Solidifying its place as the only station in its market to produce an all-HD newscast, WDRB-DT, the local Fox affiliate in Louisville, KY, has installed a digital routing switcher and a two-channel MC-4000 master control switcher (with two master control panels) from Utah Scientific (www.utahscientific.com). The new equipment serves as the backbone for the station's HD operations.
The UTAH-400/64 router provides reliable signal distribution for all incoming and outgoing HD signals in order to support the station's daily newscasts, as well as those of its sister station WMYO, a MyNetworkTV affiliate. The master control channels integrate easily with WDRB's Utah Scientific GS-4000 graphics station.
Gary Schroder, chief engineer at WDRB, said sources for both stations are available to either channel via the routing switcher. With it, the station can broadcast a live sports event on the Fox station and air the local WDRB newscast on the other.
"Then, when the Fox broadcast is over, we can switch seamlessly to simulcast the WMYO output of the news on both stations," he said.
Housed in a compact 9RU frame that includes dual power supplies and optional redundant crosspoints, UTAH-400/64 router can expand from 8 x 8 to 1152 x 1152 and beyond. Its matrix architecture reduces the complexity of large systems, resulting in reduced rack space and lower power requirements.
The MC-4000 master controller is an integrated system for handling the most demanding on-air operations in live, automated, or automation-assisted operating environments. It offers built-in capabilities to handle all of the most commonly required on-air operations, including still and animated logo insertion, audio and video clip playback, and DASDEC-compliant EAS messaging.
