HUNTSVILLE, ALA. —PESA is introducing the Cheetah 4K 16x16 routing switcher and retrofit UHDTV/4K expansion kits for Cheetah 3 Gbps systems.
Built on PESA’s Cheetah digital video routing platform and utilizing the company’s easyPORT converter module technology, the new 4K routing switcher provides UHDTV1 video distribution up to 600m for 2160p50/60, 10-bit 4:2:2 SDI signals. The retrofit kits provide a plug-and-play upgrade solution for current 3G-SDI Cheetah routers.
At 4 RU, the Cheetah 4K 16x16 router provides the necessary control elements placed internal to the frame. With hot swappable matrix and I/O cards, as well as internal power and control, the need for additional power and external cabling is lessened, but redundant power and control modules can be added without additional rack space. The router is controlled through RS-232/422 or Ethernet connections, and its built-in SNMP MIB simplifies integration to third-party network system management software.
Based multi-link SDI transmission methods, each Cheetah I/O card includes four SC-style fiber CWDM connections carrying up to 12 Gbps (4xSDI) for each input or output port. The 4K I/O card is a direct drop-in replacement for the standard 16-channel HD/3G SDI card found in current Cheetah frames.
To complete the end-to-end 4K system, an outboard easyPORT module converts the signals from each CWDM port on the router back to conventional HD/3G-SDI video lines. For example, the Easy-4KX1F can transport four BNC inputs from a UHDTV source to the router via a single wire interface and switch the output via 4x fiber, 4x BNC or 1x CWDM fiber. The Easy-1FX4K module can extend four 3 Gbps output signals over a single wire CWDM fiber up to 600m and convert back to BNCs.
With the built-in crosspoint switch circuit on each easyPORT module, users can also send four independent SD/HD/3G-SDI signals over a single wire interface and can extend coax I/O an additional 80m using the built-in equalizing and reclocking circuits in each easyPORT module. Both UHDTV1 (3840x2160) and DCI 4K (4096x2160) are supported, and the router can mix and match between 4K CWDM and traditional copper or fiber I/O in the frame. The switchers can be rack mounted with an optional 1 RU frame that holds up to four media converters or can be installed with an optional under-the-table mounting plate.
Any Cheetah 3G-SDI switcher can be retrofitted with the Cheetah 4K I/O card system by replacing 16 channel I/O card set and reconfiguring the software to accept the 4K cards. Once the software is configured, the system can run 4K and 3G-SDI signals in parallel.
Each easyPORT 4K media module includes Ethernet connectivity for control and configuration. The router can be configured and controlled via PESA’s Cattrax network GUI or Cattrax Web network server software using PERC2000 or PERC3000 system controller hardware.
