legacy GPON standard used by many other fiber providers,” said Pragash Pillai, chief technology and information officer, Optimum. “As we continue to bring faster, more reliable service to customers through this state-of-the-art technology, the strength of Optimum’s Fiber network goes unmatched.”

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Harmonic has expanded its fiber broadband portfolio with the new Wharf hardened switch for high-density remote optical line termination (R-OLT) applications. 

The Wharf switch delivers reliable, ultra-fast broadband speeds to high-density service areas and accelerates time to market of XGS-PON or 10G-EPON fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services alongside 25/40/100G business-class services from outdoor cabinetry, Harmonic reported. 

"As speed wars intensify, operators are under pressure to compete for subscribers in both residential and enterprise segments," said Nimrod Ben-Natan, senior vice president and general manager, broadband business at Harmonic. "The compact Wharf chassis easily fits into traditional telco-style infrastructure, and leveraging Harmonic's virtualized core, provides operators with a one-stop solution for 10G fiber services and business-class connectivity."

The Wharf switch offers transport and aggregation with 24 10/25G Ethernet ports alongside an array of 100G and 400G ports, enabling all services to achieve full simultaneous line rate. Coupled with Harmonic's Emmy Award-winning virtualized core and Fin R-OLT pluggable, the multi-purpose Wharf switch enables up to 20 10G PON utilizing either ITU XGS-PON or CableLabs 10G-EPON standards.

The Wharf switch is now available to operators. Harmonic powers next-gen broadband services for over 90 innovative service providers worldwide, including leading operators in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Harmonic will showcase its virtualized core and new Wharf switch at ANGA COM in hall 8, booth C35. To schedule a meeting, visit https://info.harmonicinc.com/anga-com. Further information about Harmonic and the company's solutions is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

NORWALK, Conn.—Frontier has announced that it has rolled out a 5 Gig internet offering across its entire network, making it the first major ISP to deliver a network-wide 5 Gig fiber internet service, as opposed to a service available in a few select markets, to any customer on its network.

“We set a standard with network-wide 2 Gig internet last year, and now we’ve done it again,” said John Harrobin, Frontier’s executive vice president of Consumer. “Our 5 Gig offer meets the growing demand for multi-gig speeds and delivers the ‘un-cable’ experience by making the fastest upload and download speeds available throughout our fiber network.”

The 5 Gig offer starts at $154.99 a month with autopay and includes uncapped data + Wi-Fi router + free installation + premium tech support, Frontier said. 

Frontier said the 5 Gig fiber internet service enables customers to run multiple connected devices at their fastest possible speeds and provides customers with: 

• Symmetrical download and upload speeds at up to 5 gigabits per second.
• 125x faster upload speed than cable.
• 1.6 seconds to download Adobe Photoshop on PC (1GB).
• <36 seconds to download a House of Dragons episode in 4K (22 GB).
• <2 minutes to download a 100-minute 8K movie (67 GB).
• 99.9% network reliability.

MONTRÉAL—Bell announced that it is set to deliver the fastest Internet speeds in North America of any major provider with the introduction of services with symmetrical speeds of up to 8Gbps.

Bell already bills itself as offering the fastest speeds in Canada of any major provider with a 3Gdps service. With the introduction of even faster symmetrical speeds of up to 8Gbps in select areas of Toronto starting in September, Bell reported that its pure fiber Internet will have download speeds five times faster than cable technology and upload speeds 250 times faster than cable technology. 

Bell also will bring Wi-Fi 6E in the home this fall, the fastest Wi-Fi technology available

"We're thrilled to be launching North America's fastest Internet speeds and Wi-Fi technology,” said Blaik Kirby, group President, Consumer and Small & Medium Business, Bell. “With download and upload speeds of up to 8 gigabits per second, and the availability of gigabit plus speeds with Wi-Fi 6E, we are making consuming content at home even better for our customers, allowing them to do more of what they want online, even faster."  

In a period with many customers have multiple devices connected in their home, Bell’s unlimited pure fiber package will also introduce a new Giga Hub modem with Wi-Fi 6E compatibility and gigabit plus speeds. 

Wi-Fi 6E is the next phase of Wi-Fi advancement, enabling faster speeds and lower latency when used with a compatible device and allows customers to work, learn, video chat, stream and game online on any or all of their household devices simultaneously, the company said. 

The new Giga Hub enabling Wi-Fi 6E will be available for customers in Ontario and Québec starting this Fall and later expanding to other provinces.

Bell is undertaking its most aggressive fiber buildout ever in 2022, with plans to reach up to 900,000 more homes and businesses across much of Canada with direct fiber connections. That effort is part of a two-year capital expenditure program of almost $10 billion, now in its second year, to accelerate the rollout of its broadband fiber, 5G and rural networks.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—Despite ongoing supply chain issues, fiber deployments boosted global revenue for the broadband access equipment market to $4.4 billion in Q1 2022, a 14% bounce from Q1 2021, according to a new report from Dell’Oro Group. 

The spending growth comes at a time when the U.S. government has been providing subsidies for rural broadband network improvements, 5G fixed wireless services have been gaining traction and operators have been speeding up their fiber deployments to attract subs in an increasingly saturated broadband market. 

Growth continues to come from PON (passive optic networking) equipment and fixed wireless CPE (consumer premises equipment), as service providers expand their broadband availability and speeds, Dell’Oro reported. 

"Despite all the challenges with supply chains, logistics, and labor, service providers continue to invest heavily to expand their fiber broadband networks, particularly in North America" noted Jeff Heynen, vice president, broadband access and home networking at Dell'Oro Group. 

"Many of these deployments are to deliver multi-gig services, as operators look to stay one step ahead of their competitors" explained Heynen.

The report also highlighted the growing importance of 5G. Total fixed wireless CPE unit shipments reached 3.8 million units in the quarter, with 5G Sub-6GHz units showing the fastest growth.

In addition, the report found that total cable access concentrator revenue increased 5% year over year to $257 million. 

Finally, solid growth in Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) deployments help offset declines in traditional CCAP (converged cable access platforms) licenses, the researchers reported. 

ATLANTA—Cox Communications has announced a major investment in its broadband network, committing more than $400 million over the next three years to bring symmetrical gigabit broadband connectivity to more than 100K unserved and underserved households in communities across the country. 

The investments will help promote digital equity, the operator said. 

As part of that effort, Cox recently announced a partnership with the City of Tahlequah, Ok. that will bring fiber service to more than 6,000 underserved homes. The company also announced a $20,000 donation from the James M. Cox Foundation to the Boys and Girls Club of Tahlequah to fund a Cox Innovation Lab, which will provide new and innovative technology and support to help bridge the digital divide in the community, Cox said. 

Similar to Tahlequah, several other projects are underway in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Florida, Louisiana, California, Virginia and Arizona, the operator reported. 

"Today's families are even more reliant upon fast internet speeds to power their increasingly digital lives but many still lack access to a fast and reliable connection," said Cox Communications president Mark Greatrex. "As part of our ongoing commitment to digital equity, we're making private investments, continuing to pursue partnership opportunities, and positively impacting the lives of those in underserved areas by providing high-speed broadband service."

Cox also reported that in addition to these privately-funded expansion projects, it is involved in several other projects involving public-private partnership investments. 

These include Yavapai County in Arizona where Cox was recently awarded American Rescue Plan funds from the county. These funds, combined with private investments from Cox, will allow for the expansion of more than 100 miles of Cox broadband network to reach more than 3,000 underserved residents in Congress and Black Canyon City.

In addition, public-private partnerships are successfully underway in Virginia with several more applications awaiting award decisions in other Cox markets. 

Cox also stressed that this effort is part of a broader multibillion-dollar annual infrastructure investment over the next several years to deliver a 10 gigabit-capable, fiber-based network that will power the next generation of internet users. 

Breakthrough enhancements to cable's broadband DOCSIS 4.0 technology combined with expanded fiber to the home will enable the delivery of multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds in the coming years to both residential and business customers to support a growing host of high bandwidth applications.

Residents in expansion areas can visit www.cox.com/getfiber to learn more about the service offerings available and to sign up for service availability updates.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Alaska Communications has announced that this summer it will start offering ultra-low latency, symmetric 2.5 gigabit per second fiber-optic network connectivity directly to select homes and businesses in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Soldotna Alaska.

“Internet usage and behaviors only a few short years ago relied primarily on download speed,” said Mark Ayers, vice president, engineering with Alaska Communications. “With the increase in remote work and homeschooling, many families now have multiple simultaneous users doing video conferencing, gaming and content streaming in the same home. Our new fiber product enables users to access symmetric speeds. Fiber to the home connectivity provides the highest speed, lowest latency internet currently available in the world. These significant technical improvements over cable modem service provide a dramatically improved experience for high demand applications like gaming and high-definition video conferencing. The speeds available also give customers the confidence that they’ll never be competing with their neighbor for bandwidth at peak usage times like holidays and evenings.”

The Alaska Communications Fiber offering for unlimited data with a no term contract has packages starting at 250 Mbps and going up to 2.5 Gbps.

Select neighborhoods in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Soldotna are eligible this year, with more planned in future years, the company said. 

More information is available here.  

Japanese researchers have set a new data transmission speed record, sending 1.02 petabits of data per second over fiber over a distance of 51.7 km. (32 miles). The feat doubles the most recent record, set a year ago when the same researchers sent 319 terabits per second over fiber using  wavelength division multiplexing technology.

Although the recent record was set in the lab of Japan’s National Institute of Information and Technology, the difference this time around is that the new record was achieved with technology compatible with existing cable infrastructure. NICT said the amount of data is equivalent to sending 127,500 GB of data every second, or as they characterized it, enough capacity for more than “10 million channels of 8K broadcasting per second," and 100,000 times faster than what is promised to be the next generation of high-speed GB connections to the home.

Researchers used wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology that allowed a record optical bandwidth exceeding 20 THz over a multi-core fiber (MCF) with a standard diameter of 0.125 mm. It incorporates the commercially adopted optical fiber transmission windows known as C and L-bands and extends the transmission bandwidth to include also the recently explored S-band. 

“Two kinds of doped fiber amplifiers along with Raman amplification with pumps added in a novel multi-core pump combiner, enabled transmission of 801 wavelength channels over the 20 THz optical bandwidth,” NICT said in its announcement. “The large number of wavelength channels were transmitted in each core of a 4-core MCF that is notable for having the same cladding diameter as a standard optical fiber. 

“Such fibers are compatible with current cabling technologies and do not require the complex signal processing needed for unscrambling signals in multi-mode fibers, meaning conventional transceiver hardware may be used. 4-core MCFs are thought to be the most likely of the new advanced optical fibers for early commercial adoption,” NICT added. “This demonstration shows their information carrying potential and is a significant step toward the realization of backbone communication systems that supports the evolution of Beyond 5G information services. 

More information is available in NICT's press release. 

HAUPPAUGE, NY—OTEK TV recently used production gear from MultiDyne to provide streaming coverage of the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Art Aldrich, a partner at consultancy OTEK TV, which specializes in corporate video production work and live streaming, said the company had used MultiDyne products for some virtual corporate golf productions in the past and this year, decided to use the company’s SilverBullet Series fiber-optic connectivity solutions to simplify his live production workflow in covering the race, while maintaining the cinematic look and feel that are hallmarks of his production work.

“There are many logistics to consider when live streaming from a golf course, including satellite uplinks, and fiber is clearly the best route to these uplinks,” said Aldrich. “I was introduced to MultiDyne’s SilverBullet Series, which are very compact, interlocking devices for single-link transport from a camera. I then realized that these would be perfect for this crazy one-month job I have in Alaska each year.”

As Aldrich explains, the live streaming element is as important as his video production work for Iditarod. On a good year, approximately 100 dog teams enter the race, and subscribing fans want to see them all finish. The teams finish at various times over the course of a week.

Aldrich has used GoPro cameras with HDMI to SDI converters prior to this year’s race, with an SDI cable back to the control room. “That was a weak link because there are so many bits in the signal path,” he said. “I decided to upgrade to SDI cameras and put them on fiber. We ran one tactical fiber cable and dropped SilverBullets on both sides. They are simple to connect, lightweight, dependable and unaffected by cold weather.”

