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Optical fibre assembly boosts outside broadcast horizons
Harting says its expanded beam fibre-optic cable assemblies prevent transmission loss for TV outside broadcasts in harsh environmental conditions. By Howard Forryan.
and here the concept of temporary or “tactical” cables becomes attractive. While modern transmission technology allows outside broadcast companies to send all the necessary video, audio and data down one cable, the temporary nature of such installations – plus the fact that they are often exposed to the vagaries of the weather and the stresses of assembly and installation on site - means that any connectors used need to be both robust and “idiot proof”. Crews are also under increasing time pressure for faster set-ups and tear-downs, especially in and around public places, and therefore need connectors that are quick and easy to connect as well as being secure and resilient. CONNECTION TECHNOLOGIES For TV studio and internal outside- broadcast vehicle conditions, various traditional standardised butt-joint fibre-optic connection technologies are increasingly preferred to copper types, as they o er improved bandwidth signal handling over larger distances and di erent signal types can be multiplexed over a single fibre-optic cable. In addition, fibre optics allow bi-directional communication whereas copper systems can only transmit in one direction. alternatives: a particularly important point inside outside-broadcast vans in order to save space and minimise the overall Fibre-optic cables are small and lightweight compared to copper
A s the demand for high- definition broadcasting signal transmissions has increased and the transition to DTV/HDTV has been fully realised, the role of fibre optics as the signal transmission medium continues to grow. Fibre-optic infrastructures o er the advantage of higher bandwidth, optical signal clarity and more reliable real- time transmissions, enabling providers to service even more applications for emerging technologies such as 4K and 8K ultra high-definition television (UHDTV), Internet-protocol television (IPTV) and
multi-channel audio. Fibre-optic cables have been used in outside broadcast installations since the 1990s but, as the industry makes the transition to 4K and UHDTV there is a greater reliance on using them outdoors. Viewers increasingly want to watch major sporting events and concerts in 4k definition, and many large stadiums and concert venues have invested in the necessary fibre-optic infrastructure in anticipation of the arrival of the broadcasting operators. However, there are numerous other venues that host smaller or less frequent events where large-scale permanent fibre infrastructure is too costly or impracticable,
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| ISSUE 12 | Q1 2018
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