Practical applications for high-quality video transmission on optical fibres

The B.B.C. Planning and Installation Department carries out technical installation work in broadcast centres, creating studios, central technical areas, videotape recording and presentation suites, and all the other facilities required by a large broadcasting organisation. The particular project this paper relates to has been carried out at Broadcasting House, Bristol, where a new videotape editing and play-out facility has been established. This new centre is located adjacent to the older premises, and has been set up to service the Natural History Unit and other programme departments. The author has examined the requirement to interconnect the new facilities by a number of video bandwidth circuits to the communications centre, located in the furthest corner of the old building. The distance involved is some 400 metres. The author has investigated the use of fibre optic circuits for this project. These offer intrinsic hum rejection, and very small cable diameter