The weather-resistant reliability was especially important, as temperatures can reach 50 below Fahrenheit without factoring in the wind chill. Aldrich notes that every cable and connection in his previous setup was a failure point because of the brittleness of this equipment in such extreme cold weather. There is also the added benefit of the SilverBullets being unaffected by distance, he added. 

“These are interlocking units that plug right into the camera cable,” he said. “It is one connection to power and one connection to fiber, with no limitations on distance. We are already hitting a limit of about 300 feet on the SDI coaxial cable, and the SilverBullet just makes everything simple. It shoots and delivers, and is easy to use.”

Aldrich adds that the SilverBullet includes small LED displays that provide much-needed confidence monitoring in the very cold weather. 

“When we set up gear, we need to protect our hands from the cold, as the weather can cause permanent burn to skin if exposed for too long,” he said. “Having those little LEDs to confirm that we are connected and don’t have to fiddle with settings is a huge bonus. And we have master control technicians in the city hall to verify our signals are getting there, which they always do with MultiDyne.”

NEW YORK—Optimum, a brand of Altice USA, has announced that it will soon be offering Optimum 5 Gig Fiber Internet, a broadband tier that the company is billing as the fastest residential fiber internet service in the New York Tri-State area with symmetrical speeds up to 5 Gig. 

In addition to the new 5 Gig speed tier, Optimum is also introducing Optimum 2 Gig Fiber Internet, giving Optimum Fiber customers various multi-gig symmetrical speed options. 

The new 5 Gig and 2 Gig Optimum Fiber Internet tiers will launch in parts of Long Island beginning in June and roll out across the company’s entire tri-state fiber footprint by the end of 2022. 

The 5 Gig and 2 Gig Optimum Fiber Internet service is delivered over Optimum’s new 100% Fiber Internet network offering faster download speeds, greater reliability, and Smart WiFi 6 for greater whole home WiFi coverage. In addition, consumers can enjoy high resolution video streaming up to 8K and lower latency for an enhanced connectivity experience across multiple devices and for data-intensive online activities such as virtual reality applications, gaming, and more, the company reported. 

“As we continue to expand our new 100% Optimum Fiber Internet network across our footprint, we are pleased to bring the fastest residential fiber internet service to the tri-state area,” explained Altice USA CEO Dexter Goei. “Customers on our Optimum Fiber network are already enjoying fast, symmetrical speeds and a reliable connectivity experience, and we look forward to bringing even faster service with more bandwidth than ever before with our 5 Gig and 2 Gig Optimum Fiber Internet speeds.”

Optimum 5 Gig Fiber Internet will be available to new customers for $180/month and 2 Gig Fiber Internet will be priced at $120/month.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—The Dell’Oro Group has issued a new report showing that fiber deployments boosted the Broadband Access equipment market by 12% in 2021 to record levels of $16.3 billion. 

Growth came once again from spending on both PON (passive optical network) infrastructure and fixed wireless CPE (consumer premise equipment), the researchers said. 

“2021 was a record year for PON equipment spending, with some of the highest growth coming from the North American market, where expansion projects and fiber overbuilds are picking up considerably,” said Jeff Heynen, vice president, broadband access and home networking at Dell’Oro Group. “These fiber expansion projects show no signs of slowing heading into 2022.”

The report also noted that total cable access concentrator revenue increased 4 percent year over year to just over $1 billion. Steady growth in Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) deployments helps offset declines in traditional CCAP licenses.

Total PON ONT unit shipments reached a record 140 million units for the year, bucking the supply chain constraints that have dogged the cable CPE market, the report noted. 

Delivering high-quality home entertainment used to be much simpler than it is today. Whether it was watching cable television, purchasing DVDs or heading to the movies, the consistent delivery of this content was never really questioned. However, the proliferation of streaming media, ushered in by Netflix, fundamentally changed the way people around the globe consumed entertainment as well as the telecommunication infrastructure required to support and maintain a seamless user experience. For example, when data isn’t transferred fast enough it leads to the buffering issues that cause consumer headaches.

Consider in 2019 that Netflix alone accounted for 12.6% total global downstream internet traffic, and says it consumes 3 GB per hour per device for HD and 7 GB per hour per device for Ultra HD content. Multiply that by the company’s millions of subscribers and that’s a considerable amount of data that must be processed near-instantaneously at all times to keep viewers happy. Netflix is just a singular example of OTT subscription-based streaming services that have taken the world by storm—from Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime and many others.

The reliance on streaming media grew considerably in the last decade but thrived even more with COVID-19 lockdown orders that keep consumers at home and glued to their streaming subscriptions to weather the health crisis. According to a survey from the Consumer Technology Association, 26% of participants said they tried a new video streaming service during the first weeks of the COVID-19 "shelter-in-place" orders. Supporting the level streaming media around the world is a lot more complex than broadcast and requires an ever-growing telecommunication infrastructure capable of handling increasing data speeds and capacity in data centers by pushing more information faster across fiber cables. In fact, the demand has become so significant in just a few years that data centers are running out of physical space and rely on cutting-edge technology components, such as optical transceivers, that plug directly into existing infrastructure to continue building better networks without the need for additional square footage. 

MOVING TO THE CLOUD

As streaming media continues to become the preferred method of digesting content, OTT services must scale their business at rates that most companies can’t support with their own infrastructure, especially as the standards of content quality continue to rise. A few years ago, consumers were content with HD video, which quickly became Ultra HD, and now it’s 4K with 8K on the horizon.

Better quality viewing means much larger file sizes, and the growth in subscribers and business operations adds significant strains on even the largest data centers. This is where public cloud providers, such as AWS and Azure, help companies support their growing data needs. The cloud provisions on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, without direct active management by the user. 

Following the Netflix example, transitioning from a DVD rental platform to a streaming service with 182M subscribers around the world (and constantly growing) was an enormous undertaking that required the company to migrate their own data centers to Amazon Web Services (AWS) public cloud. Essentially, Netflix shed their IT infrastructure for the operational side of its business but retained its own content delivery network (CDN) with servers residing inside the Internet Service Providers (ISP) data centers. A content delivery network is a series of proxy servers, caching servers and their data centers that deliver content to different geographies, which then is handed off to the respective ISPs, such as Spectrum or AT&T, and sent to consumer devices.

Hyperscale operators, such as AWS and Microsoft, are essential for many of these streaming services to handle the massive influx of data. They provide companies more agility and flexibility to scale operations and support rapid growth by removing the need to procure and manually upgrade servers and equipment. Many of these data centers are massive, with Range International Information Group being the largest at 6.3 million square feet of space. As big as these dedicated buildings filled with racks of telecom equipment are, they’ve reached a point where there isn’t enough space to add servers, computers and storage to keep up with growing data requirements. This is where optical fiber products are essential in order to continue adding speed and capacity in the space that already exists. 

EXPANDING DATA CENTER CAPACITY AND SPEEDS

Although it can be misleading in name, public cloud providers still have physical data centers they must operate so their customers don’t have to. Despite their large sizes, most square footage is accounted for already by the servers, computers and storage. Thus, cloud providers and data center operators must rely on equipment that can improve speeds and capacity of data throughput they can push over existing fiber.

Data centers must ensure information moves between servers to and from the outside world, ideally without noticeable latency. Until recently, the standard in center data-transfer speed were 10 to 100 gigabits-per-second (Gbps). Now that video streaming accounts for nearly 80% of all internet bandwidth, new higher speed interconnects are being created to allow for 400Gbps speeds across the fiber to improve both the speed and capacity of data throughput. Think of fiber as a freeway, and these technologies allow for more lanes and a faster speed limit. There is specific equipment that supports data center interconnect (i.e. connecting multiple data centers in different locations) and data center intra-connect (i.e. improving speeds between racks and servers within a data center).

However, there are several significant new challenges data centers face as they move toward 400G speeds to meet their customer’s needs. First, producing more speed also means an increase in power consumption, which leads to higher operational costs and more complex technologies required to handle those speeds. Secondly, 400G is still maturing as a technology, so the “quality of life” benefits and interoperability of various optical equipment aren’t at the same level as they are for 100 and 200G. 

For both challenges, hot-swappable optical transceivers have been developed to suit the needs of data centers to reduce capex and opex costs and improve scale. In some cases, transceivers have reduced power dissipation of 400G speeds by up to 30% for optical products. Armed with new technologies, 400G will help allow data centers to support entertainment streaming needs such as 4K video, reduce delays and buffering in live-streaming, among other important use cases that are here today.

Video streaming is becoming the dominant way for people to consume media, but in order to support the demands of higher-quality content and a growing user base, the future of this delivery method comes down to the rate of adoption for 400G technology in data centers and networks that require large amounts of bandwidth to stream data or operate large networks.

Data center operators are now left to evaluate suppliers that are able to provide low-cost, high-speed and reliable optical transceivers to enable a more efficient infrastructure, and meet the demand for seamless video streaming.     

Tony Musto is the U.S. Operations lead and SVP of Sales & Marketing at DustPhotonics, which develops 400G optical modules for data center and enterprise networks interconnect operating at high-speed data rates. DustPhotonics multimode optical fiber technology ideal solution for data center interconnects. It incorporates a revolutionary light engine that enables reduced power consumption, higher reliability, and superior module performance. The innovative optical packaging design results in improved sensitivity and efficient coupling. The new module enables data centers and high-performance computing environments to address growing needs for higher bandwidth at lower cost and power per gigabit.

Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, announced that the company has been selected by Orby TV to provide a wide range of turnkey broadcast media operational services for the nascent pay TV startup. Launched throughout the lower 48 United States in spring 2019, Orby TV offers a high-quality and affordable prepaid, pay-as-you-go satellite pay TV service directly to consumers at a low cost with no contract and no Internet service required.

Globecast is handling Orby TV’s full broadcast operations on a 24/7 basis at its Globecast Media Center in Culver City, CA. Using its extensive fiber and satellite network, Globecast is managing for Orby TV channel aggregation, providing Orby TV’s co-location services, handling technical operations and the uplinking of the channels to the high-powered Ku-band capacity on Eutelsat’s EUTELSAT 117 West A satellite at 117° West.  

This deal with Globecast allows Orby TV to benefit from advanced DTH delivery services, along with the satellite space segment and disaster recovery services from a geographically diverse third-party uplink site. This collaboration provides a complete and fully integrated satellite transmission infrastructure, giving Orby TV a fully managed and resilient transmission solution.  

Orby TV has two base programming packages priced at $40 (Essentials) or $50 (Extras) per month for up to four rooms, with optional premium network programming packages and low-cost DVR service available. All fees and taxes are included in the monthly prices. Local channels and unlimited use of the Orby TV interactive program guide is provided at no additional charge, even if the subscriber decides to turn off the monthly paid Orby TV service. 

Michael Thornton, CEO of Orby TV, said, “Globecast is providing to Orby TV complete and comprehensive broadcast operations. Globecast has vast experience in media management, with extensive programmer relationships and excellent fiber and satellite connectivity. Its expertise and strong operational performance was vital to the successful early days for Orby TV, as our satellite service gains a foothold across the United States with consumers looking for a combination of quality lean-back television, low prices, and flexibility in managing their payTV services from month-to-month.” 

Eddie Ferraro, Managing Director of Globecast Americas, said, “Orby TV has introduced a flexible pay-as-you-go model to the DTH marketplace and we are very pleased to have been selected as their technical services partner. We all know that new innovative ways of thinking need to be turned into reality across the pay-TV landscape in order to continue to drive consumer uptake, and Orby TV is doing a terrific job at that.” 

Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, announces it has promoted 18-year company veteran Shakunt Malhotra to Managing Director, Asia, effective immediately. In his new role, he will spearhead operations across Asia and manage four key areas of focus: teleport services, media management services, channel operations and engineering and new technologies.

