❝ In our view , fibre transmisson over IP is not only one of the best ways to guarantee safe and reliable data transfer ; but because it is a universal protocol , it also ensures a high level of compatibility between devices .”❞
January-February 2016 DISTRIBUTION 31
good value for money .”
The Fischer FibreOptic Series , for instance , is available in full optic mode or hybrid electrical / optic variants , and includes a physical layer with telecom-normalised fibre types that are optimised for IP transmission .
For multiple connections both indoors and outdoors , Fischer recommends the pre-configured Fischer FibreOptic reels . New accessories such as daisy chaining and loopback are designed to simplify broadcasting technical support teams ’ work by facilitating FO deployment and transmission testing in the field .
Because of its flexibility in handling multiple signal streams , it would appear that fibre is continuing to push copper towards obsolescence . Describing fibre as the Swiss-Army knife of cabling , Riedel ’ s O ’ Neill says : “ As Moore ’ s Law keeps pushing our bandwidth requirements up , not to mention upcoming 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) requirements , having a cabling infrastructure that will support your needs now and in the future is invaluable .
“ Fibre can support a single SDI
The Fischer FibreOptic Series is available in full optic mode or hybrid electrical / optic variants , and includes a physical layer with telecomnormalised fibre types that are optimised for IP transmission .
stream , a connection between a stage box and an audio mixer , and Ethernet stream , or all of these together . Installing fibre rather than copper gives you the choice of how to use that cable , and it doesn ’ t have the limitations of copper .”
In live environments , where requirements are constantly changing , the flexibility and space savings offered by fibre can be invaluable , stresses O ’ Neill . A combination of fibre and Riedel ’ s MediorNet real-time network , he cites , allows signals to be instantly added or removed from fibre cabling , a task that copper is not able to achieve .
“ If you have a copper audio multi-core cable , then that is all it will ever be ,” O ’ Neill cautions . “ But if you are running fibre , and suddenly your producer wants a monitor on the side of the stage , then it ’ s just a matter of routing that signal through the network .”
Additionally , moving to a fibre system enables operators to set up a redundant path . Systems such as Mediornet allow operators to find multiple paths through the fibre network , and so if one cable is cut , it can automatically locate a differ-
❝ In our view , fibre transmisson over IP is not only one of the best ways to guarantee safe and reliable data transfer ; but because it is a universal protocol , it also ensures a high level of compatibility between devices .”❞
— Jacques Miéville , Engineering Project Leader ,
Fischer Connectors
ent route . “ Doing the same time with copper would mean running two cables per signal with two sets of terminal equipment — greatly increasing costs ,” says O ’ Neill .
In Asia-Pacific , while the “ human patchfield ” approach of one signal per [ copper ] cable still exists , it is quickly being replaced by fibre , observes Riedel . This trend , according to O ’ Neill , can be attributed to the increasing pressure that broadcasters are under to lower the cost of production , while the number of distribution methods increases .
As the initial skepticism around issues such as combining signals onto one cable drops away , Riedel is convinced that an uptick in fibre adoption across Asia-Pacific will come to fruition .
Fibre is addressing many of the pertinent issues facing the broadcast industry today , and is likely to emerge as a future-proof solution for broadcasters , predicts Fischer ’ s Miéville .
“ With the current transition from SDI to TCP-IP and the trend towards 4K / UHD TV , the broadcast industry needs to increase capacity , streamline supply chains , and simplify production and delivery ,” he says . “ In order to meet growing consumer demand for high-quality and engaging content — accessible upon demand across multiple platforms and devices — more and more companies are switching from copper to FO .”
One clear advantage that fibre holds over other delivery platforms , according to Miéville , is how it allows hardware to evolve without needing to change existing FO physical links . “ By switching to FO technology , broadcasters are able to improve their data transmisson in the long term , by preparing their physical layer in anticipation of increased bandwidth in the years to come . With FO equipment , broadcasters can thus lay the foundation for future technologies , without needing to change connectivity and cable solutions for the next 20 years .”
