In Broadcast - October 2016 - 34


34

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 6 - Issue 10 | October 2016

InStudio

Consider The Light Source
By Peter Daffarn,
Managing Director, Photon Beard

H

aving just launched our new
Highlight LED softlight at
IBC2016, it's already in use with
a number of customers who have
noticed the distinct advantages we've
introduced with our own twist on the
use of remote phosphor technology. In
fact, our first-ever batch of Highlight
LEDs have been installed at YouTube
Space London, a three-studio, 20,000
square-foot, state-of-the-art complex
near Pancras Square at King's Cross.
We are, of course, not the first to
use remote phosphor technology, but
what we have done is eliminate one
of the drawbacks of such technology
for studio applications, which is
remote phosphor's tendency to wash
studios with light over a wide area. But
that's not necessarily advantageous
for studio productions, especially
television, where you want the light
far more targeted to emphasise
characters to achieve dramatic effect.
The use of reflectors provides shape

and direction to the light produced
by the phosphor element and sends it
where it is required, rather than simply
lighting a huge space which then
requires the use of flags and cutters to
filter out unwanted light.
What we've done with the Highlight
LED is take the best of remote
phosphor technology and combine
it with a unique approach to the
reflectors that make the light far more
focused and directional, which has
proven to be a hit with the three (and
counting) studios in which they are
installed throughout the world.
One of the reasons for that is that
they operate in a way very similar
to traditional studio fluorescents. In
fact, any accessory that will work on
fluorescents will readily work on a
Highlight LED, so there is no need to
rethink your lighting style.
But, apart from the ability to provide
light exactly where you need it, the
lights are highly economical. The

YouTube Space London is
lit by Highlight LEDs

90W variant is equivalent to a 110W
fluorescent, but provides about 15%
more light with less power. It's the
same with the 180W, 270W, and the
360W versions. Essentially, you get
more, but highly targeted light for
less power. And the fact that they
have no moving parts means that they
are passively cooled, another energy
saver.
Remote phosphor is a fascinating
technology. The polycarbonate sheet is
the source of the light. Behind this are

narrow wavelength LED's, which are
simply the source to pump energy into
the phosphors and excite them until
they emit light. The resulting output is
a very pleasing, soft diffuse light with
very high CRI/TLCI, which means that
skin tones and colour are accurately
captured by a camera.
So, when you start seeing comments
on YouTube videos specifically shot
at YouTube Space London that say,
"Wow. Great video, and the lighting is
really good", consider the source.

Enhancing Critical Broadcast
Signals With Tactical Cables

R

ecent cable innovations have
made the deployment of fibre
optic cable infrastructure for OB
applications easier, writes Craig
Stratton of AFL...
During IBC2016, AFL, a leading
international
manufacturer
of
fibre optic cable and connectivity,
showcased a full complement of
cable solutions at IBC ranging from
traditional four-channel designs to
96-fibre designs in a small form factor
deployable package.
Its newest addition is the
micro-tactical cable, a patentpending
deployable
cable
solution that quadruples the
fibre density of conventional
cables. By leveraging AFL's
broad base of fibre optics
technology, AFL has been able
to develop a novel approach
to package and protect optical
fibres within a cable structure,
whereby four optical fibres fit in the

space of what was traditionally a single
tight-buffered optical fibre (See Diag.)
The immediate impact for broadcast
system integrators is a reduction of
size and weight and/or an increase in
length for the cable carried in trucks.
Conventional 24-channel cable has
a diameter of approximately 8.5mm
whereas with AFL's new micro-tactical
cable 24 channels can be provided in
6.1mm.
This means more cable fits on the

Quadruple cable density - AFL has an
innovative approach to cable packing

reel or a smaller reel can be used. With
AFL's micro-tactical cable, what was
a traditional 12-channel deployment
system can now be upgraded to a
48-channel system without adding
additional reels to the truck. All this
is available with the same mechanical
performance specifications - whether
tight bends, severe crush, abrasion,
impacts or tensile loading - AFL's
micro-tactical cable performs.
AFL also introduced an enhanced
jacket material for tactical
deployment
applications.
StrataJac cable encapsulation,
which
offers
significantly
enhanced abrasion resistance
- testing shows a ten-fold
improvement in resistance to
damage from scraping.
AFL's
FASTConnect
and
FUSEConnect field installable
connectors not only simplify
direct fibre termination in the
field, but enable it to be accomplished

Craig Stratton,
Business Development, AFL

with a high degree of precision and
speed. Low insertion loss and low back
reflectance are highly important for
reliable broadcast signal performance.
Both FASTConnect and FUSEConnect
feature a factory polished ferrule - in
either APC or UPC configurations - that
meet the most stringent requirements
for end-face geometry and optical
performance. The FASTConnect, as
the name implies, is a mechanical
connection that can be installed
rapidly and with minimal tools while
the FUSEConnect product is fusion
spliced to the target fibre.
Knowing that the demand for digital
content is only going to increase as
time goes on, broadcasters must
ensure that they are ready to meet
those needs. By depending on AFL's
well-defined portfolio of broadcast
solutions, broadcasters can be assured
they can meet present day media
demands and be prepared for future
bandwidth requirements.
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.photonbeard.com/led-soft-light.html https://youtu.be/814SIpTVo_g https://youtu.be/814SIpTVo_g
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