Philippe Bernard, Chairman and CEO, Globecast, said, “Shakunt’s distinguished leadership and ability to drive a multi-faceted business in Asia are what make him perfectly suited for the role of Managing Director. We know his knowledge of these vibrant markets that we serve will continue to be an asset to our customers.” 

Prior to his promotion, Shakunt was VP- Asia Operations, where he successfully delivered projects that involve international satellite and fibre links, facility expansion, playout, field transmission and company acquisitions. Since joining Globecast in 2001, Shakunt has held various titles, working with high-profile customers on innovative solution for end-to-end service delivery, including recent transmission-ready workflows for cloud-based playout services. He also heads up Globecast’s Technical Governance Group, which is responsible for the synchronisation of global teams and their readiness for new technology.   

Malhotra commented, “I’m excited to take my career with this dynamic company to the next level, ensuring that Globecast keeps heading in a positive direction with its innovative solutions for customers, helping to constantly increase their ROI. We are pushing across the market with our end-to-end media service solutions, designed to help our customers in Asia get their content from where it is to viewers, wherever they may be and on whichever devices they use. With our use of virtualisation and increased deployment of the cloud, we are at the forefront of reshaping the industry.” 

Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, is expanding its partnership with Eutelsat Communications to create a new HOTBIRD platform in order to satisfy the growing move from SD to HD in the market.

Samuel Lemercier, Strategic Projects Director, said, “We’ve seen increasing demand for capacity across Europe from west to east as the migration to HD on HOTBIRD continues to grow. TRT Arabi and Belarus 24 partnering with us for HD distribution earlier this year are prime examples. In order to meet this increasing demand, we have launched this new platform with Eutelsat, significantly increasing our DVBS2 capacity – suitable for HD and UHD for free-to-air DTH or distribution to affiliates - across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.”  

In addition to expanded HOTBIRD capacity, the platform also includes ground segment services with connectivity to Globecast’s fibre network, Globecast Backbone Network, as well as to its media management capabilities.  

German international public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) is the first customer to take advantage, launching its flagship English language HD TV channel via this new Globecast service. This includes end-to-end channel contribution from DW’s facilities in Berlin to Globecast in Paris and uplinking from there. Globecast has worked with DW for many years, distributing their channels in both Asia and the Middle East.  

Hubert Czaja, Head of Ditribution Systems, Deutsche Welle, said, “We have worked with Globecast for quite some time and trust both their business and technical expertise and the quality of service they provide. We moved to HD across Asia several years ago and the time is now right to make the move in Europe to increase image quality for our viewers. We’re very pleased to extend our relationship with both Eutelsat and Globecast.” 

Aymeric Genty, Regional Vice-President for France and Overseas, Benelux, the United Kingdom, the Nordics and Israel for Eutelsat, said, “Our partnership with Globecast is very important as HOTBIRD continues to experience growth in the HD market, notably for free-to-air and internationally renowned channels benefiting from this neighbourhood‘s unrivalled reach in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. This new platform provides cost-effective HD – and UHD – distribution as channels look to increase viewer engagement and satisfy the ever-growing demand for HD.” 

Lemercier said, “Our relationship with Eutelsat is central to our channel distribution business and the operational model has long since been proven to provide the quality of service demanded by our customers. Using DVB-S2 allows us to be more efficient in the management of transponder capacity and therefore more cost-effective. This means we can efficiently support the ongoing migration to HD and to offer more bandwidth as and when required. We’re seeing a great deal of activity across the satellite market as channels continue to migrate to HD.”  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—CP Communications, contracted by Carr-Hughes Production, wa the team behind the recent live production of the 13th CrossFit Games that took place at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. Tasked with providing content acquisition, networking and delivery services across the multi-venue facility, CP Communications used a combination of IP streaming and a bonded cellular network to produce the sports event live.

Through an established base, CP Communications set up a fiber infrastructure from its CP-1 Digital Communications Trailer that enabled coverage of the entire event, including distributing live event production feeds.

The fiber infrastructure was based around four, 48-strand fiber trunks to a demarcation point, where 24-60 fiber strands were run to competition and spectator areas. The fiber network accommodated all audio, data and video acquisition, transport and distribution services. MultiDyne VF-9000 high-density video fiber transmission frames and MD-3000 fiber transceiver were used at all locations, while a Dante network supported audio and intercom.

To manage the event’s multiple cameras, CP used Mobile Viewpoint Airlinks to encode and deliver signals over a bonded cellular network. Six bonded cellular rigs were used throughout the event.

In addition, CP was tasked with monitoring the IP feed provided by the CrossFit organization that was sent to websites and social media services. All fiber, IP and bonded cellular feeds were monitored from the CP-1 trailer.

The 13th CrossFit Games took place from Aug. 1-4. 

As Cisco’s annual global internet traffic reports have shown in recent years, video is the No. 1 driver of explosive usage growth.

And with the emergence of 4K-UltraHD, the trend is only accelerating.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, the amount of traffic crossing the global internet will increase by 153% to around 356 exabytes a month by 2022, with video accounting for 82% of traffic.

By 2022, Cisco estimates that nearly two-thirds (62%) of connected flat panel TVs will support 4K. By that time, the far denser data requirements of 4K-UltraHD resolution will account for 2% of global internet traffic.

Of course, traffic growth will also be driven by the proliferation of internet of things. Also by 2022, Cisco predicts that machine-to-machine modules will be located on 51% of global devices, with their connections accounting for 6% of global IP traffic.

Now matter what’s driving the growth, the spike in internet usage is startling. More traffic will cross the internet in 2022, Cisco predicts, than in the entire span of 1984-2016 combined. And in five years, 60% of the world’s population will be using the internet.

“The size and complexity of the internet continues to grow in ways that many could not have imagined. Since we first started the VNI Forecast in 2005, traffic has increased 56-fold, amassing a 36 percent CAGR with more people, devices and applications accessing IP networks,” said Jonathan Davidson, senior VP and general manager, Service Provider Business, Cisco. “Global service providers are focused on transforming their networks to better manage and route traffic, while delivering premium experiences. Our ongoing research helps us gain and share valuable insights into technology and architectural transitions our customers must make to succeed.”

HAUPPAUGE, NY—MultiDyne Fiber Optic Solutions has appointed John Ferder as its director of engineering. An industry veteran of more than three decades, Ferder has held diverse engineering roles at Chyron Corporation, Roscor Corporation and Phillips/BTS over a 10-year period before moving onto CBS in New York City.

He is the former Director of Studio and Post-Production Engineering at CBS, a position he held for more than 12 years. Ferder was responsible for the design, construction and support of all production and postproduction facilities in the CBS Broadcast Center, including renovations for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, 60 Minutes and 48 Hours. He also spearheaded the 2008 construction of a new control room for CBS Evening News, and a new studio for CBS This Morning.

“Fiber is used today to transport files over the internet for many broadcast and production applications,” said Ferder. “We see new opportunities to improve encryption and compression to transfer files and higher data payloads over a single fiber faster and more efficiently. This will grow in importance as more facilities migrate to IP, and the release of the SMPTE 2110 standards will help to accelerate these developments. We will bring new, IP-focused products to market that are more compact, more efficient and aligned with businesses that build fixed and mobile production studios based on these standards.”

“John brings a fresh engineering perspective to MultiDyne that will take the company to new heights of product innovation, yet also streamline ease of use for our customers worldwide,” said Jachetta. “This includes improved accessibility to product information with clear and concise language, which will accelerate the learning curve for end users across all skill levels. We’re privileged to welcome John to the team.”

As the broadcast repack generates sales of transmitters, antennas and tower services, and ATSC 3.0 gains acceptance as the next-gen broadcast standard, improvements to cable and fiber now allow them to carry the astounding data rates 12G, and the development of bonded cellular has turned the remote video process on its ear. If you think about it, all these changes happened in the last 10 years—mostly in the last five years. Interesting times, indeed.

EGATEL showed its TLWH7900 transmitters series that includes a liquid-cooled 2RU 19-inch amplifier module for power output up to 17 kW. The company also highlighted its TUWH1000 and RUWH1000 compact transmitters, which reach output powers up to 125 W in a single rack unit.

GATESAIR unveiled HTML5-based graphical user interfaces for their Maxiva UHF (ULXTE, UAXTE) and VHF (VAXTE) transmitters that enable intuitive system navigation and monitoring from tablets and smartphones. With advanced transmitter security features, the HTML5 user interfaces prevent outside intrusions and protect broadcasters throughout the repack and ATSC 3.0 transitions.

HITACHI-COMARK debuted a VHF Band 1 (54-88 MHz) version of its Parallax solid-state liquid-cooled transmitter for ATSC 1.0 and 3.0. This new model supports power levels up to 41 kW, and shares construction and usability functions with Parallax UHF and VHF Band 3 models.

ITELCO rolled out a hybrid air/liquid cooling transmitter called the “Geyserty,” which uses the company’s Geysertek technology to ensure that RF pallet temperatures, direct and reflected power and liquid pressure are maintained at levels to provide maximum transmitter efficiency.

ROHDE & SCHWARZ showed the TLU9 GapFiller transmitter that uses the company’s smartEC key technology to permit the system to automatically adapt in real time to complex and varying echo scenarios. The TLU9 can provide up to 200 watts of power in a chassis that is just 2RU.

TEAMCAST unveiled a new software version for its Vortex II high-end ATSC 1.0/3.0 rack exciter with support for layered-division-multiplexing (LDM) modulation, multiple-PLPs and time-division-multiplexing (TDM) framing, forward error correction, redundant input switching and TX ID signaling.

THOMSON BROADCAST announced the Gigativy, an 18 kW solid-state transmitter that uses Doherty technology for maximum efficiency. Capable of both ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 operation, Gigativy is for UHF transmission.

ANTENNAS/COMPONENTS

ALIVE TELECOM featured its UHF antenna line, such as the ATC-BB100-U broadband omnidirectional model, which has a Fiberglas radome. With more than 10 dB of gain, the ATC-BB100-U is targeted at multichannel applications.

BURK TECHNOLOGY unveiled its Arcturus RF site monitoring system, which provides protection for multiplexed antenna sites. The device monitors important parameters and takes immediate action when signals reach limits, minimizing the risk of damage to RF components.

DIELECTRIC showed its new TFU-WB, a low-cost, side-mount, UHF broadband pylon antenna designed for higher-voltage handling capabilities. The TFUWB offers 75-percent less windload, lower overall weight, and exceptional cost-efficiency, in contrast to traditional broadband arrays. Post-repack, TFU-WB antennas can serve as auxiliary arrays or in single-frequency networks.

ERI launched a series of liquid-cooled RF loads for UHF operation. These new RF loads are less than 45-inches long and weigh less than 22 pounds, and models are available with 3 1/8-inch, 4 1/16-inch, and 6 1/8-inch swivel-flange female inputs.

JAMPRO announced its Futurization Technology that provides the ability for future polarization ratio adjustment without costly antenna modifications, including horizontal, elliptical, circular and vertical polarization.

RFS and MYAT partnered to produce filters for ATSC 3.0 broadcasting in a repack environment, including new cast six-and eight-pole mask filters that dissipate heat more evenly than previous soldered filters and have a lower insertion loss. MYAT will provide assembly and integration into its RF transmission systems.

SATELLITE, MICROWAVE AND REMOTE

AMT debuted its StreetNode portable BAS LTE backpack ENG solution that incorporates the company’s StreetNode Lite technology within a hard shell weatherized backpack. It offers bidirectional ENG connectivity from the field to the studio with advanced low delay HEVC uplink video compression technology. Also new is StreetNode Lite the company’s latest User Equipment (UE) edition to its ENGenesis BAS LTE network.

IMT-VISLINK spotlighted its NewsLink system that integrates a mobile vehicle with a station’s studio using a bidirectional data link. NewsLink provides the studio’s Internet access to the mobile vehicle, as well as IFB, remote control and even prompter script updates.

MARSHALL ELECTRONICS partnered with IMT to show a remote video solution that uses Marshall’s CV502 mini POV camera. On the IMT side, it used the IMTDragonFly COFDM wireless video transmitter that’s good for a few hundred meters of wireless transmission.

