When Lightning Struck in Little Rock, It Was
Utah Scientific to the Rescue
May 14, 2007
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.
In a critical recovery effort, Utah Scientific delivered
its UTAH-400 router and SC-4 controller to Equity
Broadcasting Corporation after a lightning bolt downed
the broadcaster's old analog router for good. Equity
Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) is a growing broadcast
group with 40 of its own stations across the United
States, as well as additional client stations.
The new router, which is used for pre-production,
is a UTAH-400 with a 144 video frame and 144 audio.
It is 48x48 SDI and 48x48 AES, with the conversion
cards loaded on those frames. The conversion cards
are analog to digital on the input side and digital
to analog on the output side. The control system is
SC-4 with three XY panels. At EBC, it is working under
the direction of Crispin Automation System drivers
and in conjunction with an Omneon Spectrum™
media server system. EBC’s router was delivered
in December and was up and running less than two weeks
later.
“Utah pulled us out of a bind and gave us an
excellent product,” said Equity Chief Engineer
Chuck Stanley. “For a while, we were using workarounds
to get everything on the air. We looked at other suppliers
and manufacturers, but it was Utah that came through
for us. They had a great delivery time, right on schedule.
And the UTAH-400 was easy to install and is configured
exactly the way I want it.”
EBC is unusual in that it is organized around a hub
system with a single satellite uplink operating 50
unique feeds from its facility on a hilltop within
the city limits of Little Rock, Ark. EBC is 90 percent
digital in its operations but still deals with a lot
of analog in broadcast work. For EBC, a big advantage
of the UTAH-400 is that it does the analog conversions
internally — with no additional equipment, space,
labor, or expense required.
The UTAH-400 is designed with a scalable matrix architecture
that allows users to expand from 8x8 all the way up
to 1152x1152. SC-4, the heart of the router, allows
interfacing with many third-party switching systems.
Its modular design and advanced software make it readily
adaptable to any application, simple or sophisticated.
Equity prides itself on investing in only state-of-the-art
equipment for its centralized automated satellite
hub because downtime on its extensive network is unacceptable.
Failures on key pieces of equipment can have very
wide negative effects and prove very costly. Thus,
all equipment must be 100 percent reliable. With its
redundant power supplies, crosspoint cards, and controller
cards, the UTAH-400 fits right in to Equity’s
master plan.
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About Utah Scientific, Inc.
Utah Scientific, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of analog, digital, and HDTV routing switchers, master control switchers, and related products including a full range of software for controlling and managing switching systems. The company has been serving the broadcast industry for 30 years with industry-leading products and best-in-class service and support as recognized by Frost & Sullivan with its 2005 Customer Service Leadership Award and demonstrated by the industry's first 10-year warranty. Additional information about the company can be found at www.utahscientific.com. |
