Telecast Fiber Systems is introducing the patent-pending Rattler 3G family of 3Gb/s HD-SDI transmitter and receiver modules at IBC. At 3 inches long, the Rattler 3G devices offer a flexible I/O solution for the transport of HD-SDI video signals via fiber optics or coaxial cables.

The Rattler 3G system adds modular flexibility to Telecast fiber optic transmitters and receivers. The miniature serial digital transmission modules are based on Telecast Fiber's new TeleCube modular media interface technology, a family of optical and electrical input/output devices developed for OEM applications that make it easy to configure any type of device for 3Gb/s optical or electrical input and/or output. The Rattler 3G system can be configured using red transmitter cubes and blue receiver cubes which act as either fiber (ST) or 75 ohm coaxial (BNC) inputs or outputs. By plugging different configurations of cubes into a central green "Pit" connector, broadcasters can create a wide range of conversion devices.

"Unlike any other fiber optic system, the Rattler 3G gives broadcasters the power to create exactly the device they need and change it easily when their needs change," said Eugene Baker, vice president and chief technical officer of Telecast Fiber Systems. "On the fly, you can configure a fiber transmitter or receiver, an inline coaxial equalizer, a fiber-to-fiber repeater, an optical wavelength shifter, a fiber optic mode converter, or a CWDM transport link, just to name a few possibilities. Since TeleCubes are available in several optical power levels and 16 CWDM wavelengths, the possible combinations are astounding."

The Rattler 3G system supports the full range of uncompressed digital video rates while maintaining the signal quality that broadcasters demand. Supported video rates include: 3Gb/s SMPTE 424M HD/SDI, 1.5Gb/s SMPTE 292M HD/SDI, 19.4Mb/s SMPTE 310M, 143 to 540Mb/s SMPTE 259M/344M, DVB/ASI 270Mb/s, AES and MADI audio, and non-standard digital signals to 3Gb/s.

Each Rattler 3G device is serviceable, since TeleCube devices can be easily unplugged and replaced with spares as needed in the event of equipment damage. In addition, Rattler 3Gs are interoperable with fiber enabled video routers, cameras, and other broadcast equipment, as well as Telecast's Python, TelePort, and TeleThon fiber optic transport devices and Viper series frames and modules, enabling easy system expansion and creation of a wide variety of network topologies.