CELLULAR

COMREX showed its LiveShot Portable, a system that delivers live, two-way, HD video and audio over a range of IP and cellular networks at latencies as low as 200ms. The lightweight 3G/4G-compatible system has a two-way cue channel (IFB), and can be mounted on a camera back for easy portability.

DEJERO demonstrated CellSat, which combines bonded cellular connections with a satellite uplink to provide highly reliable remote feeds. CellSat uses the company’s network blending technology and an Intelsat satellite feed to carry the necessary data for clean signals with no breakup. Also new was the GateWay M6E6 router, which allows crews working on location to access their newsroom or media asset management systems, send and receive large files, access cloud services used for collaboration, and communicate with their colleagues back at the studio.

LIVEU debuted the LU600 camera-mount IP data system that can deliver a bitrate up to 20 Mbps and file transfers up to 80, using a bonded cellular connection that tops out at 100 Mbps. The LU600 is field upgradable to H.265 HEVC and is controlled using an integrated fiveinch touchscreen.

TVU NETWORKS announced that its TVU One newsgathering transmitter, TVU MLink/MLink 4K encoding solution, TVU Anywhere mobile transmitter apps and the TVU Grid live video switching, routing, and distribution system, now all support HEVC.

VIDOVATION featured the new AviWest PRO380-RA HEVC 3G/4G bonded cellular video transmission system that uses eight internal modems. The lightweight unit can be camera mounted, and its two H.265 (HEVC) codecs provide HD and 4K links using the lowest possible bandwidth.

IP & STREAMING

AKAMAI announced new security features for its platform, including improvements for cloud services as well as new enterprise security features, including integrated application security controls, more relevant and actionable threat intelligence, and streamlined analysis and incident response.

ARTEL featured its Quarra line of PTP Ethernet switches, which meet the proposed SMPTE 2110 standard for IP video. The Quarra line uses the IEEE 1588 precision time protocol that can synchronize device clocks to within nanoseconds across a large network with many hundreds of nodes.

DVEO highlighted its MiniStreamer HDSDI/IP single-channel H.264/AVC TS encoder. MiniStreamer supports most industry standard protocols such as UDP or RTP with unicast or multicast. The unit encodes a single IP stream at 0.1 to 60 Mbps, at resolutions up to 1080p 30/1080i 60.

SIGNAL TRANSPORT

BARNFIND launched the BTF1-41 series, its first BarnOne product with 12G capacity and built-in SDI-to-IP transcoding. The series includes the BarnStudio control system, and offers the same third-party control as Barnfind’s existing products.

CAMPLEX rolled out the HF-TS24 24-channel single-mode tactical fiber optic cable with a polyurethane jacket can be used for temporary deployment directly on the ground. The cables meet outdoor tactical needs for broadcast and pro-audio applications that require outdoor-rated crush and impact resistance, and cables are available with LC, SC or ST connectors and in a variety of lengths.

MULTIDYNE featured its FiberSaver 12G product line, which offers wavelength agnostic inputs that can to multiplex any digital optical signal over one fiber in either direction. In addition, the FS-12G works as optical repeater, since each signal is internally regenerated in its appropriate wavelength, which allows transmission distances up to 80 kilometers.

SWIT ELECTRONICS displayed the CW-SH150 3G-SDI and HDMI wireless transmission system, which consists of a camera-mounted transmitter and portable receiver. Good for up to 150 meters, the CW-SH150 provides uncompressed transmission with only 1 ms of latency.

CABLE, FIBER & CONNECTORS
CABLE

BELDEN debuted new Stadium Cables for indoor and outdoor use. The Stadium Cable series is available in coax versions (RG6 and RG11), in triax camera cable versions (RG59 and RG11) and SMPTE Hybrid cable versions.

MOGAMI, part of MARSHALL ELECTRONICS, featured its 2534 quad cable for high-performance studio audio applications. Designed to fight hum and RF interference, Mogami 2534 provides an improvement in signal to noise of 10-20 dB over equivalent twisted pair cables.

SOMMER CABLE featured its Transit MC 3202 HD combo cable, a multi-strand cable that contains three coax cables, two shielded twisted pairs and a larger pair of wires for power transmission. Designed for 4K applications, Transit MC 3202 HD is flexible yet meets the needs of rugged professional applications.

FIBER

APANTAC displayed its SDI-FIB-Tx/Rx fiber transmit/receive system, which converts an HD-SDI signal for fiber transmission. The compact SDI-FIB-Tx/Rx modules support transmission up to 18 miles using single-mode fiber.

GRASS VALLEY demonstrated its Lumo high-density 1RU frame with 36 SFPbased fiber converters, targeted at large 3G distribution systems. Lumo reduces cabling concerns by putting fiber connectivity on one side of the unit and coax electrical on the other. Cards are hot swappable and the unit has remote system health monitoring for all key components, including optical signal strength.

LINK ELECTRONICS showed the PFO-100-T&R fiber transport system for 3G-SDI or ASI transmission, which operates with single-mode fiber optics cable, or multi-mode fiber can be requested. The Link PFO series has signal jitter elimination circuitry to ensure high-quality signal transmission over long distances.

OPTICAL CABLE CORP. introduced the SMPTE-Essential, a SMPTE hybrid fiber cable. Intended for controlled environments, OCC’s SMPTE-Essential is fully SMPTE 311 compliant and 98-percent braided shield coverage.

STUDIO TECHNOLOGIES showed its Live-Link Mini remote camera interface system, which allows a camera to be run at a distance from a production truck. Using a single strand of fiber for bidirectional signals, the Live-Link Mini handles return video, intercom and tally signals, and provides two high-quality audio inputs for talent feeds from the camera end.

CONNECTORS

CLARK WIRE & CABLE debuted new DT12 connectors that are rugged and weather resistant for both indoor and outdoor broadcast environments. The new connectors feature aluminum back shells that are virtually crush and corrosion proof, and the male connector has a stainless steel mating thread coupling that is dent resistant. The electrical contacts are made from gold plated, screw-machined copper.

LEMO introduced its new 3 GHz 75-Ohm coaxial contact connection system that can be used in broadcast connector applications and combines multiple HD-SDI BNC connectors into one module. The product is well suited for 3x coaxial (HD), 4x coaxial (4K) and 10x coaxial (8K) applications.

NEMAL highlighted its FOCC24 series SMPTE 311 HDTV camera cable, which has been approved by all the major camera manufacturers. FOCC24 includes versions for studio use, outdoor use, fixed installation applications with either single or multiple cameras, and an ultra-flexible miniature version.

NEUTRIK featured its new opticalCon MTP 24 fiber optic connector, which has a ruggedized and dirt-protected 24-channel fiber optic connection system based in a multi-fiber-push-on (MTP) shell. The connector can be cleaned without any tools, and it is also rated at IP65 for dust and water, if properly seated in a sealing connector.

SAM WOO ELECTRONICS showed a variety of connectors, including the SW series that’s targeted at professional camera applications. SW connectors are rated at IP67 for water and dust resistance.

ASSEMBLIES & ACCESSORIES

BITTREE spotlighted its 12G+ Mini-WECO video patchbay, which has 2x32 jacks in a 1 RU configuration. The 12G+ is tested to 24 GHz and will work with HD/SDI, UHD/SDI, 4K, 8K, and HDR applications, and is SMPTE 292M, 424M, 2081-1 and 2082-1 compliant.

CANARE showed its 32MCK-ST, a 75-Ohm mid-size video patchbay capable of handling 12G-SDI signals. The patch panel has a return loss of 4dB or greater at 12 GHz, and uses standard BNC rear connections.

SWITCHCRAFT demonstrated its Ultra VideoPatch line that includes a 4K video patching solutions. It Mini-WECO single jacks, and meets SMTPE ST 2081-1 and ST 2082-1 standards with a life cycle of 30,000.

BURBANK, CALIF.—Bexel is stocking up on fiber optic cables, announcing an investment in its fiber optic rental inventory via a press release. As part of the expansion, Bexel has added a quarter of a million feet of fiber optic cable from TAC-4 to TAC-72 strand cable, plus SMPTE camera cable; MultiDyne and Studio Technologies fiber transport solutions have also been added.

Specifically, the investment features MultiDyne SilverBullet fiber transport solutions for transmission of SD, HD and 3G & 12G SDI signals on single mode fiber. The VF9000 fiber transport system with 12 3G HD-SDI and one Ethernet path over two strands of fiber is also part of the expansion. There is also the MultiDyne Hut SMPTE to tactical fiber cable converter for conversion and re-conversion back to SMPTE that is now part of Bexel’s HDX Shed fiber inventory.

The Studio Technologies gear recently added includes the Model 400 SDI-Over-Fiber transport system, with 12 3G HD-SDI paths over four optic cables. Bexel also now has a Live-Link Jr. remote camera interface to support two paths of 3G HD-SDI, Line/IFB and two wire or four wire intercom on one or two strands of cable.

“Our latest investment ensures that our customers can utilize a wider variety of cable lengths and strand counts with the combination of signal paths they require, coupled with the high quality and flexibility they expect from Bexel,” said Tom Dickinson, vice president of Technology at Bexel.

LOS ANGELES—Sports broadcasting is one of the more demanding activities in television. Specially built trucks (or “OB Vans”) roll in the night before or perhaps the early morning. Utility crews and technicians converge and start rolling out cables and gear to be installed for the game later that day. The production truck (or trucks) is powered on, sometimes with shore power, sometimes with a generator, sometimes both. Inside, the production crew preps for the day, prebuilding effects and graphics, editing b-roll packages, checking the cameras and microphones, setting up comms, connecting back to the network center via fiber or satellite. As the game nears, the director meets with his camera crew, the producer works with the announcers, and everyone else is busy transitioning from setup to operations.

Crews are either locally sourced or travel in; hotel arrangements, local transport and meals are additional logistics to contend with. Veteran crews make it seem easy for the ‘A’ game, but not so much for the B- and C-level productions that may look more like an amateur team using antiquated gear.

It’s a crazy way to cover events that are prescheduled at locations visited many times during the year. But what if there was a way to produce the event from a central fixed location, maybe thousands of miles away? What if the local requirements could be reduced to the core functions while all the elaborate production is done from a full-time production facility with teams of well-trained production personnel? There would be no need for a large specialized vehicle, representing millions in television production equipment on wheels and no travel and hotel or meals to organize and pay for. 

TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE

Well, it’s been happening for quite some time. In 1996, NBC Sports took advantage of Atlanta’s proximity to New York and leveraged their new digital equipment infrastructure (Genesis) rebuild at 30 Rockefeller Center to do preproduction and graphics builds for the Olympics, as well as highlight packages remotely in New York. All it took was multiple digital video circuits between the International Broadcast Center at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta and 30 Rock, the will to do it, and the coordination and communications to make it feasible. 

In the last few years, sports networks have increased their efforts to enable “At Home” or REMI (REMote Integration) production, especially for college sports. The key factor is access to high bandwidth/low latency connectivity coupled with a flexible work force that can be trained to do the localized work needed at the remote site. Fixed facilities coupled with a small vehicle to transport the production gear (mainly cameras and microphones) to the stadium or arena enable the central production facility to put on live sporting events while located miles away. 

Big Ten and Pac 12 were two of the first collegiate sports leagues to go down the At Home path. Then ESPN with the SEC Network as well as other college sports have deployed REMI to take advantage of the newly built all-IP production facility in Bristol, Conn. (DC2). But it hasn’t been just for college sports; ESPN used REMI extensively for the 2016 X-Games.

HOW DO THEY DO IT?

Aside from fiber interconnect with bi-directional Gb/s IP pathways, At Home productions have taken different approaches to the on-site equipment and operation. For some college sports, such as swimming/diving, wrestling, volleyball, etc., Pac 12 developed a mobile rack with all the terminal gear to interface to a high speed internet connection and deploy up to six cameras and microphones.

