Interconnection and routing [of TV equipment]

CCIR Recommendation 601 provides a framework for the generation of high-quality digital video component signals. In order to preserve this quality, the signals should remain in digital form when they are transferred between equipment or areas. For this, a standardised interface is required, and internationally-agreed specifications have been produced, setting out the manner in which digital video studio equipment should be interfaced to each other; these are contained in CCIR Recommendation 656. The use of several bearers for the individual component signals is operationally inconvenient, raises problems of maintaining the correct timing relationship between the signals and is a less cost-effective solution than the signal bearer. Accordingly, specifications have been produced for interfaces in both bit-parallel and bit-serial formats, each based on single cable carrying a multiplex of digital component signals