Looking to streamline its operations and migrate way from its existing tape-based system, PGA TOUR Entertainment, the multiplatform in-house production arm of the PGA TOUR, has installed a UTAH-400 V-144 digital routing switcher at the core of its HD production and broadcast operation in St. Augustine, FL.
The facility is also using a UTAH-400 A-288 AES switcher, a UTAH-300 analog audio router for cost-effective time code routing and a UTAH-400 data router for RS422 switching.
Among PGA TOUR Entertainment's responsibilities is producing the world feed for all PGA TOUR golf tournaments, which entails taking backhaul feeds from other sources, adding its own content and uplinking the result to some 160 countries. The primary UTAH-400 will support expansion of the facility, including implementation of a media asset management system (MAM) to make it easier for editors and producers to store and access footage.
The new UTAH-400 V-144 replaces a smaller digital router, also from Utah Scientific. With its new workflow, slated to go online mid-2010, PGA TOUR Entertainment will rely on the UTAH-400 to input SD- and HD-sourced signal feeds coming from digital tape machines, edit suites, live satellite feeds and live studio productions and output them into the MAM environment for eventual storage on LTO tape drives. On the playout side, the router will facilitate real-time, server-based playout of digital media. Backhaul content and live studio production will also move through the router into the MAM system, enabling it to be digitized in real time.
The UTAH-400/144 is housed in a 9RU frame and includes dual power supplies and controller cards. Like all UTAH-400 digital routers, it is based on a matrix architecture that enables modular expansion besides saving space, reducing power consumption and minimizing heat generation.