For larger events or outdoors, a small van or truck arrives on the scene and a small local crew deploys the equipment (cameras, microphones, terminal gear) and then operates the cameras and creates audio submixes. At some events, a hybrid approach is taken where there is both on-site production and camera and microphone signals are transmitted back to the central production facility.

For those events where fixed connectivity is not available, wireless connectivity via 4G/5G mobile bonded cellular can be used to stream camera signals to a central production facility. NESN, with production facilities in Boston, uses cellular camera backhaul to produce pre- and post-game coverage, live reports and press conferences at major sports events.

“The Switch,” a global media and transmission solutions provider focused on high quality live video transport, offers a cloud-based live production environment called “Cumulus.” Coupled with “Home Runs,” their video transmission service uses DTM (Dynamic Synchronous Transfer Mode) to enable At Home production. DTM, unlike IP, provides dedicated bandwidth with guaranteed QoS. By enhancing Home Runs with Cumulus, The Switch demonstrated a complete television production at the 2017 NAB Show that included a SkyCam aerial camera system--"Sky Command"--in Denver (Dick Sporting Good Park), with remote integration from The Switch studio facilities in London and Los Angeles with SMT's designed 3D graphics and patented Camera Tracker Technology, which allows virtual graphics to be inserterd over a moving camera, controlled by personnel located at The Switch booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Meanwhile, over in Europe, an example of REMI—as well as cloud production—is in operation. The NEP Hilversum facility, just outside Amsterdam, has connectivity with a telecom provider that has access to high-speed IP connectivity to a variety of venues, including major soccer stadiums. By leveraging existing facilities at a media center in Hilversum, producers can book studios and control rooms, as well as telecom and data center functionality to produce an event, pay only for the time used and then move on while the next production moves in. 

The latest event in Europe involved a REMI “proof-of-concept” that proved that live uncompressed camera signals can be sent over 1,000 miles to a production center where a live sports event is produced, with replays and graphics as well as enabling streaming, 360-degree VR and archiving functions. Gearhouse Broadcast, using gear and software from Snell Advanced Media (SAM), delivered live signals from the UEFA Under 21 Championship Final in Krakow, Poland, to the BT Sport Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. Five Sony HDC 4300 4k/HD camera signals were sent via dual redundant 100GB Ethernet links, which were provisioned by Level 3.

THE CHALLENGES

Live television requires tight teamwork; being on-site, working in close quarters, and knowing you are on your own at a remote site brings out the best in everyone. The downside is the cost and time lost due to travel, setup and breakdown. REMI and At Home brings the remote camera and audio signals back to a fixed facility, which can be used for multiple events throughout the year without having to travel thousands of miles, perform set up and breakdown multiple times. The production team is sourced locally so travel is minimized but the quality of production can be consistent. 

But there is a clear requirement to make At Home work: reliable, affordable and low-latency transmission facilities between the remote site and the central production facilities, as well as the need for reliable, low-delay communication systems to coordinate between the remote site and the central production team. In addition, local camera operators, audio/coms specialists and other skilled operators have to be sourced. There is a growing shortage of people trained in these skills as the role of traditional broadcast operations shrink. Training new hires to replace retirees is going to be needed for At Home productions to be successful. 

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

As the “‘big kahuna” of production, live TV requires planning, reliability and attention to detail, while having the ability to pivot and deal with any contingency. At Home mitigates some of the risk by centralizing operations and facilities, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs; but there is still the need to rely on local talent to operate the field equipment. 

With the industry transitioning to a “cloud” approach, where all signals are in a data center, individual production team members can be anywhere as long as there is reliable, fast connectivity. However the key to successful REMI production will be access at all sites to a reliable, high-speed, low-latency telecom network that is both ubiquitous and cost-effective.

Jim DeFilippis is CEO of TMS Consulting, Inc., in Los Angeles. He can be reached at JimD@TechnologyMadeSimple.pro. See more at his author archive.

Less than four years ago, a well-regarded expert on the subject of coaxial cable told me that creating affordable and practical 12G coax was not going to happen. The data rate was too high and coax would not support the high frequencies necessary to send 12G data down the thin pipe of flexible coax cable. He recommended fiber.

At NAB Show, it was not hard to find vendors selling coax cable (and the necessary connectors) rated to send 12G data down 100 meters of RG6-diameter coax cable. The impossible was done, and it renewed my faith in the skill of the engineers and technicians working in the broadcast industry.

COPPER CABLES
BELDEN featured its 4794R coax, which supports 12GHz bandwidth and enables a single-link configuration to transmit 4K. With a tri-shield (foil/braid/foil), 4794R’s inner foil is bonded to the core to simplify installation.

Canare 12G BNC Plug

CANARE rolled out a new line of coaxial cable and connectors that are specially optimized for performance at 12 Gbps. The company’s L-5.5 CUHD coax cable has enhanced attenuation characteristics that allow transport of 12G signals at distances up to 100m when used with the specified BNC connectors.

DAWNCO highlighted its low-loss DAWNflex.6QF cable to improve signal quality on satellite downlinks. DAWNflex.6QF coax passes signals to 3 GHz, and is flooded for direct burial, quad shielded for protection against signal ingress, has a 2.5-inch bending radius, and 0.61-inch overall diameter.

FIBER OPTICS
ARTEL debuted the DLC 454 fiber transport module that terminates four bidirectional fiber assemblies and can combine the four to two bidirectional fiber trunks. The DLC 454 works with video up to 4K/60. The company also demonstrated IP- and fiber-based capabilities in its new, fully integrated InfinityLink IL6000, a 1RU, four-slot chassis with active routing and SNMP management system. The company also showcased its FiberLink 3500 Series, which transmits 4K/UHD video at up to 60 fps one way.

BARNFIND highlighted the BarnMini-07, a four-channel CWDM mux that transports 4K over different mediums. This compact mux fits into the BarnMini BTF-Mini-16 frame, and two BarnMini-07s can be cascaded to build an eight-channel CWDM mux.

Camplex CMX-3GSDI-LCF 3G-SDI over singlemode fiber transmission system

BLUEBELL OPTICOMM highlighted its BCX-760 Series 10G Ethernet point-to-point fiber link, a camera-back interface that provides signal transport between a camera and an outside broadcast truck or base station.

CAMPLEX spotlighted its CMX-3GSDI-LCF, a compact 3G-SDI over singlemode fiber transmission system for long-haul video extension up to 20km (12.4 miles). The product supports all standard resolutions and data rates up to 3 Gbps, (1080p60), and both ends feature looping connectors for local monitoring or recording.

GRASS VALLEY debuted the CopperHead 3050 system that provides a fiber link between a camera and ENG vehicle. The system simultaneously transports both digital (SDI or HD-SDI) and analog (NTSC or PAL) program video, plus audio, IFB and intercom signals between the camera and the base station.

Joseph Electronics Tote Caddie portable fiber-optic signal-acquisition system

JOSEPH ELECTRONICS introduced its Tote Caddie series of portable fiber-optic signal-acquisition systems for ENG and other OB applications. Built using rugged Pelican cases and offering a mix of modules to meet the user’s requirements, the Tote Caddie is a weather-resistant fiber solution for field crews working in real-world environments.

LINK ELECTRONICS featured the PFO-100T/R, a miniature and 3G/HD/SD-SDI fiber transmission system with built-in EQ and re-clocking features. It works with either single-mode or multimode fiber cable and supports SMPTE 424M/297M (1080p-2.97Gbps); SMPTE 292M/297M (HDTV-1.485Gbps); SMPTE 259M/297M (SDTV-270/360Mbps).

LYNXTECHNIK launched new yellowBrik interfaces for fiber transmission of 12G video. The compact modules transmit/receive 12G (4,096x2,160 @60 Hz), plus 6G and 3G signals if required, all with uncompressed video quality. All modules support a maximum distance of approximately 10 Km (6.2 miles) using LC single-mode fiber.

Multidyne LightBrix VB-3800 fiber transport series

MULTIDYNE rolled out its LightBrix VB-3800 fiber transport series, which offers several models designed for mounting to POV box cameras and robotic PTZ heads. Each model can transport a range of multichannel camera signals, including 4K quad-link and 12G, as well as optional power from the base unit to the transmitter and camera via SMPTE hybrid cable. The company also added support for 12G to its SilverBack camera-mounted transceivers and unveiled FiberSaver-12G optical remapper/multiplexers that enable as many as 36 signals of up to 12 Gbps each to be transported over just two fibers.

STUDIO TECHNOLOGIES highlighted its Model 400 and 410 SDI-over-fiber transport systems. The Model 400 consumes a full rack width, while the Model 410 uses a half-rack mount.

SWIT showed its Optical Fiber Camera System, which mounts on the back of a camera and supports up to 1080p/60 transmission. The system supports Sony and Panasonic remote protocols, and communicates with a base unit using Lemo or Neutrik cables.

CONNECTORS
AVP showed its DIN 1.0/2.3 75-Ohm connector series for patch panels, which permits dense packing and makes them ideal solutions to applications where space is limited. The connector supports high data rates up to 6 Gbps.

BITTREE introduced the 12G+ Mini-WECO coaxial patchbay family, accented with bright green to differentiate it from other systems in a busy control room. The performance of the 12G+ patching system enables reliable handling of 4K over a single 12 Gbps link, and the components are compliant with SMPTE 292M, 424M, ST2081-1 and ST2082-1 standards.

CANARE unveiled new 12G connectors specifically designed for the company’s new 12G cables. Available in RG59, RG6 and RG11 sizes, Canare also has the installation tools to ensure that the connectors don’t compromise the 12G performance of the cable.

CLARK WIRE & CABLE introduced the DT12 37-pin connector for indoor and outdoor broadcast environments. The connector features all-metal backshells that resist crushing and corrosion.

LEMO unveiled the Anglissimo elbow plug that allows for strain-free routing of cables when connected to cameras or other field gear. Each connector can be orientated during its assembly into any of eight different cable exit angles, and the connector then remains securely positioned in that orientation.

NEUTRIK debuted opticalCON MTP24, a 24-channel fiber-optic connection system based on MTP data connectors. The chassis connector accepts a standard MTP breakout cable at the rear, facilitating adaptation to LC, SC or ST optical connectors.

SWITCHCRAFT debuted the Ultra VideoPatch, a family of 24 GHz video patching products and accessories that use mid-size Mini-WECO single jacks in a 2x32 1RU patchbay. The 75-Ohm system features low return-loss and can handle uncompressed 8K video.

Most of the best gear in the world is worthless without the means to connect to other devices, so paying attention to the seemingly mundane topic of cables and connectors is important. The right connectivity products keep the quality high and the failures low, a good way to treat both your viewers and your management.

Of course, in the ever-changing world of professional television, new standards mean new cables and connectors to interconnect the equipment that support those standards. The NAB Show is a great place to spend some time examining the details of little things that handle important signals.

COPPER CABLES
APANTAC will show its HDMI-IP-X HDMI-over-IP transmitter/receiver set, which can provide a 1080p image up to 100m from the source. It features a built-in HDMI loop-through to eliminate the need for a splitter, and transports HDMI via H.264 baseline profile up to 18 Mbps, with 16-bit two-channel 192 Kbps MP3 audio.

Belden 2183 series 4K Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) Media Cable

BELDEN will introduce a new family of 4K HDBaseT cables: 2183P (plenum) and 2183R (riser) cables designed specifically for HDBaseT transmission up to 100m. Smaller and lighter than many other HDBaseT cables, the 2183P/R can carry 100W of power for remotely powered gear.

CANARE will roll out a 12G coax solution that consists of cables and connectors specifically designed to maximize 4K camera transmission, with superior performance at distances up to 100m. Canare’s 12G solutions also support 3G and 6G signals.

Sommer Cable Transit MC 3202 HD 4K cable

DAWNCO will highlight its low-loss DAWNflex satellite signal cable targeted at runs that are more than 300 feet long (100m). The product is a flexible coaxial cable that passes signals to 3 GHz including satellite L band, and it can cut signal path loss in half compared to other cable.

