CBS News is using the LiGHTBoX field fiber transport system from MultiDyne for coverage of such high-profile events as political conventions and broadcasting live from the Super Bowl. In fact, the network’s news division has added the LiGHTBoX as part of its equipment complement onboard its ENG vans for the transport of video from multiple locations during the broadcast of various news programs.
Mel Olinsky, director of bureau operations, CBS News, said the key to the LiGHTBoX is that is portable and facilitates the transmission of video over one multiple-strand fiber cable, with no length restrictions. “Working on location, we also have to transport HD signals over long distances, which would have been impossible with copper,” he said.
During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, MultiDyne’s LiGHTBoX transported video for several newscasts, including “The CBS Early Show,” “The CBS Weekend Evening News” and “Face the Nation,” which all broadcast live from different locations, including South Beach in Miami and Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens.
For these broadcasts, CBS News required the option of monitoring both HD and SD signals and wanted to transport video back and forth from various locations in South Florida to the network’s broadcast trucks, which were often parked far away from the shooting locations. A battery-powered, bidirectional HD field fiber transport system designed for field and harsh environment applications, the LiGHTBoX helped transport signals over distances as far as three football fields away during each on-location shoot.
