Distribution I Case study
When the design effort pays off
CIE looks at how niche distributor, L2Tek, working closely with the BBC was able to convert its expert technical support for a customer into a successful commercial design
D
istributor L2Tek, based in Fleet, Hampshire, is one of a new breed of companies that looks to combine being a manufacturer’s representative and electronics distributor with being an engineering services firm. Since Mark Scott-South and Tim McBride founded the company it has developed a strong presence in the professional video and broadcast sector, which is perhaps not surprising as both of the founders worked for Gennum Corporation (now part of Semtech) for 10 years. Scott- South as sales director and McBride as the company’s European sales engineer, and both are qualified electronics engineers. During their time with Gennum, they were primarily selling high- performance semiconductors for video processing and transmission. L2Tek was subsequently founded with a repping agreement from Gennum, a deal that is still in place today as a Semtech (Gennum Products) franchise. Since its formation, L2Tek has attracted a small group of specialist suppliers with synergistic offerings for the professional video market. Products include semiconductors for image processing and related applications, FPGA IP, optical
36 March 2013
modules for video and telecom applications, AC-DC power supplies, displays, single-board computers, and high speed connectors and interconnect assemblies.
BBC Research and Development In 2010, L2Tek became closely engaged in a project with BBC Research and Development in London. The BBC set out to solve the challenge of the increasing cost of deploying cameras and camera crews around studios or at remote events, and the associated high cost of cabling video, control and communications channels back to the studio. Working with one of their principals in India, Core EL Technologies, L2Tek helped the BBC develop a high-performance audio and video codec running on a Xilinx FPGA. CoreEL is a Xilinx “Premier Partner”, one of only three worldwide. The resulting product, called “Stagebox” is a compact unit that clips onto the back of a professional video camera using a standard (V-lock) connector. Stagebox combines all of the camera interfaces - high-definition digital video (SDI), audio and camera control - into a single, Ethernet-compliant (Cat5 or
Components in Electronics
Cat6) network connection. Uniquely, it also handles generator locking (Genlock), whereby a reference signal synchronizes the video signal from multiple cameras. Cameras no longer need to be manned; they can be controlled from, and their outputs fed to, anywhere with a decent internet connection. In some circumstances, outside broadcast vans can be eliminated and within large studio complexes there’s no need to have staff at every camera location. Not surprisingly, Stagebox has created quite a stir in the broadcast community, winning a major technical development award at last year’s National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB) in North America. Here’s where the
L2Tek story takes an unusual turn. Having become a close ally in the development of Stagebox, L2Tek was then awarded the first licence to market the design. The company does not produce the final hardware but does sell the design IP, FPGA IP, components and board-level modules to broadcast equipment manufacturers. Its first customer was Bluebell Opticom, in Maidenhead, Berkshire. This year, Bluebell is demonstrating Stagebox and products
based upon it, at broadcast events in the UK and Middle East.
Expert technical support The story of Stagebox is a prime example of something claimed by many distributors in the electronics sector but, many would argue, demonstrated by few: expert technical support for customers during the development of their products. In this unusual example, that support was appreciated so much
that it was reciprocated by way of a licensing agreement that is clearly to the benefit of all parties. BBC Research and Development has a route to market for its innovation, L2Tek gets a return on the design effort invested, and companies such as Bluebell buy the technology and
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