NEMAL will show a range of connectors and cable, including its seven precision coaxial cables, from miniature to RG11 size, all available in 10 colors. For Nemal’s RG59 and RG6 sizes, the company offers a standard as well as an extra-flexible version.

SOMMER CABLE will feature its Transit MC 3202 HD 4K cable, which has multiple conductors for carrying uncompressed 4K video as well as audio, control and intercom to studio cameras. The cable is available in either cut to length and connectorized, or in bulk.

WHIRLWIND will show a range of audio cable systems, including the Medusa Elite, a ruggedized audio snake available in a variety of configurations and suitable for frequent gigging. Medusa Elite is toughened by the addition of SnakeSkin on the fanouts, metal chassis mount XLR connectors, and a Pig Bag to protect the fanouts when not in use.

Artel InfinityLink

FIBER OPTICS
ARTEL will showcase the InfinityLink ILC450 10G HD/SD-SDI, ASI IP gateway and GigE data transport fiber system. The ILC450 packetizes video to SMPTE 2022-6 or 2022-2 encapsulation standards and provides users with various SMPTE 2022-5 or 2022-1 FEC configurations to maximize reliability and minimize latency and overhead.

BARNFIND will debut its HiLo SFP system for higher density of signals in one single fiber. Using half of the spacing in each wavelength of the CWDM range, the HiLo SFPs can double the capacity of traditional CQDM bidirectional transmission. The company will also showcase its 18x CAM-CCE transport solution that has been expanded from supporting nine cameras to 18 cameras on a single fiber.

BLUEBELL OPTICOMM will show its BC390, a mux/demux card designed to associate UHD with multiple SDI signals. The BC390 receives four 3G-SDI inputs and serializes them to one 12G-SDI output on both BNC and fiber ports simultaneously, or vice versa.

CAMPLEX will spotlight its DVI Fiber Extender, which sends a DVI-D signal up to 984 feet over OM3 multimode fiber, and features transmitter EDID learning and resolutions up to 1920x1200 at 60Hz. It is targeted at computer and projector DVI interfaces with long distance connections.

GRASS VALLEY will feature its CopperHead 3404 fiber transceiver, which works with both HD and 4K cameras in a live production environment. The CopperHead 3404 distributes all the signals needed for multicamera 4K production using a single tactical or SMPTE hybrid fiber cable.

Joseph Electronics Tote Caddies

JOSEPH ELECTRONICS will introduce the Caddie Transporter series, a new family of customizable fiber transporter caddies for use in remote-broadcasting applications. The company will also highlight its Tote Caddie series of portable fiber-optic signal-acquisition systems for ENG, SNG, and other OB applications, as well as its DFT-JR, a compact, cost-efficient solution for sending HD video over fiber.

LINK ELECTRONICS will feature the PFO-100-T&R, a compact 3G/HD/SD-SDI or ASI fiber optics transmission system that operates with single-mode or multimode fiber cable. The combined transmitter/receiver pair weighs less than a pound and are capable of transmitting up to 24 miles (40 km), or 48 miles (80 km) available on request.

LYNX TECHNIK will show its yellowBrik line of inexpensive fiber extenders, which come in versions to extend control (RS232/RS422), Ethernet, audio and HD video.

MULTIDYNE will spotlight its FiberSaver-12G fiber transport system, available in either portable or rackmount configurations, which supports 12G signals and can multiplex multiple fibers onto two fibers. Also supporting 3 Gbps and 1.5 Gbps inputs, FiberSaver-12G puts up to 18 format-agnostic signals onto each fiber, without the need to manage wavelengths.

SONNET TECHNOLOGIES will feature its range of 10 GigE adapters and cards, including all-new Thunderbolt 3 adapters. The company’s Twin 10G and Twin 10G SFP+ for Thunderbolt 2 and 3 are dual-port adapters that add lightning-fast 10 GbE network connectivity to any Mac or Windows computer with a Thunderbolt port.

STUDIO TECHNOLOGIES will highlight its Model 400 SDI-over-fiber transport system, which distributes digital video signals over short to medium distances. The system supports all common broadcast digital video formats and is suitable for remote trucks, live-event video distribution, and fixed links between production centers and remote sites. Eight Model 400 versions are available, providing a range of input and output configurations.

SWIT will feature its Optical Fiber Camera System, which consists of the E-4020A/S camera optical fiber adaptor, E-1040P 4-channel CCU with intercom panel, E- 5014C universal remote control panel and E-2010P power supply unit.

CONNECTORS
AVP will feature its SMPTE 311M standard camera cable, which incorporates both fiber and copper strands for video, audio, control and intercom. These cables can be delivered with either cable-mount or panel-mount connectors to integrate with your application.

BARNFIND will introduce the Stage Box Break-out panel, which allows front panels to be customized based on the required connectors. A selection of eight modules will serve as connection points to one or more BarnOne or BarnMini units.

BITTREE will introduce a 12G+ BNC coaxial bulkhead patch panel series and 12G+ Mini-WECO coaxial patchbay family. The performance of the 12G+ patching system enables reliable handling of 4K over a single 12 Gbps link, and the components are compliant with SMPTE 292M, 424M, ST2081-1 and ST2082-1 standards.

CANARE will introduce a new 12G coax solution consists of cables and connectors specifically designed to maximize 4K camera transmission, with superior performance at distances up to 100 meters.

Clark Wire & Cable DT12 37-pin audio snake connectors

Lemo Anglissimo

CLARK WIRE & CABLE will introduce the DT12 18-channel audio snake connectors that feature all-metal back shells that are virtually crush and corrosion proof. The male connector has a stainless steel mating thread coupling that is dent resistant, and all electrical contacts are made from gold plated, screw-machined copper.

LEMO will launch a new design for the company’s S series push-pull connector range. The S series will now be manufactured with a new metal outer shell design using Lemo’s famous chocolate bar shape.

NEUTRIK will spotlight a new rearTwist UHD-BNC connector optimized for high frequencies. The insulator design, in combination with the reduced outer diameter of the gold plated center pin, allows UHDdata transmission while meeting the required return loss.

QPC will feature its Qplex expanded beam fiber optic connector, a modular (2–16 channel) connector that uses a spherical lens to collimate the signal at many times the original diameter. This technology makes the connector resistant to shock and environmental issues, minimizing the effects of dust, debris and mechanical vibration.

SAM WOO ELECTRONICS will show its range of connectors, including the SM series of small durable connectors for audio/video applications. The push-pull connectors can support up to eight connections, and are available either not connected or in connectorized with a custom length cable.

Switchcraft 24 GHz patch panel

SWITCHCRAFT will debut the Ultra VideoPatch, a line of 24 GHz video patching solutions that use mid-size Mini-WECO single jacks in a 2x32 1RU patch bay. Ultra VideoPatch meets SMTPE ST 2081-1 and ST 2082-1 standards with low return loss.

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.—Ross Mobile Productions has five 1080p trucks to cover sports and other live events, but many of the venues it conducts its coverage have an outdated cabling infrastructure. The company, as a result, has looked to make the move to fiber and has gone with MultiDyne to do so.

LiGHTCuBE

Ross is now using MultiDyne’s LiGHTCuBE and SMPTE-HUT systems for all five of its trucks. The LiGHTCuBE system provides a 14-inch cube for managing video, audio and data across long distances. The SMPTE-HUT, meanwhile, simplifies camera power and connectivity at great distances to enable conversion from SMPTE hybrid cable to single-mode fiber and back again.

The LiGHTCuBE features an array of I/O ports and is capable of handling 4K, HD, 1080i, 1080p or 720p. The SMPTE-HUT is capable of providing connection up to 1000 feet and offers a built-in optical reader; the reader is also available as a standalone unit to support 12GB/s applications.

Ross Mobile Productions is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.—A new fiber-based transmission system is now available from Tactical Fiber Systems. The RoboCam FiberLink 2000 transports video, audio and PTZ camera control signals, plus DC power, over a single hybrid tactical cable up to 2,000 feet in length.

 TFS has equipped the RoboCam with a 7-inch square camera converter that transmits 3G-HD/SD-SDI video and mic level audio to a 1RU base unit, while receiving PTZ camera control commands and DC electrical power. The camera module can be mounted on a tripod or placed on a flat surface. PTZ cameras can be attached to the converter via its quick-release camera mount. Additional features include a shotgun mic with a 1/8-inch to XLR cable adapter.

For connection beyond 2,000 feet, TFS has also created the RoboCam FiberLink 1000, which is capable of a connection up to 20 miles using a “dry” unpowered tactical fiber cable, but requires an AC/DC power supply—which TFS includes—or an optional DC battery pack.

Both the RoboCam FiberLink 2000 and RoboCam FiberLink 1000 are now available for purchase.

MONROE, LA.—Northern Louisiana telecom CenturyLink is continuing to cut copper while regulators chew on its $25 billion purchase of Level 3, internet service provider to giants such as Netflix.

CenturyLink filed several copper retirement notifications that the Federal Communications Commission released on Halloween. In Fort Myers, Fla., the provider said it plans to “retire copper loops and replace them with fiber loops using its fiber-to-the-home overlay architecture as customers migrate to higher speed broadband internet access.”

Four other filings indicate CenturyLink is cutting copper in other communities in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico and Washington.

In these filings1, CenturyLink said only that, “Due to growth in the distribution areas, CenturyLink plans to cut facilities to fiber-fed digital-loop carrier systems.”

It said nothing about the FTTH overlay or the availability of other services after facilities are cut, as it did in this Network Disclosure Announcement from June, which included the assurance: “After the cut to DLC, copper reliant services, such as non-loaded copper loops will not be supported. All other types of unbundled loops will still be available.”

FCC rules adopted in August of 2015 require approval for discontinuation of service related to copper retirement, but require no approval process “for retirement of legacy facilities so long as the change of technology does not discontinue, reduce, or impair the services provided—ensuring that incumbent local exchange carriers can continue to transition to an all-fiber environment.”

The facilities, including the one in Fort Myers, will be cut April 30, 2017.

CenturyLink has been retiring copper lines at least since 2012, according to filings available online. In the case of this announcement affecting the Tucson, Ariz., infrastructure, CenturyLink said road construction forced it to “abandon its copper cables and transfer services to a fiber-fed digital loc system.”

FierceTelecom reported on CenturyLink copper retirements disclosed in July and said that new fibered facilities in Minnesota and Washington were part of the carrier’s 16-city fiber-to-the-premises effort create 1 Gbps business and residential service.

However, if Google’s effort is any indication, the fiber build-outs may not pan out as planned.

Google scaled back its ambitious fiber launched in Kansas City five years ago, and that now includes Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville; Provo, Utah; Salt Lake City and the Raleigh-Durham N.C. area. Several more “potential fiber cities” were put on indefinite hold while the plan to wire San Francisco was dropped in favor of wireless service, ars technica said.

While Google didn’t say as much, observers noted that Google’s game of overbuilding is expensive and difficult. Nashville Public Radio reports two water main breaks have been attributed to Google’s overbuild there. In Louisville, Ky., AT&T challenged a municipal ordinance giving Google Fiber expedited access to utility poles, ars technica reports.

Shortly after Google announced the rollback, AT&T’s Joan Marsh observed that Google fiber learned “something we’ve known for over a hundred years—deploying communications networks is hard and takes an enormous amount of time, money and skilled labor.”

CenturyLink—which has the home-field advantage of being an incumbent versus an overbuilder—has given no indication of curtailing its fiber build-out while the copper retirement continues. The Level 3 acquisition will bring CenturyLink another 200,000 miles of fiber, according to The New York Times.

CenturyLink is not alone in retiring copper. In April, The Philadelphia Inquirerreported on a program within Verizon called “Fiber is the Only Fix,” in which old copper lines are not repaired, but only replaced with fiber.

Meanwhile in Western Europe, internet service providers are developing technology to delivery up to 5 Gbps over copper, ars said. This technology, XG.fast, is the assumed successor to G.fast, which purported to match fiber speeds over copper at 400 meters, was approved by the International Telecommunications Union in 2014. A study by Ovum highlighted at ZDNetsaid G.fast will be in 29 million premises in five years.


