
ELMSFORD, N.Y. CP Communications is building 4K signal carriage capability into HD21, a new 53-foot transmission and master control truck being built for Fox Sports' golf coverage. Specifically, the Elmsford, N.Y.-based production services company is incorporating Calient Technologies' S320 Optical Circuit Switches into this mobile trailer.
CP Communications' HD21 production truck
The S320s will optically switch audio/ video signals carried on optical fiber cables from golf course camera positions to Fox Sports' mobile production facilities, said Chris Schwartzer, CP Communications' golf project manager. They will also feed the produced video feeds from the mobile production facilities to Fox Sports for distribution via cable and satellite TV. HD21's first scheduled shoot was the Franklin Templeton Shootout in Naples, Fla., Dec. 8-13.
BANDWIDTH HEADROOM
CP Communications' decision to employ fiber-optic signal carriage within HD21 breaks the bandwidth constraints of metal-based signal carriage; be it twisted pair, coax, or CAT5. This is because each of HD21's single-mode fiber-optic cables can carry more than 100 Gbps' worth of data, far more than the 12 Gbps needed to move 4K video. Add the fact that S320 can switch between 320 single-mode fiber inputs and outputs, and HD21 actually has enough bandwidth to support 8K video; even 16K!
That said, CP Communications didn't choose fiber-optic cables to carry higher than 1080p signals per se, but rather because fiber-optic signal carriage doesn't have the same restrictions as metal-based carriage when it comes to signal loss and distance limitations.
We have a lot of ground to cover when we're producing golf, Schwartzer said. Using fiber-optic cables to link our field cameras back to the production trailers is the most effective way to do it.
CP Communications is incorporating Calient Technologies' S320 Optical
Circuit Switches into its new HD21 mobile production truck.
COOL ROUTING TECHNOLOGY
Because it is routing optical light sources rather than electrical signals, the S320 optical circuit switches from Calient Technologies, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based developer of photonic optical circuit switching technology, do not use any direct physical connections between incoming and outgoing sources. Instead, all signal switching is done using mirrors; specifically tiny 3D optical MEMs mirrors. Short for Microelectromechanical systems, MEMS mirrors are micro-machined from silicon and can rotate vertically and horizontally, with their motions being triggered electrically by the switching router.
Since the S320 switches between 320 incoming and outgoing fiber-optic sources, the S320 has two banks of 320 MEMS mirrors aligned between them. The incoming and outgoing fiber connections are each combined into separate 320 fiber blocks, with their open termination ends exposed. Each block has a bank of 320 MEMS mirrors nearby set at a 45 degree angle, with the ability for one bank of MEMs mirror to reflect light onto the other bank's mirrors.
When an optical light source needs to be routed for example, from a camera on the 18th green to the master control switcher the light exits the incoming fiber and hits a MEMS mirror. This mirror rotates to reflect the laser light onto a MEMS mirror on the second MEMS mirror bank. It has already been rotated to reflect the light into the outgoing fiber that is connected to the master control switcher.
There is a tiny bit of light loss due to the air space between the incoming/outgoing fiber-optic ends and the MEMs mirrors, said Daniel Tangent, Calient Technologies's vice president of marketing. But the loss is so small that it has no real effect on the system's ability to carry optical signals over long distances. Besides, the incoming light source can always be amplified, if need be, and you are not going to see distances that large when covering golf on site.
4K YET TO COME
CP Communications' use of fiber-optic switching in HD21 does not mean that this company is embracing 4K production; at least not at this time.
There really isn't any demand for 4K production capabilities from Fox Sports, or any other of our broadcast clients, said Schwartzer. This is why HD21 has been built as an HD-level production facility. It doesn't make sense to spend extra money for 4K capacity when it is still at the bleeding edge, and not being requested by broadcasters.
Nevertheless, the fact that fiber-optic signal transmission provides more than enough bandwidth to transport for 4K and higher resolution signals may indicate a scalable pathway to supporting these technologies over time.
Put plainly, the use of signal switching and transportation technologies that are independent of specific video resolutions be they 1080p, 4K, or 8K may allow mobile production and broadcast facility integrators to build infrastructures that can be re-used rather than replaced whenever the Next Big Resolution standard catches on. Certainly this is the very flexibility that CP Communications has built into HD21, by adopting optical signal switching and transportation. As a result, HD21 has a degree of future-proofing that will allow it to move up to 4K without being gutted and entirely rebuilt, should that need ever arise.
