T-VIPS, a technology company that designs, builds and supplies solutions for contribution and distribution of broadcast-quality video signals over IP networks, announced April 11 that WFTV, the Orlando-based Cox-owned ABC affiliate, has deployed T-VIPS TVG420s to transport MPEG-2 news footage from its transmitter site over a microwave link to its studio. The TVG420 is part of T-VIPS’ Video Gateway suite, a line of compact and powerful and cost-effective products designed for real-time contribution and distribution of professional SD and HD video over IP networks.
“T-VIPS was able to provide us with a robust solution for backhauling our primary digital ENG link over our IP-based spread-spectrum microwave system,” said John Demshock, director of engineering for WFTV. “Their solution was a good fit for our needs; we plugged it in and it worked. Fine-tuning was accomplished with help from the T-VIPS support staff, and the link was performing flawlessly within 48 hours after it arrived.”

“Since we are encapsulating an ASI stream using the TVG420, we have an 'agnostic' link between our truck-mounted encoders and our studio decode system,” Demshock said. “This allows us to take advantage of encoder advancements without concern for the backhaul and to build an IP-based distribution system using an IP/ASI infrastructure. We were impressed with the level of support T-VIPS provided us.”

By taking advantage of the inherent flexibility of IP, WFTV can deploy an efficient, cost-effective and scalable solution for the primary distribution of ENG footage in MPEG-2 from WFTV’s transmitter site to the studio.