Remote Television Broadcasting
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 The Challenge
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CHUM television station the NewPL, along with sister station NewWI operate across a broad geographic territory. They were looking for ways to better manage broadcasting equipment. The station wanted to connect their remote television cameras, switchers, audioboards, teleprompters and other equipment to the main station, using the station's Ethernet WAN. The NewWI has always gathered and edited their news stories based out of their Windsor bureau, however the newscast has always been presented from a dedicated studio at the NewPL in London. In June of 2003, the NewWI anchor moved his location to the WI bureau in Windsor but the control room crew along with news elements (effects, automation control, national/international stories etc) stayed in London.
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Precidia's Solution |
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To prevent duplication of crew and equipment and still present the live anchor out of Windsor, NewPL engineers developed software applications to control switchers, audio mixer outputs, prompter data and VTRs located in Windsor by the control room crew in London. They did this by connecting each piece of serial equipment (television cameras, switchers, audioboards, teleprompters and other equipment) to Precidia's Ether232Plus, a serial to Ethernet access device. The Ether232Plus was then connected to the main station, using the station's Ethernet WAN. While the solution would meet the needs of the anchor, the station and save the cost and time of technicians, it could not show any latency problems and the allowed budget was very tight.
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"By using Ether232Plus boxes at each end we were able to make use of our TI connection via our microwave system between the two sites to move data back and forth. This capability allowed us to achieve full control, while maintaining the same reliability that we could expect if the equipment was sitting in the next room", said Jim Kippen, Manager of Engineering and Operations. "We have been using the system for almost ten months now and have not had any hardware/software problems. With this success, we intend to continue to explore new ways to leverage Precidia's technology to increase flexibility and expand our options."
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Benefits |
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The NewPL realized several key benefits by implementing Precidia's Ether232Plus:
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- Enhanced Flexibility
The Ether232Plus has acted as the facilitator of NewPL's new capability of accessing equipment remotely, enhancing broadcasting options.
- Maintain Equipment Reliability
Precidia's solution is transparent and seamless to existing equipment, ensuring the same reliable functionality the user is accustomed to.
- Improved Operating Efficiency
The solution is seamless to existing systems, and offers the customer powerful new data management options.
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Conclusion |
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In the competitive broadcasting industry, technologies that facilitate fast, accurate news delivery can have a significant impact on a station's bottom line. When these solutions make better use of existing serial devices, prolonging investment in new equipment, technology adoption is rapid. As a result, there has been a growing trend towards IP enabling equipment to remotely monitor and manage devices via the LAN/WAN or other IP networks. Precidia's Remote Access family of products offer unparalleled value to broadcast stations by improving operating efficiency, while reducing costs.
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| Contact Precidia |
150 Katimavik Road
Suite 1000
Ottawa, Ontario
K2L 2N2, Canada
Tel: 613.592.7557
Fax: 613.482.5770 |
info@precidia.com  |
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