Can our analog infrastructures handle what DTV is prepared to throw at it?

As you can imagine manufacturers have been ramping up for the upcoming conversion from analog TV to digital TV for years now.  We have all expected a surge of all digital distribution solutions for our future installations without much doubt.  However the fear for contractors has been whether or not the existing analog infrastructure in millions of facilities would still be viable for digital off-air (8VSB) reception or digital CATV (QAM) reception.  Well we can all find comfort in knowing the products to facilitate the transition using the existing analog distribution infrastructures will be available from all the usual players such as Blonder Tongue and Drake and some unlikely new entries as well such as Crestron.  It seems to be a little out of character for Crestron but the product, known as MediaManifold, is actually very impressive.  I won't attempt to even touch on all the new individual products that have become available in the last three months to a year as this article would quicly become a novel.  A large number of manufacturers have issued entire new catalogs just to address their digital product line up. 

One of the moste recent entries the Crestron MediaManifold is not a one size fits all solution, but it offers a very unique feature set that greatly simplify installation, increases consistency and eliminates the need for valuable rack space.  It also dramatically reduces engineering time and greatly reduces the number of connections and components that can all be points of failure.  The main distribution system (MM-DS-12) and the expander unit (MM-DE-12) have eight outputs each with their own individual gain and tilt adjustment.  The MM-DS-12 has the ability to automatically set optimum gain and tilt settings simply by entering the cable length for each output.  Determining the length of the cable is easy with the optional MM-HTDR cable analyzer which uses “time domain reflectometry” to determine the length and integrity of each RG6 cable run.  The MM-DS-12 and the MM-DE-12 are both bi-directional supporting runs up to 300ft and have a built in cable modem output and a modulator input.

Granted the Crestron is a very cool and innovative product, but there will always be a need for fully configurable and expandable systems as well.  This is where companies such as Blonder Tongue and Drake remain unsurpassed.  Both companies have opted for more modular designs built around 3RU rack chassis in which all the modules are interchangeable making it easier than ever to tailor the system to your client’s exact needs. 

For instance systems that require the integration of numerous modulated camera channels or other video sources such as DVD players and media servers would be far beyond the capability of the Crestron but right at home with a few card cages full of QAM tuners, demodulators, modulators and upconverters for baseband video and audio signals.  Blonder Tongue also offers a remote configuration server for complete remote monitoring and control of all units at the headend location.  There is no proprietary software installation required either and it is MAC or PC compatible.

Of course there is also a wealth of IP based products available as well for use with Ethernet switches to utilize a digital signal path throughout your entire distribution.  The array of products available for this design path is of a much greater variety.  The IP solution to video distribution has opened the door to a number of companies that previously did not offer a video product line and strictly dealt with networking in the IT sense.  They have been able to easily adapt their product technology to the digital video carriers and companies such as MediaPointe and MediaCast are becoming common place in new installations requiring interactive distribution.

Now we’re all aware that IT Administrators can be a temperamental bunch if not down right control freaks.  Meaning we have now introduced a new hurdle to overcome in the system design vs. budget allowance saga.  With all of our systems switching over to IP based architecture, existing systems are quickly overwhelmed and new systems rarely have the budget available to be designed accordingly.  Hospitals for instance employ the use of more and more highly specific applications on a daily basis.  Everything from standard network traffic to secure patient records, remote observation, patient tracking, staff tracking, nurse call systems, CCTV for security, VOIP, monitoring for HVAC, intercom and even cash registers are often all coexisting on the same network.  The best case scenario you can hope for here is if you were able to sell your soul for your own VLAN.  Therefore most IT Administrators see this as not only a potential security risk  but also as a headache in maintaining network reliability and minimized down time.

So what’s the solution?  Easy, more money, what’s the real world solution?  Don’t know for sure.  As with any dramatic change in global technology the most innovative products and/or solutions are typically a little behind the curve.  I imagine as production costs slowly fall for network hardware due to the rapid influx in demand for larger more robust systems and we see product designs utilizing lower bandwidth consumption things will reach a natural equilibrium.  For now just enjoy the HD images washing the walls of our high schools and businesses and find comfort in knowing we have quite literally fallen into many years of job security!

by Jason Levert