APRIL 11, 2008 -- AOptix Technologies, Inc., a developer of ultra-high bandwidth laser communication systems, and television microwave services provider Total RF have announced successful free-space optical (FSO) link transmission tests for a national sports television network in New York and San Jose.
The demonstrations were designed to highlight the benefit of eliminating a long fiber run to an HD camera feed above the New York skyline. The AOptix broadcast FSO terminals were located atop the GM Building on 5th Avenue and near the production truck, 1 km away in Central Park. The 2.5-Gbit/sec bi-directional link consisted of an uncompressed 1080i camera and Gigabit Ethernet feeds through a single, line-of-site, singlemode-fiber connection.
In San Jose, two additional long-distance demonstrations aimed to showcase portability and ease of use. The FSO-based link provided error-free performance at distances of 0.6 and 3.2 km. Continuous uncompressed HD-SDI and SD-SDI video feeds along with Gigabit Ethernet, audio, and production line communications were transmitted over DWDM laser communications. Terminals were placed on the rooftops and inside a mobile van on a parking garage roof.
The AOptix LCT-5 FSO laser communications terminal uses proprietary adaptive optics technology to compensate for atmospheric distortions in real time. The technology minimizes the effects of atmospheric scintillation to significantly enhance link availability, AOptix says.
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