BEAVERTON, ORE.—NBC Olympics has selected Tektronix to provide audio and video test and quality monitoring equipment for its production of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, which take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Aug. 5 - 21. The announcement was made today by Terry Adams, vice president of IBC Engineering at NBC Olympics and Charlie Dunn, general manager of the Video Product Line at Tektronix.
NBC Olympics will use Tektronix WFM7200, WVR7200, WFM5200, and WVR5200 Waveform Monitors and Rasterizers, SPG8000A Master Sync and Master Clock Reference Generators, and Sentry Video Quality Monitors to support its coverage of the Rio Games. The equipment will be used to monitor and test the quality of video and audio content used in NBC Olympics’ production, post production, transmission and distribution workflows of NBC facilities for the Games. For UHD applications, NBC will use the WFM8300 Waveform Monitor which supports numerous UHD formats and ITU-R BT.2020 wide color gamut.
“NBC has been utilizing Tektronix products for its coverage of the last eight Olympic Games,” Adams said. ”While that’s most always been focused on sync generation and waveform monitoring, and a large part still is, the need for Transport Stream monitoring has grown exponentially in the past several Games. We will be utilizing 12 of the Sentry units located across the country to monitor the hundreds of live production and distribution streams generated in Rio. Tektronix has incorporated many new features based on requirements we identified during our coverage of the London and Rio Games. With the help of Tektronix, we look forward to another successful NBC Olympics presentation of the Games.”
The Tektronix waveform monitors and rasterizers will be used by NBC Olympics to monitor the full spectrum of video and audio formats. The models selected by NBC feature extensive display versatility and usability, along with full-featured audio monitoring capabilities, including audio loudness monitoring, and high-performance eye and jitter physical layer measurements. The instruments will be used for quality monitoring and compliance checking during content distribution and broadcast transmission and for quality control in content production and post-production. The units will also be used for equipment qualification and troubleshooting during installation and maintenance of the facilities at the Games.
The Tektronix SPG8000A Master Sync and Master Clock Reference Generators will be used by NBC Olympics to ensure stable and reliable timing and synchronization source to be available for mobile, studio, post production, and broadcast operations at the Games. The instruments provide multiple video and audio reference signals and 3G/HD-SDI test patterns for video equipment verification, facility link testing and display calibration. The SPG8000A units are also equipped with IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol support which offers solutions for system timing over IP for a gradual transition to hybrid SDI-based and IP-based infrastructure.
The Sentry Video Quality Monitors will be used by NBC Olympics to provide real-time Quality of Experience monitoring of its coverage of the Games, and to ensure the quality of the video transport back to the United States.
