Bridge Technologies’ new VB246 ASI input option card supports real-time high-density broadcast monitoring in remote sites, maintaining optimum video quality and transmission.
Bridge Technologies’ new VB246 ASI input option card supports broadcasters needing real-time high-density monitoring in remote head-end, regional edge-multiplexer, modulator and transmitter sites. Expanding on the abilities of the existing VB242, the new VB246 module is designed to accommodate users who require higher ASI density by supplying six ASI inputs in parallel. Monitored concurrently and with continuous ETR290 analysis, the VB246 is a useful tool to help maintain optimum broadcast quality and transmission.
The Asynchronous Serial Interface (ASI) is used to carry an MPEG Transport Stream over coaxial cable or optical fibre, typically for transporting broadcast programs from a studio to the final transmission equipment, before sending to viewers.
The new VB246 improves on the original VB242 module, moving from sequential monitoring of six channels to continuous monitoring of all six channels. This means that in a typical 1RU chassis, two VB246 units could be integrated to achieve monitoring over 12 channels in parallel, plus a 13th channel constituting an ASI input from Bridge Technologies’ VB120 or VB220 controllers.
The VB246 also supports DVB-ASI according to EN 50083-9 Annex B, Burst mode, Spread mode and Legacy M2S, and accommodates both 188-byte and 204-byte packet formats. The net result is better performance and stream count for broadcasters who work with high-density ASI transports, allowing for more detailed performance metrics to be tracked on a continuous basis, thus delivering more in-depth, insightful and usable data on network performance.
These metrics can be viewed either as part of a wider system via the VBC Controller, as a stand-alone unit using a regular web browser allowing for fully remote monitoring, or through a third-party management system.
Simen K Frostad, Bridge Technologies Chairman said, “The improvements within the VB246 allow broadcasters to keep their eyes on continuous data points within their broadcasts, deepening the level of insight they can achieve. Equally important is ensuring that this information remains meaningful and usable to the organisation – both in-the-moment and on a longer-term strategic basis. It’s our expertise in this field particularly that sets us apart – delivering visually intuitive data to users in real-time”. www.bridgetech.tv
