Swiss Broadcaster tpc Streamlines OB Camera Operations With Telecast SHED Adapters

Telecast Fiber Systems has announced that television production center Z rich (tpc), Switzerland’s largest media production facility, has equipped its HD-1 outside broadcast truck with 10 sets of SHED (SMPTE hybrid elimination devices) and HDX adapters for its Sony HDC1500 cameras. The SHED-HDX units replace the existing bulky SMPTE hybrid fiber/wire cables with lightweight, standard single-mode fiber, allowing up to 10 times the range of hybrid cable with only 10% of the weight. The systems were integrated by Telecast dealer WIRA Optics.

SMPTE 311 hybrid wire/fiber camera cable is growing out of favor with many broadcasters because it is bulky, heavy, prone to damage, and distance-limiting, explained Joe Commare, vice president of marketing and international sales for Telecast. The trend, however, is heading toward using standard tactical fiber cable that is completely non-metallic, since it is easier to handle, significantly more durable, and compatible with existing venue infrastructures. Swiss First League football, hockey stadiums, and other sport venues throughout Europe are pre-wired with inexpensive single-mode fiber. By using fiber and our SHED camera adapters, tpc has streamlined their OB operations while maintaining the performance of their state-of-the-art Sony HD cameras.

Telecast’s SHED solution consists of two small adapters, one at the camera and another at the base station, which convert camera signals from hybrid wire/fiber cables to standard all-fiber cables and back again. These adapters allow the camera and base station to communicate on two ordinary single-mode fibers while maintaining a pure optical path so that the high-quality signals originated by the SMPTE-hybrid cameras remain pristine. The most popular configuration uses an optional HDX unit, which also supplies power to the camera via short (up to 300 m) runs of hybrid cable.

In addition to the 10 pairs of SHED and HDX units, the 45-foot HD-1 truck is equipped with a Probel 320×416 router, MVS8000 switcher, Stage Tec NEXUS audio distribution system, and RTS communication system to support its 24 cameras. The truck was unveiled at IBC2005.