1. Report Nos. NCD-2639 & NCD-2595; Report Nos. NCD-2640 & NCD-2596; Report Nos. NCD-2637 & NCD-2593; Report Nos. NCD-2641 & NCD-2597.

Also See…
Oct. 31, 2016
“CenturyLink, a Network Provider, to Acquire Level 3, a Rival”
It brings CenturyLink an additional 200,000 route miles of fiber and potentially big commercial customers.


Aug. 25, 2016
“Report: Google Fiber to Cut Staff After User Totals Disappoint,”DSL Reports

Dec. 9, 2014
“4KTV: ITU Enables 1 Gbps Over Copper”
The global media technology standards body approved a method for getting data through phone lines at 1 Gbps. 

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CALIF.—CP Communications recently called upon Barnfind Americas to design and supply a fiber-based signal transport system for the 2016 Tony Awards. The result was a modular system comprised of two BarnOne-02 frames, each with eight channels of HD/SDI to optical conversion and a pair of BT-House-LGX-CWDM-16 multiplexers, and one pair of Ethernet to optical SFPs.

With this BarnOne system producers could occupy up to eight HD/SDI electrical sources from BNC to optical fiber either individually on a one-to-one basis or multiplex them together over a single fiber link. The system also allowed for transportation of Gig-E network traffic over the same fiber link and offered modular flexibility.

Barnfind Americas is the U.S.-based presence of Norway’s Barnfind Technologies.

Products for 4K video were all over the halls of the NAB Show, but perhaps the most challenging category for 4K is cable and fiber. Uncompressed 60 fps 4K demands 12 Gbps of data, which is difficult to pack onto a copper cable for more than a few feet. Despite the technical demands, solutions for 4K transport are rapidly appearing.

FIBER
Artel Video Systems featured its Fiberlink 3514 series fiber modems that support four channels of simultaneous 3G-SDI on a single fiber, and transmit them over one fiber. When using all four inputs, Fiberlink 3514 supports 4K/UHD resolutions at 60 fps and the unit is capable of transmitting two 4K/UHD signals at 30 fps simultaneously. The company also relaunched its website that integrates its DigiLink and FiberLink sites, debuted a new logo and introduced Artel Care, a multi-tiered services program including technical support, hardware and software coverage, and other service and support options.

Bluebell Opticom introduced the BCX- 760 Series 10 Gigabit Ethernet point-to-point fiber link, a camera-back interface that allows signal transport between a camera and an OB truck or a base station. The company says the system is the first camera-back system to use 10 GigE for uncompressed 3G-SDI, RS232/422/485, Ethernet and genlock in both directions. Bluebell also debuted the TDM-750 HD-SDI module with Ethernet fibre interface, a rack-mounted module for single-direction transport of HD-SDI and 100BaseT Ethernet signals.

DAWNco showed its SATfiber solution that allows the location of a satellite dish at considerable distance from where the signals are needed. With the company’s Box-Mount TX and Rack-Mount RX products, the fiber transmit module is mounted at the dish and the receive end can be up to 50 miles away.

Joseph Electronics DFT-TOTE V32Grass Valley featured its line of remote camera connection systems, including the CopperHead 3404 fiber transceiver. The CopperHead 3404 takes video from a dual/quad-link 4K camera and delivers it to a studio or production truck, providing all the signals needed for multicamera 4K production using a single tactical or SMPTE hybrid/fiber cable.

Joseph Electronics introduced the JFS Waveshifter-4, which can transport up to four HD camera systems on just one single-mode fiber. Also new is the DFT-TOTE V32, which provides convenient and compact transport of up to 32 3G/HD/SD-SDI signals on as few as two fibers. The DFT-TOTE E12 is a GigE version of the DFT-TOTE.

Lemo introduced the HD Z-Link fiber system, which provides multichannel video and audio connections and control for studio cameras and camcorders over a single hybrid cable using Lemo’s 3K.93C connectors.

LynxTechnik showed its Yellowbrik 4K fiber transmission system, which supports four independent 3G-SDI links over a single fiber that can be combined into an uncompressed 12G 4K signal. These small transmit and receive modules can be used to send video/audio up to 12 miles.

Multidyne BullDog field fiber transport systemMultidyne debuted its BullDog field fiber transport system, a rugged and portable system that provides multiple video audio links over fiber. The expandable chassis makes it easy to scale up or down for specific applications. Also new was the SilverBULLET 3G Compact Signal Transmitter/Receiver for sending SD, HD and 3G-SDI video signals, as well as embedded audio signals, over one single mode fiber cable. Multidyne also demonstrated a fiber-based camera module that connects directly to the back of JVC’s GY-HM890 camcorder and supports 3G-SDI 1080p/60 camera feeds and returns, and takes advantage of the camera’s built-in streaming engine for video-over-IP functionality.

IP
Apantac debuted the KVM-1-RH-LAN IP-based KVM extender/receiver set, targeted at applications where multiple local computers need to be accessed from several remote locations. This new KVM solution can extend HDMI video up to 1,920 x 1,200/1,080p, and also includes connections for USB 2.0/1.1, RS-232, bidirectional audio, and bidirectional IR on a single cable, over a Gigabit Ethernet IP network.

Studio Technologies spotlighted the model 5205 mic/line-to-Dante interface that allows two microphone- or line-level signals to interface with systems that use Dante networking technology.

Barnfind introduced the BarnMini-5, which provides a compact way to combine an RS422/485 4 x GPI and 4 x GPO, controllable via an Ethernet port. Also new is the optical changeover switch BarnMini-06, and the BarnMini-11 and BarnMini-12, both with support up to 12G. The company also launched the HiLo SFP system for 26-channel CWDM.

CONNECTORS
AVP featured its Maxxum bulkhead panels, which can be fitted up with a range of connectors in a variety of shades for easy color coding. Maxxum panels are available in 1-, 1.5-, 2- and 3RU sizes, and there are options for strain relief behind the panels.

Bittree rolled out a limited edition of its 969A series front programmable TT (bantam) audio patchbay. Celebrating the 15-year anniversary of its patent on this product, Bittree made 150 of the panels with a special paint and numbering scheme.

Canare showed the new 4K-DIN coax connector that contains four high-bandwidth fittings in one small housing. This allows you to connect or disconnect four 3G-SDI signals in one easy step, making it easy to deal with uncompressed 4K video feeds.

Julie Carlson shows the business end of a Lemo 3K.93C SMPTE cable connector.Fischer Connectors launched a single fiber connector within its FiberOptic series, aimed at the need for higher data transmission rates over long distances, while maintaining small, rugged connectors. The FO1 connector is available either in pre-configured reels or integrated into custom assemblies for a variety of applications.

Lemo showed its 3K.93C connector used to terminate SMPTE 311M hybrid cables. The rugged connector is rated for severe use, yet connects and disconnects easily.

Nemal introduced a system for adapting Neutrik OpticalCon Duo, Quad and SMPTE connectors to ST, SC, LC and Lemo fiber optic and hybrid connectors. The adapters are available in a range of configurations that include fiber and electrical (SMPTE), or fiber only.

QPC QSeal

Mini-BNC connectors at the Sam Woo Electronics boothNeutrik unveiled its rearTwist UHD-BNC connector, specifically for high frequencies for 4K and 8K. The company has several versions of the connector fitting a wide range of available cables, including those from Clark Wire, Belden, CommScope and Gepco.

QPC debuted QSeal, an IP67-sealed, push-pull style fiber-optic connector that can accommodate either two or four channels. QPC’s product features all-metal construction and optional protective rubber grips for added protection.

SamWoo Electronics showed a range of connectors, including the SMA mini-BNC that is good to frequencies as high as 18 GHz. Conforming to applicable mil-spec requirements, the SMA mini-BNC is available in different metals and can be gold plated.

CABLE
Belden showed its new 10GXS Cat-6a data cable, with a significantly smaller diameter and an absorptive layer to counter crosstalk from both inside and outside the cable. With its smaller diameter as compared to typical Cat-5e cable, 10GXS has a smaller bend radius but maintains the ability to deliver 100 Watts of power for power-over-IP applications.

Clark Wire & Cable featured its RCC2V2A1C6HDE “snake” cable that contains two RG-6 coax, audio pairs and a Cat-6 data cable in the same jacket. Clark also highlighted its HFC series of SMPTE 311M hybrid-fiber camera cables, with versions for portable, permanent and direct-burial applications.

Sommer Cable debuted its HQ-HDMI cables (with connectors), rated to 18 Gbps for uncompressed UHD signals, including 4,096 x 2,160 pixels. The cables also support bidirectional audio and 100 Mbps Ethernet.

WIRELESS BTX
Technologies debuted the Neutrik Xirium Pro digital wireless audio solution that delivers high-quality audio with no compression and low latency via Neutrik’s proprietary DiWA (Digital Wireless Audio) technology. It uses 24-bit/48 kHz sampling on the 5 GHz spectrum, and repeaters are available to extend the distance beyond the basic system’s 1,000 meters.

Nothing is more essential to a television system than a reliable interconnection system. This is the circulatory network, carrying the lifeblood of the operation from one point to another, enabling the necessary work of the facility.

Despite the amazing and important inroads wireless products have made, fiber and cable are still the first paths of success for any television operation. Implementing a solid cable and fiber infrastructure will make all other television functions easier.

Cable and fiber manufacturers continue to innovate with new products and connectivity concepts. The NAB Show will have plenty of this innovation.

Artel’s 3500 Series FiberlinkFIBER
Artel Video Systems will demonstrate the latest IP- and hybrid IP/SDI-based capabilities in the company’s DigiLink Media Transport System, a fully integrated, modular solution for transporting broadcast-quality media including 3G/HD/SD-SDI and ASI plus Ethernet traffic over IP, direct fiber and managed optical networks. The company will also showcase its 3500 Series Fiberlink product line, including model 3524 that supports four channels of independent 3G/HD/SD-SDI or DVB-ASI, with or without embedded audio and data. Using two single-mode or multimode fibers, the Fiberlink 3524 supports 4K/UHD resolutions at 60 fps.

Apantac will show a variety of KVM and signal extension products, including the SDI-FIB-Tx/Rx pair that transmit multirate SDI up to 18 miles (30 km) using a single-mode or multimode fiber-optic cable with ST connectors. The SDI-FIB-Tx/Rx are miniature devices that support all SDI formats up to 3G including 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI.

Bluebell Opticom will introduce the BCX- 760 series 10G Ethernet point-to-point fiber link, a camera-back interface that allows connection and signal transport between a camera and an OB truck or a base station. The BCX-760 series products are designed to create rugged connections in a range of remote production environments such as special-event venues, ENG sites, sports arenas and golf courses.

DAWNco will showcase its SATfiber solution that allows ENG crews to locate a satellite dish at considerable distance from where the signals are needed. With the company’s Box-Mount TX and Rack-Mount RX products, the fiber transmit module is mounted at the dish and the receive end can be up to 50 miles away.

Multidyne will mark the NAB Show debut of FiberNet, a real-time uncompressed optical networking topology that takes advantage of fiber infrastructures and can interconnect multiple nodes for managing, controlling and distributing all types of uncompressed signals from a central location. More than simple point-to-point links, FiberNet allows the user to send any incoming signal to any output or even to multiple outputs.

CABLE
AVP will be at the show with a variety of products, including its SMPTE 311M fiber camera cable. This composite cable type integrates power for a TV camera, and control line and optical fiber for video and audio transmission. It uses epoxy and polished contacts for termination reliability.

Belden will show its new 10GXS Cat-6a data cable, with a significantly smaller diameter and an absorptive layer to counter alien crosstalk, the bane of smaller diameter data cables. In addition to high-speed data cable, Belden will also be there to talk about its portfolio of traditional video, audio and control cables.

Clark Wire & Cable will introduce several new products, including the RCC2V2A1C6HDE “snake” cable that contains two RG-6 coax, audio pairs and a Cat-6 data cable in the same jacket. The RG-6 components are swept to 4.5 GHz for wide bandwidth, and the overall cable has a diameter of 0.72 inches.

