Denver 8 taps Telecast for local TV connectivity

Denver 8 TV, the official cable channel of the City of Denver, is using Telecast CopperHead fiber optic camera transceivers to enable remote production of live and taped meetings held within the expanse of city government offices in the Wellington E. Webb Office Building. The camera-mounted CopperHead systems enable the production crew to use the City’s fiber optic infrastructure to transport all audio, video, sync, and communications signals between three cameras and the production control room located across the street at the City and County Building.
“The main mission of Denver 8 is to provide access to Denver City Government, and our new Telecast CopperHead transceivers allow us to provide efficient coverage of public presentations and events while freeing up our mobile unit for other productions,” said Alan Hayden, technical lead and director-editor at Denver 8 TV. “The move to fiber and Telecast’s CopperHead systems has enabled us to carry signals over long distances back to the control room without any degradation. With the transceivers’ ease of operation, the small size of the fiber cable, and our newfound ability to include audio and intercom on that one cable, we have realized much more effective production capabilities.”

Denver 8 TV is currently using Digital CopperHead systems with SDI cameras in analog mode so that signals are compatible with the analog control room infrastructure. Once that facility is upgraded to digital, operators can switch over to SDI mode. The fiber system is also capable of handling HD-SDI should Denver 8 TV upgrade its cameras as well.
Prior to implementing the CopperHead systems, the Denver 8 TV crew had to run multicore camera cables through the government office building and out to its production truck. The setup time for such shoots was prohibitive, and the cabling both unattractive and a hazard. Furthermore, this multicore-based system did not allow for live coverage.
“The CopperHead systems were attractive to us because of their compact design and ability to feed directly to fiber at the camera,” added Hayden. “Today we can provide high-quality live coverage of events from another building without having to construct a separate control room. This allows us to keep costs down, save time, and minimize equipment wear and tear.”

The CopperHead transceiver, which has a distance capability of 20 kilometers and beyond, is optimized for remote video production, training, and teleconferencing in government, medical, and educational organizations. The small camera-mounted multiplexer carries all the signals required for electronic or satellite transmission via the City’s telecommunications infrastructure fiber. For the last several yards from the fiber optic outlet to the camera itself, Denver 8 camera crews use Telecast’s lightweight, yet durable, “tactical” fiber optic cable. This single battlefield-rated cable replaces several coaxial, audio, and data cables to create a highly portable system that minimizes setup time for remote video transmission.