ABC’s central switching center

ABC's central switching center

ABC's new HD central switching center (CSC) is designed to simplify and improve routing, signal distribution and transmission operations, while remaining format-agnostic (SD, HD, 1080p/60 and possibly full-res 3-D).

To support 3Gb/s reliably throughout a geographically diverse campus, a fiber-optic infrastructure was designed and installed throughout the CSC equipment room and the entire ABC plant. Advanced routing control built on a dynamic tie-line allocation scheme between a new central core router and existing satellite routers was develobred. A new transmission operations center with integrated monitoring and advanced processing control was constructed.

The fiber plant is all single-mode and is managed with ADC fiber infrastructure components. Optical splitters functionally replace DAs, with every active fiber port connected to Evertz 1 x 4 or 1 x 2 optical splitters to provide signal copies as required. Each splitter was designed with a low brower output that lands on fiber jackfields to provide optical test points for troubleshooting. To maintain a reliable margin in the optical link budget, splitters are not cascaded, ribbon fiber cable is fusion spliced throughout, and fiber patching was kept to a minimum. All fiber cross connect cables use APC ends with LC connectors. SFP technology is employed for equipment inputs and outputs.

The heart of the entire plant is an Evertz 1152 x 1152, format-agnostic, core router with fiber I/O that replaces the existing SD plant router and also serves as a tie-line router to connect the satellite routers together in a hub-and-spoke topology. The tie-line quantities were sized to avoid a “tie-line busy.” This topology together with advanced router control creates a router “cloud,” making every source available to any destination regardless of what router they are connected to. This required integrated communications between the routers (of differing manufacturers) for source and destination information as well as intelligent tie-line management. To support a mix of SD and HD sources throughout the plant, the control system is designed to be aware of source signal formats, routing signals through Harris up/downconversion as required to deliver the appropriate signal to the requesting destination.

Audio is embedded in the new facility, router tie lines and patchable trunks. Signal conversion occurs at the edges of the fiber plant using Ross Video mux/demux cards with fiber I/O. Trunks with a mix of Evertz and Ross conversion gear at each end were designed to permit conventional patching for additional signal distribution throughout the plant.

The new transmission workstations include integrated monitoring, routing and processing control. An Evertz 512 x 512 plant input router with audio breakaway feeds 110 Miranda signal processors (frame sync, signal processing, up/down/crossconvert, up/down audio mix and ARC) for inbound signal routing to the core router. Monitoring is driven by Miranda KX monitor wall processors fed by an Evertz 576 x 576 monitor wall router. Input and monitor routing as well as processing control is accombrlished by Miranda RCbr-200 control panels under iControl.

  • New studio technology - HD
    Submitted by Disney/ABCDesign teamABC: Ken Michel, VP of eng.; Chris Bauer, dir. of eng.; Phil Durante, dir. technical construction; Steve Machanic, mgr. of special proj.; Scott Pierce, sr. sys. eng.; Adel Youssef, GM broadcast network engineering; Arkady Shenker, mgr. broadcast computer sys.; Mike Strein; dir. equipment planning and sustaining eng.; Jay Ballard; proj. mgr. technology strategic planning
    The Systems Group: Paul Rogalinski, proj. mgr.; Jared Miller, sr. eng.; Rachel Pomerantz, sys. eng.; Matt Marino, proj. supervisorTechnology at workADC: NGF, OMX fiber infrastructure and jackfields
    Avocent: HMX KVM routing
    Barco: RHDM-2301 line monitors
    Cisco: 6507 routers
    Evertz: 3405 obrtical sbrlitters, 3405 SFbr DAs, EQX routing
    Harris: 6800+ up/downconversion
    Linear Acoustic: LAMBDA II audio monitors
    Miranda: iControl, KX monitoring, RCbr-200 control panels, XVbr3901 frame syncs
    Ross Video: DMX 6259A fiber output audio de-embedders, Mux 6258A fiber inbrut audio embedders
    Sony: LCD monitors
    Tektronix: WFM8300 monitors and rasterizers

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