Most recent headlines
20/12/2025
Atomos announced the immediate availability of a new firmware update for its Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX monitor-recorders, unlocking ProRes RAW recording from the...
20/12/2025
CJP Broadcast has completed the digitisation of the European Gymnastics tape archive, converting 328 tapes containing more than forty years of recorded material...
20/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced the launch of the Stream Lab MCP Server, to give AI agents and large language model...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Barack Obama Includes Laufey on His 2025 Favorite Music List The former presidents roundup of books, music, and movies includes a song from the Berklee alums ...
20/12/2025
Study reveals a key hormonal circuit in the kidneys Scripps Research scientists identify the protein that helps kidney cells regulate renin, providing foundatio...
19/12/2025
With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...
19/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Diversified's Jared Timmins on AI for Broadcast Sports and Cre...
19/12/2025
2025 SVG Summit Audio Recap: Say What?The Audio Production and Distribution Workshop at the SVG Summit 20 took on issues including speech intelligibility, Next-...
19/12/2025
Gamified fun: Channel 5 on its NFL Big Game Night ambitions with Hungry Bear Med...
19/12/2025
College Football Playoff Preview: For ESPN, Round 1 is a Fantastic Yet Familia...
19/12/2025
AWS's Jason Dvorkin on Developing Partnerships With the NBA and PGA Tour, Em...
19/12/2025
Netflix Kicks Off Packed Sports Week with Paul-Joshua Fight Before Shifting to N...
19/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Nareev Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
19/12/2025
Mounted to the pylon of an AH-1Z Viper helicopter, a Red Wolf vehicle successful...
19/12/2025
L3Harris technology for the SDA Tranche 3 Tracking Layer program will provide in...
19/12/2025
Partnership brings Nielsen ONE measurement activation directly into XR's adv...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Berklee Announces Spring 2026 Signature Series This season's highlights include the Gospel Extravaganza, the 40th International Folk Festival, special gue...
19/12/2025
Performing arts centres across the globe have doubled down on live production infrastructure in recent years. For venues like the Queensland Performing Arts Cen...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Ricardo Coke-Thomas Named Chair of Theater for Boston Conservatory at Berklee The distinguished theater educator, director, and performer will join the Conser...
19/12/2025
Back to All News
Salvador Arrives to Netflix on February 6
Entertainment
19 December 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
WHEN THERE IS NOTHING LEFT ...
19/12/2025
As the year comes to a close, it's the perfect time to give your WO Automation for Radio system a quick tune up. At the top of your year end checklist is on...
19/12/2025
19 Dec 2025
VEON's Mobilink Microfinance Bank Launches Islamic Banking Oper...
19/12/2025
Wrapping up a year of connection and clarity!
19 Dec Written By Suzanne Costello
As 2025 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to thank our incredib...
19/12/2025
The six-part drama, set in a close-knit Welsh town fractured by an unspeakable c...
19/12/2025
Rohde & Schwarz drives the future of mobility at CES 2026 At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rohde & Schwarz will present a powerful lineup o...
19/12/2025
Back to All News
Salvador arrives to Netflix on February 6
Entertainment
19 December 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
WHEN THERE IS NOTHING LEFT ...
19/12/2025
Back to All News
Last Samurai Standing' Renewed for Season 2 - A Global Se...
19/12/2025
RT is proud to return to the RDS to support the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist & T...
19/12/2025
Nanoparticle vaccine strategy could protect against Ebola and other deadly filoviruses Scripps Research scientists turn nanoparticles into virus showcases to ...
18/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Kurt Sutton, Director of Broadcast Operations, Clemson ...
18/12/2025
Follow the Money Episode 2: Inside the Sports Media Biz with Sam McCleery and St...
18/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Google Cloud's Anshul Kapoor on the Future of Generative Prod...
18/12/2025
The 2025 SVG Summit Draws Record Crowd for 20th-Annual Sports-Production Industr...
18/12/2025
SBS's sports schedule sizzles in January with Dakar Rally, Kooyong Classic a...
18/12/2025
Canada's largest indoor arena has transformed its live production capabilities with a full ST 2110 infrastructure and Calrec's compact Argo S console. S...
18/12/2025
During November, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.2%, an increase of 0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YUMI TV,...