In Broadcast - March 2013 - 50

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 17 - MARCH 2013

N E W S

InGEAR

Cable, Fibre And Connectors
Marconi thought that radio waves was the way forward when it came to propagating data, but relatively
recently in the world of information transmission the humble cable has led a resurgence in bandwidth
carriage for the masses…

By David Kirk
Contributing Editor

uglielmo Marconi has much to
answer for. His pioneering work
in radio communication didn’t go far
enough to eliminate all the wires his
technology was claimed to replace.
Now the whole broadcast business
is standing on its head and adopting
wired networking as a secondary
delivery route to television and radio
audiences.
One big advantage is that it offers
them worldwide instead of regional
reach. The big question is whether
broadcasting via the global data grid
will completely replace traditional
terrestrial and satellite transmission.
Many playout service providers
expect that to happen within the
current decade.
In the context of television and
radio programme production, Wi-Fi
and digital-RF devices are certainly
getting more popular for point to
point linking but there is still plenty
of life in electrical, optical and hybrid
cable. So what’s new in cable, ﬁbre
and connectors?
Firstly, long-run analogue cables
are rapidly being consigned to
history except for the diehard few
multi-mike audio folk still willing to
risk taxi-talk inﬁltrating their stage
to control room feeds. A much safer
option these days is to connect into
a pre-ampliﬁer/digitiser and multiplex
the lot on a single digital cable feed
to the sound mixer or workstation.
Internet Protocol audio is increasingly
replacing MADI in this application

and for integrating audio equipment
across one or more broadcast
production sites.
Argosy’s new Fischer Triax HD
Pro+ camera cable, using Fisher
connectors and Draka cable, is
claimed to increase transmission
distances by more than 30%
compared with standard triax. For
mains power distribution, Argosy’s
new IEC-Lock cable incorporates
a locking mechanism to fasten
it to the earth pin. The connector
incorporates a red button which has
to be pressed to unlock the lead,
reducing the risk of power loss. IEClock mains cables are offered in 2, 3,
4 and 5 metre lengths. The Orange
PVC mains cable has a 7 millimetre
outside diameter and is rated at 10
amps with a pre-terminated standard
Male IEC connector at one end and
a lockable Female IEC connector
at the other.
Belden is now offering ﬁbre optic
cabling in Reel-In-A-Box packaging
intended for short runs of up to
300 metres. Features include dual
cutouts on the top and side to allow
clean cable payout plus handle holes
on all four sides for easy carrying
and positioning. Tension control
can be adjusted manually. A twistand-tighten mechanism on the reel
hub can be used for locking in place
during transit or adjusting the tension.
Camera Corps’ new SIMPLY
SMPTE compact remote camera
link, now available for rental, was

An HD-SDI cable installation by Danmon Systems Group at TV2 Denmark

developed for the company’s own
coverage of the summer 2012 sports
events in London. Designed for use
at large-scale outside broadcast
events and in electronic field
production, it allows any remotely
controlled camera system in the
Camera Corps product range to
be connected over long distance
via SMPTE 3K-standard electrical/
optical cable. Large remote heads
and boxed cameras can be operated
over 5 kilometres or more while
maintaining the security and reliability
of a dedicated link. The relatively high
power efﬁciency of Camera Corps’
Q-Ball and Q-Ball Pre-Set robotic
pan/tilt/zoom/focus cameras enables
these to be controlled over more than
8 kilometres.
The SIMPLY SMPTE system
comprises a base unit and a smaller
remote unit. Each has a very compact
physical footprint. Powered by 110
or 240 volts alternating-current,
the 303 x 165 x 65 millimetre 3.63
kilogramme base unit incorporates
an optical input for incoming video
data. Electrical inputs allow direct
connection of analogue genlock
video and audio-frequency control

data. A loop-through connector
is provided for the control data
channel. Incoming video from the
remote camera is accessible via
two HD-SDI outputs. The 226 x
106 x 56 millimetres remote unit
accepts HD-SDI from the camera
and provides genlock, audio data,
alternating-current power plus
dual 12 volt direct-current 60 watt
outputs on XLR4 sockets for auxiliary
equipment. Power from the base unit
to the remote unit is fully isolated and
protected against an open circuit or
incompatible equipment.
Canare’s EO-500 electricalto-optical and OE-501 opticalto-electrical converter line allows
synchronous and asynchronous AES
signals to be sent through a single
ﬁbre optic cable. Using eight types of
transmitter module (distinguished by
emitted light wavelengths from 1,471
to 1611 nanometres) with coarse
wavelength division multiplexing, up
to 64 ports (128 audio channels) to
be transmitted up to 20 kilometres.
Clark Wire & Cable has introduced
an enhanced and expanded line of its
CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

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