RMR-X6-II Six-Way Diversity Receivers, RFX-CMT-II Camera Mounted Transmitters And RFX-HD-D Decoders Provide Flawless Signal Coverage
ST. LOUIS, MO - RF Central, part of The Vitec Group's RF Extreme business unit, and a leading provider of digital and analog microwave systems for the Sports & Entertainment market, as well as the Broadcast, Government, Military and International marketplace, hit a home run at this year's MLB All-Star game in Saint Louis as its RFX-CMT-II camera mounted transmitters, RMR-X6-II diversity receivers, and RFX-HD-D Decoders provided interference-free coverage.
"When we found out the St. Louis Cardinals were hosting the 2009 MLB All-Star game, we wanted to make sure we would provide all of those in attendance the best game presentation possible," says Craig Wilson, scoreboard operations for the St. Louis Cardinals. "In order to do that, we went to last year's All-Star game at Yankee Stadium to observe their game production and see the equipment they were using. They were using two of RF Central's CMT-II systems and we were very impressed with the reliability and signal coverage."
"The people at RF Central were good enough to let us use their systems for our All-Star week festivities and they worked out great," continues Wilson. "The picture quality is far better than anything we have used in the past. The two systems we used worked back-to-back seamlessly all throughout the stadium. It worked better than we ever expected."
Wilson and his team also used RF Central's CMT-II system for the Home Run Derby, All-Star Legends Celebrity Softball Game and FanFest. "We had a very busy couple of days and not having to worry about losing our signal coverage was a huge relief," adds Wilson.
The license-free 5.8 GHz CMT-II units, which Wilson used, are ideal for sports and remote production applications, offering superb signal coverage and reliability. The CMT-II is offered in either HD/SD or SD models, each featuring the latest in high-quality, low latency encoding technology and are also available in licensed 2 GHz and 6.4 GHz versions too. All versions feature inputs of HD or SD-SDI, ASI and composite video signals.
The CMT-II family of transmitters are available in either HD/SD or SD only versions and interface with all standard full-sized broadcast cameras as well as most smaller format camcorders, via the user specific mounting adapters.
Representing the latest in maximum ratio combining technology, the X6-II family offers superior diversity reception with new cutting-edge features, including On Screen Display of stream data, Ethernet monitoring for remote control access and IP encapsulation for Internet streaming broadcasts. The X6-II is available either as a stand alone COFDM receiver with ASI output or with an integral HD/SD decoder making local decode and control available.
RF Central had a very large presence at the All-Star game. In addition to Wilson's use of RF Central's products, various other production companies utilized RF Central branded equipment during the midsummer classic. In total, six RF Central CMT-IIs in HD, 10 X6-II six-way receivers and five RFX-HD-D decoders were used during the All-Star week events.
The HD-D is a high quality stand alone decoder for HD/SD MPEG2 digital video. The HD-D accepts an ASI input and outputs CVBS (NTSC or PAL), SD SDI, HD SDI or Analog Component Y/C formats dependent on the originating video source. The HD-D boasts additional capabilities including a comprehensive LCD display with full menu control of all vital parameters. The HD-D contains an array of digital and analog audio outputs including AES3, SDI embedded, and up to 4 analog audio outputs via the rear panel.
"We really were impressed with how RF Central's equipment provided incredible high definition images with no interference and added another dimension to the excitement of the 2009 All-Star game," adds Wilson. "In fact, the system worked so well that we are in the process of purchasing one for the Cardinals so our fans can enjoy the added value for many seasons to come."