In the interim , Miéville advises any new fibre set-up to include the provision of high data transmission , signal integrity , easy field deployment , easy cleaning and maintenance and a “ robust ” interconnection system .
He summarises : “ Robustness , durability , ease-of-use and device protection should be considered by broadcasters in any fibre set-up in extreme environments . These key features allow users to save time , money and energy while ensuring optimal optical performance and high data transmission over long distances .
“ Hybrid FO connectivity solutions , fibre channels and electrical contacts — combining power and data — are also an excellent choice for demanding indoor and outdoor applications , where space savings is essential .”
It is important to recognise the clear differentiation between how fibre and copper networks are designed , says Riedel ’ s O ’ Neill , pointing out that most fibre systems are based on a star topology ,
as opposed to the hub-and-spoke approach for copper systems .
He adds : “ Since the bandwith of fibre is much higher , you can get a much higher throughput by bringing everything back to a central core and putting a powerful switch in there , rather than ‘ diluting ’ the number of signals back to the core .”
And perhaps , the best way to look at designing fibre networks is to look at how one would design an IP network . O ’ Neill offers : “ Network planners have about 20 years ’ head start on the broadcast industry , so they know how to get the best out of a network . However , if there is just one piece of advice I can give you , it ’ s to install a heck of a lot of fibre . If you think you need four cores , put in 24 . If you want 24 , put in 96 . Fibre is cheap and is thinner than most other cables , so there is no reason not to put in more .
“ It also doesn ’ t corrode , so even if you only terminate a small number of fibres that you ’ ve pulled in , you can go back a decade later , terminating the remaining fibres and they ’ ll be as good as new .”
Get your IT team involved when designing a fibre network , urges O ’ Neill , who believes that as encoding standards such as J2K and SMPTE2022-2 / 3 / 6 , as well as proprietary standards like Sony ’ s IP Live , become available , the industry is going to witness a ramp-up in both the adoption of IP networks and the bandwidth they require .
He concludes : “ An uncompressed 4K / UHD signal will require at least 12Gbps . On a Cat7A copper cable , you can take a 40Gbps signal only 50m , and that ’ s not really enough in terms of a standard studio facility , let alone a live sports event . But if you use fibre , you can already purchase 100Gb transceivers that can transmit over tens of kilometres .
“ Using MediorNet at 10Gbps with 18 CWDM wavelengths , you can get 108 bidirectional 3G signals , uncompressed and in real time over a single fibre pair .”
Simple and practical basic rules for fibre
by josh simons
Most installations today include fibre , long removed from the need to be wary of the unknown . With a little thought , fibre can be easily implemented , and has real advantages .
The cost of the fibre cable is negligible compared with the installation . So my first rule is , to pull in enough capacity to cope with unplanned requirements . You will need more in the future .
Rule two — resilience during operation . Systems should be designed to be easily managed in operation , without the need for a specialist to be on-site to conduct repairs .
For example , with fibre , the point of failure in 99 % of cases is either end-face damage or cable damage within 1m of the end face . So when deploying a system , use one like the Argosy PNP , which isolates the core infrastructure from the last metre . Repair is a quick swap-out of the damage by operational staff rather than the need for expensive repair by a specialist .
Rule three — clean , clean and clean some more . Make sure everyone who will be handling fibre utilises best practice around inspection and cleaning . Speak with your specialist provider for advice on the tools and training needed .
And finally , always find a specialist supplier who can help you achieve all the above with the right products and advice . Argosy has served the broadcast sector for 30 years . We have a fibre assembly plant and R & D team on-site , where we develop and manufacture products to assist the broadcast industry in adapting to fibre media utilisation .
The future of broadcast signals is unclear at the moment . We might have more pixels ( 4K and 8K ), we might have more bits per pixel ( high dynamic range and extended colour gamut ), we might have more pictures ( high frame rate ) or we might have some combination of all three .
Fibre with its vast bandwidth will be adopted more with the development of these systems . Installing and maintaining it is practical , simple and affordable .
Josh Simons is technical director , Argosy Cable .