Ken's Olympic adventure is coming to a close, but typhoon-like conditions could not keep him from sharing some secrets he unearthed in the swimming and diving compound on his penultimate day in Beijing. Craig Schiller, VP/general manager of Bexel Broadcast Services, filled Ken in on some cool new discoveries in the compound, pointing out some features of the Bexel Hercules that could apply to flypacks from other manufacturers.

First, and not pictured, is removing the need for a bunch of small LCD panels usually used in EVS operation. Bexel figured out how to pump EVS clip information to the 40-inch NEC monitors via an Evertz multiviewer. It allows EVS operators to watch video clips on the same monitor as the EVS rundown. Yes, the move saves money by cutting back on monitors, but it also has gotten positive feedback from the operators, who like not having to look away from game action.

Schiller also showed off a new military-grade wirerope isolator that is placed between an equipment rack and the rack. "These isolators are really good for us because we need flypacks that are more stable," he says. "In some of our older flight cases, the foam has bent, and that causes the racks to shift. So this makes everything more stable to the router."