Mississippi State Centralizes A/V Production Using Telecast Fiber Systems Solutions

Belden Inc., a provider in signal transmission solutions for mission-critical applications, announced that the Mississippi State University (MSU) Television Center has consolidated its A/V production capabilities using advanced fiber optic transport products from its Telecast Fiber Systems brand.

The centralized, HD control room located in Davis Wade Stadium was used during MSU’s recently concluded baseball season. In upcoming seasons, the control room will supply video feeds to big screens for every MSU home football, basketball and baseball game — with plans to expand to other campus sports venues in the near future.

“Like many other major universities with diversified and high-profile collegiate sports programs, MSU has recognized the cost savings and efficiencies of running production for multiple venues out of a single control room,” said Darren Fordham, southern area sales engineer, Telecast Fiber Systems. “Our solutions are rapidly becoming the standard for fiber-based systems that move high-quality HD video around a college campus, between venues and to remote production sites. We look forward to working with MSU as it continues to expand its centralized production capabilities and extend them to other venues on campus.”

Previously, MSU maintained separate control facilities at its football, basketball and baseball venues. A recent HD upgrade at Davis Wade Stadium led to the university’s decision to relocate big screen production for basketball and baseball there, enabling fans of the other two sports to enjoy HD presentations as well. Now, Telecast Fiber Systems’ TelePort 3G multichannel HD/SDI transport systems multiplex signals from each sports field onto two strands of single-mode fiber, spanning up to a half mile with no degradation in signal quality. Telecast Adder II audio multiplexers provide audio and intercom feeds.

A CopperHead camera-mounted transceiver provides seamless, high-quality transport of two-way camera signals for the university’s three Panasonic AK-HC3500 HD studio cameras. It can also be added to a fourth ENG camera for press conferences and other live shots. For remote camera control and powering, Telecast SHED/HDX adapters connect on-location cameras with the CCU in the control room to enable remote camera control and powering. MSU is also using Telecast Fiber Systems’ Rattler mini HD/SDI transmitters/receivers to provide digital video links over fiber for a variety of camera positions in the baseball stadium, which can be pressed into use to add additional views and color coverage such as fan features.