German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG is upgrading its internal infrastructure to support HD production and has selected 162 Crystal Vision interface boards for a new MCR for the production studios and to distribute signals all over its facility.
ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG is a European media conglomerate which operates commercial television stations, premium pay channels, radio stations and print businesses, and has operations in 13 European countries. It broadcasts eleven television channels in Germany: SAT.1, ProSieben, kabel eins, SAT.1 HD, ProSieben HD, kabel eins HD, sixx, sixx HD, Sat.1 Comedy, kabel eins classics and 9Live.
With the need to upgrade its infrastructure in Munich to HD production capability, ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG evaluated three interface suppliers and selected Crystal Vision for both technological and financial reasons.
79 of the Crystal Vision interface boards are being used in the production studios’ new MCR. Six Q-Down-A 3G are down converting the signals into the studio, and offer flexible analog and digital outputs as well as reclocked input loop-throughs. An Up-and-down-AAFD is in use as a multi-functional ‘tool’ for the MCR, with its ability to both up, down and cross convert between HD and SD sources and also to insert SMPTE 2016 AFD data into the output video to allow downstream equipment to automatically select the appropriate aspect ratio.
40 3GDA digital video distribution amplifiers, which can distribute 3Gb/s, HD and SD sources, are being placed before and after the router for the signal distribution in the production facility, while four VDA110M HD analog video DAs are being used to distribute Black and Burst reference signals.
With a delay of up to half a second in HD and three seconds in SD, 14 ViViD HD variable video delays are matching the delay of the multiviewer displays to the regular displays within the monitor wall. Three CoCo HD color correctors are providing color correction for the screen within the studio set to match the colors on air, while an SW221 3G 2 x 2 routing switch is in use as a disaster switch between the mixer output and matrix. For embedding and de-embedding up to two groups of analog and digital audio signals, ten TANDEM HD-21 embedders/de-embedders have been placed before and after the audio mixer.
The other 83 interface boards are being used to distribute signals all over the facility. 25 FTX 3G fiber optic transmitters and 31 FRX 3G fiber optic receivers are transporting the signals between the different buildings, while ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG is also using 27 SYNNER-E HD synchronizers – a multi-functional board which includes a video synchronizer, tracking audio delay, embedder, de-embedder and audio processor with special Dolby E processing – for synchronizing the lines.
The 162 boards are housed in 15 Indigo 2SE 2RU frames which are located within the production facility. ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG is using a centralised monitoring system for its complete broadcast environment, and therefore monitoring and control of the Crystal Vision boards is being done through SNMP.
Frank Stephan, Deputy Head of Media Base Systems, commented: “The equipment fits our solution and the support and communication are excellent – and we are happy with how Crystal Vision is dealing with our ‘on the fly’ feature requests”.
The order was co-ordinated by Crystal Vision’s German distributor, SHM Broadcast GmbH, with the installation done by systems integrators BFE and Elvia-Pro. Based in Forstinning and the winner of the Crystal Vision 2010 Distributor of the Year award, SHM Broadcast has been selling Crystal Vision products for almost ten years.
Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK, Crystal Vision provides digital keyers, picture storage modules and a full range of digital and analog interface equipment including converters, synchronizers, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.