The problem with wireless coverage has always been two-fold: signal quality and latency. Link Research, of the U.K., has addressed these issues with its LinkXP wireless system. With a latency of about one frame, there are no lip-sync errors with hardwired cameras. Additionally, with 4:2:2 encoding, a demodulator that uses diversity reception, and COFDM transmission, this is the type of system that it seems news, sports and special occasion producers have been waiting for.
Awarded the IABM Peter Wayne Award for Design and Innovation at last year’s IBC, the wireless camera system, which weighs 2.4 pounds, attaches to the back of the camera. This uses 18W of power and provides 100mW RF in the range of 1.95 to 2.7GHz. The heart of the system is the encoder, which is based upon Link Research’s low-delay encoder. At the receive end, the receiver provides a full decoded output plus ASI.
FPGA technology has been used to reduce the power consumption of the encoder/modulator, including the upconverter, to just 18W. LinkXP gives a DVB-T, 4:2:2, 2-k carrier COFDM output, which is suitable for a variety of situations. LinkXP’s inputs include composite video, SDI, and component video, with a frame lock input at the receiver. Stable reception has been achieved outside from line-of-site distances exceeding one mile.
Total RF’s Jim Malone used the LinkXP system at last year’s Emmy Awards. Malone was the first person to use the LinkXP digital wireless camera system during a live broadcast within the U.S.
