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CANOBEAM
SDI FREE-SPACE OPTICS SYSTEM
SOLVES WEXLER’S WIRELESS TRANSMISSION CHALLENGE
Wexler’s Technical
Engineering and Design Department
Uses Canobeam for CBS Reality Series The Cut
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., June 24, 2005
– When leading broadcast solutions provider
Wexler needed an innovative tool to help producers
of an exciting new CBS reality series, who did they
turn to? Canon, of course. Wexler, based in Southern
California, recently called upon Canon’s Canobeam
DT-50/SDI Free Space Optics digital video transmission
system to help producers of The Cut, a reality series
that premiered on CBS on June 9th.
Canon’s Canobeam DT-50/SDI Free Space Optics
digital video transmission system provides full-bandwidth,
bi-directional wireless transmission for a wide variety
of video signals at distances of up to 2km (1.24 miles).
The Cut, hosted by iconic design mogul Tommy Hilfiger
and produced by Lions Gate Television in association
with Pilgrim Films and Television, was shot on location
in New York City in search of the next great American
designer. Hilfiger’s rags-to-riches journey
is the basis for the competition in which 16 style-savvy
contestants compete in a series of grueling style
assignments that test their talent, business acumen,
sales and marketing expertise, social skills, resourcefulness,
and style sensibility. The winner will have the opportunity
to design his or her own collection under the Tommy
Hilfiger label.
The production contacted Wexler’s Technical
Engineering and Design department (“TED”)
with a challenge. “They needed to transmit a
video feed from a contestant’s house to the
production office, over a block away in midtown Manhattan,”
says Joel Ordesky, Vice President of Technology at
Wexler. “We do very complex video microwave
installation and coordination all the time, but the
challenges faced in transmitting microwave in Manhattan
caused us to seek another alternative. For this show,
once we established line-of-site from building to
building, Canobeam was the perfect solution.”
Because Canobeam uses a beam of light to transmit
video it doesn’t require radio frequency allocation
or licensing, which can be difficult in RF-heavy urban
environments such as New York City. Canobeams can
be set up quickly, the data transmitted is secure
and can't be intercepted, and Canobeam’s proprietary
Auto-Tracking function compensates for vibrations
in the installation base due to traffic, wind, and
other factors.
Wexler’s TED integrated a pair of Canobeam
DT-50/SDI units into an innovative solution that allowed
digital transmission of multiple camera feeds—tied
with synchronized digital audio and time-code—from
building to building.
“Canobeam is used by broadcast companies for
transmitting digital video and other data between
separate buildings for morning news broadcasts, and
for other data-networking tasks,” explained
Matt Battaglia, Broadcast Engineer and Manager of
TED. “Using it as a rental solution, particularly
on a multi-camera reality show, is something that
hadn’t been done before. Working with the production,
Wexler engineered a solution that integrated a multi-screen
display with multi-channel digital audio. The final
product allowed for transmission of both multiple
camera and synchronized AES audio feeds into a single
SDI stream.
“The use of the Canobeam was such a huge success
that we’ve partnered with Canon to be a vendor
that supports, rents, and promotes this exciting product,”
added Melody Goede, Director of Marketing at Wexler.
Canobeam users include a wide range of broadcast,
business, government, and educational institutions.
For more information go to www.canobeam.com.
About Wexler
Wexler offers workflow solutions for every phase of
production. Known in television as a pioneer of new
broadcast technologies, Wexler provides all of the
tools needed to generate, capture, and edit media
content. Recently, Wexler also began offering IT network
installation, computer rentals, and IT systems for
archiving and storage. For more information or rental
inquiries, please call Wexler at 818-846-9381 or visit
them on the web at www.wexler.tv.
For more information on Canobeam, call 1-800-321-4388
or log on to www.Canobeam.com.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business
and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed
as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America
and is rated #35 on the BusinessWeek list of "Top
100 Brands.” Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ)
is a top patent holder of technology, ranking third
overall in the U.S. in 2004, with global revenues
of $33.3 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
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