In Broadcast June 2012 - 38

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 9 - JUNE 2012

InMEDIA

Programming Perfection − The AdderLink Inﬁnity Dual
By John Halksworth, Product Manager, Adder Technology
John Halksworth Adder Technology

When the UK and Ireland follow the rest of Western Europe and the US to complete their transition from analogue to digital television broadcasts, many viewers will be expecting higher quality pictures and sound. Some will even use the opportunity to upgrade from SD to HD, and all the beneﬁts it provides. Similarly, while we are nowhere near switching off analogue radio signals, more and more users are buying digital receivers to gain a greater quality of sound. As such, broadcasters need to ensure that what they produce is technically of the best possible quality, or risk detracting from the programming produced, leaving audiences to look elsewhere for information and entertainment. To achieve this, programme makers need to utilise powerful IT systems that ensure content creation and broadcast is achieved as smoothly as possible. However, many are still using multiple in-studio computers, all individually operated via their own screens, keyboards and mice. This has several disadvantages that can affect the quality of a production, such as clutter in the studio, increased complexity for operatives, as well as noise and heat from the computers creating an uncomfortable and distracting environment. A partial answer is to employ a keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) unit, but these can only extend access to one computer. At Adder we have taken a different approach, utilising the existing Ethernet most modern broadcasters have installed as standard. The AdderLink Inﬁnity and the AdderLink Inﬁnity Dual offer KVM functionality, making use of IP over fast Ethernet to escape the limitations of more simplistic point to point cable extension solutions. This enables the solution to carry

DVI digital video along with keyboard, mouse and peripheral d a t a . Alongside spatially l o s s l e s s digital video, it provides additional bidirectional audio together with an RS232 communications path. For i m p r o v e d ease of use, the AdderLink Inﬁnity and the AdderLink Inﬁnity Dual have full USB peripheral support, for a removable storage device, such as a ﬂash drive. Inside the AdderLink Inﬁnity box all these signals are multiplexed and packetised so they can be sent as IP over Ethernet. Additionally, the AdderLink Inﬁnity can talk to any processor box, enabling the connection of an unlimited number of users to an unlimited number of computers. Our ﬁrst aim when designing the AdderLink Inﬁnity was to create pixel perfect reproduction, whatever the size and resolution of the screen, which means capturing the 24-bit colour depth in DVI format. The AdderLink Inﬁnity Dual, uses two DVI ports to provide double the capacity, either for dual head set-ups or for very large dual link screens such as the Apple Cinema Display. To ensure that the possible 5Gb/s generated from this did not drain network resources, we implemented a series of encoding technologies that ﬁt the data into a 1Gb/s link while remaining spatially lossless. Second, to ensure compression and IP packetisation happens instantaneously, the AdderLink Infinity box uses a bespoke

AdderLink Inﬁnity Dual receiver RX

processing architecture which achieves a low latency link, imperceptible to the user. A linked aim was that the box had to be able to accommodate the very high powered processing while naturally dissipating the heat generated. As such the units were designed to be low powered, fan-less and so silent in operation. Configuration management for the AdderLink Inﬁnity is the AIM (AdderLink Inﬁnity Manager) software, which sits on the network and automatically sets up the transmitter and receiver modules. An administrator can control the network from any workstation, tablet or even smart phone over WiFi. Set-up is through a web browser, and an open API is available allowing automation systems to access and control AIM switching. The innovative channel concept delivers a combination of video, audio, USB and serial data, but it need not all come from a single computer. A user in a master control room could use this to look at what is going on in another area – an edit suite, perhaps – while still listening to programme audio or talkback, for example. The unique channel presets enable a user to setup multiple workstations using the click of a button. This has great application in studio gallery scenarios where at

AdderLink Inﬁnity Dual

different times of the day, different teams may be at work. For example, a news gallery delivering control for a prime time programme will have a much larger team at work than the same gallery controlling news updates through the night. Presets deliver this customisation instantly and intuitively. The ability to connect any workstation to any processor is the great strength of the system, because it creates a new ﬂexibility in the way operations can be organised, giving the options to the people rather than being dominated by the technology. Another beneﬁt of using the AdderLink Inﬁnity system is that projects can be kept secret by keeping them on discrete computers but still making them available in any area as necessary. The unique high-speed KVM over IP technology developed for the AdderLink Inﬁnity and AdderLink Inﬁnity Dual keeps working areas clear, calm and quiet. As the solution is highly ﬂexible and pixel perfect, the obvious beneﬁts are in opening up new workﬂow conﬁgurations which can ensure broadcasters can produce high-quality programming with the minimum of effort. ■

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In Broadcast June 2012

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