Joseph Electronics will be available to discuss the company’s custom cable engineering services, available in both copper and fiber. The company can provide a full custom cable system, cut to length, color-coded and terminated to meet any project’s needs.

Nemal will debut two versions of its SMPTE standard camera cable. FOCC24S7 is targeted for applications where size, weight, and flexibility are critical, and FOCC24S7U is the same size with a rugged polyurethane jacket for harsh outdoor environments.

PATCH PANELS
Bittree manufactures patch panels and connectivity systems. At the 2016 NAB Show, the company will be showing its new high-density fiber and copper data patch panels as well as a 4K/UHD coaxial single-link solution.

Switchcraft will spotlight its connectors and patch panels, including the MidSize series of video patchbays that use mini- WECO connectors. The company’s Mid-Size patchbay panels are available in 1RU, 1.5RU and 2RU versions, with up to 34 jacks across.

Canare 4K-DIN coax connectorCONNECTORS
Canare will shine a spotlight on its new 4K-DIN coax connector that contains four high-bandwidth fittings in one small housing. This allows you to connect or disconnect four 3GSDI signals in one easy step.

Fischer Connectors will highlight its 1051 HD Triax Pro+ connectors for remote camera operations. The 1051 HD Triax Pro+ has a plug-and-play circular connector and can support fiber-optic signal and power connectors, with options to connect CCUs to cameras, equipping OB vans and connecting fiber media converters.

Lemo will display its anodized aluminum M-series connectors in a choice of colors. The bright colors can be applied to one of 37 connector models available in eight different sizes, and the color will remain visible after extensive use in harsh environments. Based on Lemo’s M-series connector, it is IP68-compliant and includes gasket and sealing options that are oil and fuel resistant.

Neutrik UHD BNC Cable ConnectorNeutrik will introduce the rearTwist UHDBNC connector, specifically for high frequencies such as those used for 4K and 8K television. The connector’s insulator design combined with the reduced outer diameter of the gold plated center pin allows UHDdata transmission within acceptable returnloss limits.

QPC will exhibit its Qmicro expanded beam fiber-optic connector that features a compact and lightweight housing. The connector’s hermaphroditic design allows assemblies to be daisy-chained without adapters, and the expanded beam connector uses a spherical lens to collimate the signal at many times the original diameter, making the connector resistant to shock and environmental damage.

Sommer Cable has cable and connector customers in dozens of countries around the world. At the 2016 NAB Show, the company will introduce Hicon screw-and-play solder-less RCA connectors.

Studio Technologies 5205Studio Technologies will roll out its Model 5205 mic/line-to-Dante interface that allows two microphone or line-level signals to interface with systems that use Dante networking technology. The unit has adjustable gain and P48 phantom power, so that virtually all condenser, dynamic and ribbon microphones are compatible, as are most balanced and unbalanced analog line-level sources.

Whirlwind will highlight its ES4 digital audio snake, which can be configured for Cobranet, Ethersound, Dante or AVB formats by changing the network module in the unit. The typical Whirlwind ES4 system consists of two components: the ES4T transmitter module, which has sixteen balanced mic/line inputs and eight line level outputs. The matching ES4R receiver module has 16 line-level outputs and eight line level inputs.

NILES, ILL.—Contributing to the development of aerial-camera systems, Joseph Electronics, along with its Joseph Fiber Solutions brand, has introduced an integrated, single-fiber data transmission product for FlyCam USA. The system allows FlyCam to send data and HD video back and forth on a single fiber, allowing the second fiber to be used as a backup.

JFS Three-box single-fiber system

The three-box system includes a lightweight I/O interface box that flies with the camera, a box on the ground, and a box at the truck compound for the operator. The FlyCam can send HD send, genlock, 2-bidrectional RS data paths, and an Ethernet port signal to the ground. Signals from the ground to the truck compound add intercom and return video with a switch for full operation from the ground for troubleshooting. It also has a 1310nm “bypass” channel for additional signals to be added in the future.

With the extra cable that this system allows, FlyCam will have the ability to use bandwidth for future video formats like 4K and 8K, according to Pat Hally, co-inventor of FlyCam and founder and president of FlyCam USA. FlyCam has already been using the single-fiber system for college football coverage. 

SUWANEE, GA.—All Mobile Video has acquired a number of Barnfind Americas products in an effort to improve fiber operations. AMV integrated the BarnOne frames, BarnMini devices, and Small Form Factor Pluggables into its workflow.

BarnOne

AMV used Barnfind technology for the recent high-profile events. At these events, the Barnfind system linked all fiber connectivity between the host broadcaster and international broadcasters outside the venue. BarnMini devices were used at edge locations to bring back signal channels from camera locations, or MADI, or HDMI signals to the BarnOne hub frames for distribution and transmission.

Barnfind Americas is the U.S.-based branch of Norwegian manufacturer Barnfind Technologies. 

PITTSBURGH and HILVERSUM, THE NETHERLANDS—Cloud and IP technologies are beginning to disrupt traditional live television production, and a groundbreaking example can now be found in the Netherlands. That’s where the NEP-owned DutchView and Infostrada Creative Technology companies are about to launch a new centralized cloud-based system for live production.

The operation, slated to go live this month, will use the companies’ fiber network to deliver IP video from cameras in sports venues and studios to a centralized data center. This data center, which holds most of the broadcast production equipment, is also linked via fiber to a gallery, or studio control room, and other rooms where the monitors and the director and other staffers might be located.

“It gives you the potential to put the cameras for an event in City A, have the central infrastructure for producing the event in City B and the control room in either the same building as the data center or somewhere else, in City C,” said George Hoover, chief technology officer of NEP, which is the largest provider of mobile production services in the U.S. and owns a number of production companies around the globe.

George Hoover This marks a major change from the way live events are typically produced. In the U.S., sports producers usually send large mobile trucks and crews to stadiums, which results in very high-quality video, but also requires that the equipment and crew can’t be used while trucks are in transit.

In contrast, this centralized remote facility that might be used several times a day is more flexible, allowing different clients to pick the right equipment for their needs. “We can assign only the equipment they need for their shows and we can deliver the production in a very cost-effective manner even though it is a very high-end setup because we get much better utilization of the equipment,” said Peter Bruggink, chief technology officer of DutchView and Infostrada Creative Technology, who spearheaded the project.

MAKING THE MOST OF LESS
Some aspects of this innovative approach to live production can be traced back to unique features of the Dutch market. “The Netherlands is a small country, but the audience is used to a lot of U.S. and U.K. content and they compare the quality of locally created content, which is produced on about 10 percent of the budget, to that programming,” Bruggink said. “So we’ve always had to find ways to produce and create very high-quality content in very efficient ways.”

A new cloud production system for live TV developed by DutchView and Infostrada Creative Technology, part of the NEP worldwide network, uses fiber to connect remote facilities or studios to a central data center, which holds the broadcast equipment and is also connected to rooms for audio, shading and other production activities. To help cut the cost of using traditional mobile production through mobile trucks, the company began exploring the idea of remote production, in 2005. After building their own fiber network, they launched remote editing services in 2006 and started offering remote production facilities in 2007. That operation allowed clients to send uncompressed video from studios up to 100 kilomeyters away to their centralized production facilities in Hilversum. “That was really quite revolutionary at the time,” said Bruggink.

In the last year and a half, they have been working to expand those remote or cloud-based production operations to live sports and entertainment events. “We had a lot of meetings with the same vendors that are now working on the IP studio at [the Belgian broadcaster] VRT in the EBU project,” Bruggink said. But they ultimately felt that the technology was not ready for an all-IP operation and decided to take a hybrid approach using a Snell switcher that can handle both baseband video and IP.

JPEG2000 IN THE FUTURE
Other notable vendors include Grass Valley cameras, Lawo audio consoles, and EVS and Riedel intercoms for communications.

That allows them to use IP for most of the infrastructure (uncompressed IP video is sent from the studio or stadium to a central data center); the galleries, audio and shading rooms are connected via IP.

RTL, Holland’s largest commercial broadcaster, and some public broadcasters are planning to use the system for sports and entertainment shows, Bruggink said.

Some features of the setup are unique to the Dutch market and not easily transferred in the United States. The NEP companies own their own fiber network, something U.S. mobile companies don’t do, and the distances are relatively short, which makes the use of uncompressed video possible. But in the next phase of the project, Bruggink said they plan to use compressed JPEG 2000 video over outside networks, which will allow the system to work over long distances.

Hoover says that remote production systems in the U.S. are likely to first be launched by newer networks, such as the Pac12 Network, which is already using remote production over IP for a number of its events, or for smaller events, where it doesn’t pay to send a large OB truck. “There is really an opportunity to deploy IP across the production platform in smaller three-or four-camera events where it doesn’t make sense to roll a huge truck,” Hoover said.

CHIBA, JAPAN—AJA is using the Inter BEE 2015 platform in Japan to launch three new models in its series of openGear-compatible video and audio rackframe cards. The OG-FIBER-TR, OG-FIBER-T and OG-FIBER-R cards support single channel SDI-to-fiber and fiber-to-SDI conversion.

OG-FIBER-TR

The OG-FIBER-TR has both fiber and SDI inputs, allowing it to handle both SDI-to-fiber and fiber-to-SDI conversions, that are re-clocked with input jitter tolerance. It supports SDI rates of 270Mb, 1.5Gb and 3Gb. Both signal paths are independent and can be different rates.

The OG-FIBER-T is a SDI-to-fiber converter that enables SDI signals to be extended up to 10km over standard single-mode fiber optic cable. The SDI input is also re-clocked with input jitter tolerance; a re-clocked looping SDI output is also provided.

The OG-FIBER-R is a fiber-to-SDI. It also can extend SDI signals up to 10km over single-mode fiber optic cable, and features input jitter tolerance.

AJA will release the new cards in December, with the OG-FIBER-TR available for $645, while the OG-FIBER-T and OG-FIBER-R are available for $445.

NILES, ILL.—With the responsibility of delivering HD college football action on Fox Sports’ broadcasts, CSP Mobile Productions has gone with Joseph Electronics’ DFT-12-JR fiber transport modules to handle HD video transport.

DFT-12-JR

Joseph Electronics 1RU DFT-12-JR system features 12 paths of 3G/HD-SDI, MADI, or ASI signals over one or two fibers. All signal paths are user configurable in pairs of two to meet any send/receive requirements. Redundant power supplies are standard to ensure a complete backup of critical paths.

The fiber system is installed in CSP’s CSP HD 4 mobile unit, which is configured for eight transmits and four returns of HD video. CSP will also use its new fiber system to cover other events during the college football offseason, including MMA fights and the Boston Marathon.

Joseph Electronics is a provider of custom fiber products for broadcasters and system integrators. The company is located in Niles, Ill.

Riedel MicroN

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS—At the IBC Show in September, Riedel will feature MicroN, an 80G media distribution network device for the company's MediorNet line of media transport and management solutions. Working seamlessly with the MediorNet MetroN core fiber router, MicroN is a high-density signal interface with a complete array of audio, video, and data inputs and outputs, including 24 SD/HD/3G-SDI I/Os, two MADI optical digital audio ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two sync reference I/Os, and eight 10G SFP+ high-speed ports. MicroN offers routing and processing capabilities that can be tailored economically for productions of all sizes and complexity. A single unit serves as a stand-alone point-to-point router and processor while multiple interconnected units support scalable decentralized video routing.

Riedel will also feature the RSP-2318 Smartpanel, which the company touts as the world's first control panel designed to serve as a powerful multifunctional user interface. The device includes three high-resolution, sunlight-readable, multitouch color displays; premium-quality stereo audio; a multilingual character set; and 18 keys in 1RU.

Riedel will also have on hand its Tango Networked Communications Platform; MediorNet Modular, MediorNet Compact and MetroN; Performer, Artist, and Acrobat Communications Systems, and RockNet Fiber-Optic Converters and Console Interfaces.

Riedel will be in Stand 10.A31. For more information on the IBC Show, Sept. 11-15, visit www.ibc.org