Telecast Fiber Systems debuts Telethon 3G multichannel wavelength manager for HD/SDI fiber transport

Telecast Fiber Systems, experienced in video over fiber signal transmission, introduced the Telethon 3G multichannel wavelength manager and HD/SDI transport system.

The new Telethon handles 3G signals with no increase in price, while remaining backward compatible with earlier 1.5G versions of the Telethon. Through its coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) capabilities, the Telethon 3G simplifies and multiplies the effectiveness of fiber-optic cables—reducing operator costs and improving overall signal transmission capacity for a wide range of studio and outside broadcasting environments. All the transmitters and receivers are now reclocked.

“The Telethon 3G is our latest tool to reduce the cost and complexity of moving large numbers of wideband signals through fixed or mobile infrastructures. With each fiber strand capable of moving up to 48Gbps of data, fewer fibers are used, resulting in less expensive cable and connector costs and lower overall lifecycle costs for broadcasters,” says Steve DeFrancesco, vice president and general manager at Telecast Fiber Systems. “At a compact 1RU, the Telethon 3G is ideal for HD studio operations, sports and field productions, HDTV distribution on corporate and educational campuses, and other facilities requiring reliable, efficient delivery of HD and other signals.”

The new Telethon 3G optical and electrical multiplexer system is a hybrid device that combines the CWDM wavelength management functionality of the company's Teleport 3G system with the dense digital signal capacity of the Python 3G digital video transceiver system. The Telethon unit accepts electrical digital signals ranging from 19.4Mb/s to 3Gb/s uncompressed HD/SDI and optical signals of up to 3Gb/s each, and multiplexes them for transmission in either or both directions. Up to 16 optical signals can be accommodated on one fiber, increasing fiber capacity.

The Telethon accepts the optical output of virtually any digital transmitter and turns it into a specific CWDM wavelength, removing the need for “wavelength-specific” devices in the system. It represents a savings not only in the cost of spares, but also in the overall complexity of managing the individual wavelengths. In addition, because Telethon can accept any optical signal and retransmit it on a CWDM wavelength, the optical signal is amplified and repeated, extending the usable life of older fiber-optic systems.