NBC Selects Telecast Equipment for Live 2002 Winter Olympics Broadcasts
"We're running fiber optic cable from our broadcast compound at the base of Snowbasin, to a secondary broadcast compound, 10,000 feet up on the mountain, in the middle of winter. Under those conditions, the Telecast fiber equipment will be an essential part of a successful transmission system," said Chip Adams, director of venue engineering at NBC Olympics. "You can't run 10,000 feet of coaxial cable and expect to see anything at the end, so fiber optic broadcasting systems become a necessity in this type of environment."
The extensive NBC broadcast set-up will include one RF camera at each event venue, connected via fiber links to the mobile units located at the base of the resorts. Utilizing fiber optic cabling that has just one-tenth the weight of coaxial cabling and covers 10 times the distance, the Telecast equipment will allow NBC crews to obtain high-quality audio and video signals and transmit them to mobile receiver units positioned near each venue.
"The real benefit of the fiber network is that we will be able to obtain high-quality signals without ground-loop problems or line losses, as you would experience with coaxial cable," Adams added. "Fiber provides a reliable route for capturing the signals we need quickly and without any complications."
For coverage of the 2002 Games, NBC Olympics has added Viper II throw-down modules to its existing store of Telecast equipment, much of which was purchased for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. NBC also will be renting additional Adder 162 multiplexers to provide reliable remote audio recording and signal transmission.
Known for their reliability and flexibility, Telecast's Viper II modular platforms and Adder audio multiplexers ensure high-quality live broadcasts from high-definition cameras positioned in challenging locations, even under extreme conditions. Units in Telecast's Viper system carry a combination of digital video (SDTV or HDTV), analog video (PAL or NTSC), analog audio, digital AES/EBU audio, intercom, and data signals, all on one small fiber optic cable.
Telecast's Adder multiplexers comprise the industry's only line of portable, fiber optic audio systems. The modular Adder systems permit custom combinations of line or microphone source channels and return drive lines, as well as up to six intercom channels, four high-speed data lines, and two GPI switch closure interfaces in each direction -- all on one optical fiber conductor. Adder systems include three-way optical splits, "hot standby" optical redundancy protection, and a built-in variable tone generator and signal meter.
"NBC's 2002 Olympic Games broadcast will be an excellent demonstration of the strengths Telecast equipment has to offer," said Telecast Fiber Systems U.S. Sales Manager Steve Nelson. "Telecast's rugged systems are geared to meet and overcome the challenges of remote coverage and extreme weather conditions such as those NBC is likely to face during the Games. Our fiber optic systems make even the most difficult broadcasting environments accessible to networks and their viewers."
NBC coverage of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics begins on February 8 and concludes on February 24.
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About Telecast Fiber Systems, Inc.
Telecast Fiber Systems, Inc. is the only manufacturer of portable and fixed fiber optic systems for television broadcast production. The company's video, audio, and communications systems are used worldwide by TV networks, teleproduction companies, telecommunications providers, and private and government institutions and facilities. More information on the company can be found at
www.telecast-fiber.com.
About NBC Olympics
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games from Salt Lake City will be held February 8-24 and will be the first Winter Olympics in the United States since the 1980 Lake Placid Games, 22 years ago. The Salt Lake Olympics are the second Games in an unprecedented five consecutive Olympics to which NBC owns the U.S. broadcast rights. The unprecedented five consecutive Olympic Games are the 2000 Summer Games from Sydney, the 2002 Winter Games from Salt Lake City, the 2004 Summer Games from Athens, the 2006 Winter Games from Torino, Italy and the 2008 Summer Games from Beijing. "The Complete Olympics" from Salt Lake City will be available exclusively on NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, and online at NBCOlympics.com.
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