Best in show: Links + Infrastructure

The editorial teams of TVB Europe and the IBC Daily highlight the best new products at IBC every year, in every hall and every category. These are all written up (by me) for the October issue (downloadable in full as PDFs or readable online by clicking the top right of the TVB home page).

You can also view the full list of winners for Links and Infrastructure products, with more information on each product, but here is that list in brief. This is the last category.

Blackmagic Design – Universal Videohub - broadcast router available as a 72x72 5RU frame, or 288x288 18RU frame, with full deck control, SD, HD and 3Gbps auto-switching, redundant power supplies and, on the 288, redundant crosspoint cards, at a much lower cost than many rivals.

Bridge Technologies – VB12-RF - portable diagnostics tool for transmission engineers that covers IP, ASI and QAM and requires no external equipment or power supplies.

Draka/Fischer Connectors – Triax HD Pro+ - Triax users (about 80% of European broadcasters) can get more life from their camera systems thanks to this new HD cable that promises a "minimum 30% longer transmission distance."

MultiDyne – LightCube - designed for location use for ENG or sports broadcasts, this battery/AC-powered box provides fibre transport for up to 80 HD signals, 225 audio channels, Ethernet, composite signals, and intercom.

Prime Focus Technologies – Clear - content management via infrastructure and software in the cloud, which can bring considerable cost benefits.

Quantel – QTube - will allow any media recorded on Quantel servers to be viewable, and frame accurately editable, anywhere in the world within 20 seconds. "It is a close-to-air workflow that works globally instead of inside a building," said Dr James Cain, principal software architect (pictured top).

RF Central – MicroLite - small, energy efficient wireless camera transmitter using MPEG-4 compression that can be mounted on the back of a Litepanels Micro on-camera LED light (pictured above).

Signal Telecommunications – Signal 3G ENG - provides uplink truck quality broadcast video in any environment, as long as there is cellular signal, using up to four different carriers and up to nine 3G USB modems.

T-VIPS – TVG 450 - JPEG2000 gateway offering 'visually lossless' (80-150Mbps) or 'mathematically lossless' (about 600Mbps) delivery of HD, 3Gbps 1080p and 3D over a variety of contribution links without quality loss.

Telecast Fiber Systems – CopperHead 3400 - camera-mountable fibre optic connection for 3D or dual-link applications, such as slow-motion or 4:4:4 digital cinematography (pictured right).

Related posts: Best in show: Lighting + Support, Best in show: Audio, Best in show: TX + Delivery, Best in show: Recording + Production and Best in show: Acquisition

By David Fox