BT Chooses Snell for Upgrade of TVOB Operations

The Snell equipment is a central component in BT's efforts to upgrade its OB capabilities and maintain the high reliability of main video throughput for its media and broadcast service. London-based VSC Design provided systems integration and installation for the project.

"In upgrading our routing equipment, we focused on technology that would be capable of providing carriage for a range of high-performance video services, such as 3G-HD, HD-SDI, SDI, and DVB-ASI, without impacting the signal," said Steve Bintley, TVOB Tower manager for BT's TV, Media, and Content division. "Based on our long-term experience with Snell equipment, we knew we could depend on the Sirius 830 to provide the reliability and power we need for live sports and other high-viewership programming."

"We have worked with BT and Snell for many years, having previously supplied and installed a Snell routing switcher for BT's sports production facilities," said VSC Managing Director Martyn Hales. "The timescale for delivery of the TVOB routing switcher and associated infrastructure was very tight, but Snell was able to deliver quickly. The close collaboration between the BT, Snell, and VSC project-management teams ensured the system was up and running on time."

BT maintains a multi-standard switching network infrastructure that provides routing capabilities for DVB-ASI, SDI, HD-SDI, analog video, and audio signals. Replacing BT's original TVOB routers, which had reached their end of life, the 3G-compliant, 288 x 288 Sirius 830 is used to manage TVOB feeds through Snell's Centra Workbench, which provides a unified environment for controlling and monitoring the routers and the three MV-Series multiviewers.

"With the Sirius 830, we've added high-performance modules that enable flexible routing of a wide range of signal types — a critical success factor in BT's TVOB operations. In addition, the router's advanced hybrid processing takes audio routing and processing to a new level by allowing users to route any combination of embedded, discrete, and MADI sources and destinations," said Alan Smith, product manager for routers at Snell. "We look forward to extending our long-term partnership with BT in the future as the company continues to evolve its operations for delivery of top-quality programming to viewers."

About Snell
Snell is a leading innovator in digital media technology, providing broadcasters and global media companies with a comprehensive range of solutions to create, manage, and streamline the distribution of content for today's multi-screen world. Specializing in TV Everywhere, Broadcast Infrastructure, and Live Production applications, Snell provides the necessary tools to transition seamlessly and cost-effectively to HDTV, stereoscopic 3D, and 3Gbps operations, while enabling broadcasters to monetize and deliver their media assets across multiple distribution platforms. Headquartered in the U.K., Snell serves more than 2,000 broadcasters, post facilities, and global media companies in more than 100 countries through its worldwide team of sales and support personnel.