European OB company CTV has selected a Platinum IP3 router for mobile production. The router will provide a range of signal processing and multiviewer functionality.
Imagine’s Platinum IP3 router processes and switches audio and video signals and provides multiviewer outputs for monitor wall applications. In the new CTV truck, the platform will handle critical signal processing functions such as audio multiplexing and de-multiplexing, and MADI-to-AES conversion. The Platinum IP3 also provides all signal synchronisation and distribution.
By incorporating additional functionality inside the routing platform, the truck’s designers can make the installation more compact. Weight is reduced because of the reduction in inter-device cabling, and fewer spares are needed because of the IP3’s modular internal design.
“Designing a big outside broadcast truck is a huge challenge, because we are under constant pressure to add functionality while staying within the weight and size limits to take the truck on the road,” said Hamish Greig, technical director of CTV. “Because the Platinum router family does so much, including frame synchronisation, mux and demux, and multiviewers, it saves considerable space and weight, as well as reduces operational complexity by eliminating the need for external frames and the associated cabling — all of which are real bonuses. Add to that the ability to integrate IP signal routing to help make it future-proof, and it becomes the only sensible choice for a new truck.”
“Providing much more than just switching, the Platinum IP3 was designed to be a complete signal management centre with a modular architecture that makes it both compact and highly reliable through redundancy,” said Kerry Wheeles, CTO, networking products for Imagine. “It is ideal for 3 Gb/s 1080p video applications such as CTV’s outside broadcast productions, and it provides a solid, simple path into the converged future.”
