Systems integrator Communications Engineering (CEI) has upgraded and expanded the studio and news facilities for Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic in Bethesda, MD, to allow it to produce and distribute HD content.
The project, which began in May, had to be completed in time for the college and professional football season (while the existing facilities were still on-air daily). It included upgrades to the production control room and studio, two additional master control rooms, equipment core area, transmission system and additional edit suites.
CEI handled all design, equipment procurement, systems integration, installation, testing, training and overall project management for the HD project. Key technologies implemented include Harris waveform monitors, terminal equipment, Velocity edit systems, Nexio Volt servers and NetVX HD encoders; Image Video tally system; Miranda Master Control Switching, NVision Routing and Kaleido-X multi-image processors; Apple Final Cut Pro edit systems; Chyron Hyperx3 character generators and Cameo graphics management; Click Effects HD clip server system; Fingerworks telestrator; Fujinon HD lenses; Panther Trixy and Vario Jib; and a Sony MVS8000 switcher, HXC HD cameras, test monitors and professional monitors.
