Essential Guide to Fiber Optics in Live Production

June 21st 2016 - 11:00 AM
By Michael Grotticelli

There was a time when the use of fiber optic cable struck fear in hearts of live production crews because it was difficult to work with and there was a certain black magic associated with distributing optical signals that had to be done right in order for multiple paths of video and audio to cleanly pass through tiny strands of glass. Today, the technology has advanced to include military-grade tactical cable and fiber/copper hybrid cabling that is much more robust to work with. Along with better equipment, there is a better understanding across the industry of how to deploy fiber cable and hardware with the least amount of effort and on-site field problems.

This Essential Guide, sponsored by Bexel Global Broadcast Solutions, describes the key issues around the use of fiber optic cabling for live production infrastructure. What's inside:

  • Single and multi-mode fiber
  • SMPTE hybrid And tactical cable 
  • How much fiber do you need?
  • Keep it clean
  • Fiber networking

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