special report 3Gb/s
Randy Conrod - product manager for
digital products, Harris Broadcast
Communications - explains the five
key things you should know about
3Gb/s infrastructure for television.
3Gb/s: Five things
you should know
Y
ou’ve just updated your Blu-ray supports HDMI, allowing
community never considered dual
system to the latest viewers to playback an HDTV DVD on
link because of the cost and
equipment for improved their televisions and see 1080p
complications associated with using
video quality and yet reproduced. For the first time,
two wires instead of one.
another new technology has consumers are able to enjoy the
emerged! So how do you benefits of higher-quality viewing
3. 3 Gb/s as an
integrate 3 Gb/s into an existing without depending on television
opportunity for better
system? Wouldn’t it be easier to just broadcasters to provide it. The
quality
start all over with new equipment?
Above: Randy
gaming community also enjoys the
Since starting from scratch is unlikely Conrod, product same benefit.
For the television community, a key
to be a feasible solution,
manager for digital
products, Harris
This progressive consumer
factor in considering implementing
understanding the technical and
Broadcast
environment challenges the
the new standard is having a
financial implications of this next-
Communications.
broadcaster to consider when and
common ‘interface’ between
generation infrastructure will help you how to move to a 3.0 Gb/s
production and television formats.
make an informed decision on when, infrastructure.
Today, a common interface enables
why and how to implement 3 Gb/s
higher-quality production formats
into your facility. 2. Broadcast vs Production:
utilising a dual-link configuration to
Following are five things you Level A and Level B
be carried over a single coaxial cable.
should know about 3 Gb/s
All video formats can now be carried
infrastructure for television:
3 Gb/s is the
Cameras and production equipment
over the common interface -
1. The basics: What exactly
approximate
for 1080p content creation have
eliminating the cost and complication
is 3 Gb/s?
bandwidth of
been around for many years. A dual
associated with using two cables,
a 1080p signal
link of two 1.5 Gb/s signals over
making it easy to interface
coaxial cable carries the 3.0 Gb/s
production and television equipment,
3 Gb/s is the approximate bandwidth
- the latest signal. This is known as Level B.
and allowing production and editing
of a 1080p signal - the latest format
format that
The content is produced using dual
to be performed at the highest
that has emerged with the roll-out of
has emerged
links between equipment then
quality level.
HDTV and is described as its ‘Holy
Grail’. The standard for moving
with the roll-
converted for distribution to
The SMPTE 425 standard defines
1080p video along with ancillary
out of HDTV
television broadcasters as 720p
the interface, but it does not define
(scaled down) or 1080i (interlaced)
audio data and metadata is the
and is
which format you use in a
over a single link 1.5 Gb/s coaxial
production. There is a plethora of
SMPTE 425M-2006. For this described as cable. This is known as Level A.
possible formats that can be used in
discussion, however, we will focus
its ‘Holy
For Level B, the dual-link signal is
production and television systems.
exclusively on video.
Grail’.
formatted into a dual stream with
With so many formats to choose
Today, display technologies one supporting 16 embedded
from, it is important for early
support 1080p using HDMI (High- channels and the other able to
adopters to understand the
Definition Multimedia Interface) to support additional audio channels.
differences between the production
carry digital RGB and audio for Level A supports only 16 channels.
and television video signal formats.
interfacing with consumer devices. In the past, the television
In Table 1 from the SMPTE 425M-
36 l ibe l January/February 2009 l www.ibeweb.com
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