CRYSTAL VISION SUPPLIES INTERFACE FOR HUNGARIAN NATIONAL BROADCASTER (April 2004)

Magyar Television, which broadcasts throughout Hungary, has placed a large order for interface with Crystal Vision. The equipment was supplied to a short timescale in order to allow Magyar Television (known as MTV in Hungary) to broadcast the IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships which took place in Budapest from 5th – 7th March.

MTV broadcasts within Hungary and its second channel, MTV2, can be watched by satellite viewers outside of Hungary. The broadcaster decided to upgrade its interface equipment in order to broadcast the athletics championships, which have a huge international following. This was done by means of a public procurement order involving several other manufacturers and systems integrators, with Crystal Vision being chosen to supply the interface. This was because Crystal Vision was able to supply the most technically comprehensive products at the most competitive price.

The equipment was then ready for use for the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships- one of the biggest ever championships in terms of competing nations. 144 Countries registered preliminary entries. The athletics championships were then broadcast around the world by other national television channels that bought the rights to transmit them.

The athletics took place in Budapest’s brand new ‘Sport Arena’, with the Crystal Vision equipment used from within the complex. The arena was built after the Budapest Sports Hall was destroyed by fire in 1999, leaving the people of Budapest with nowhere to host sports, or cultural events. After the athletics the Crystal Vision equipment will be used at different sport events, as well as being located at various Magyar Television sites.

The order included more than 80 boards, twelve of which were TANDEM-110s, dual embedder/de-embedders. Also included were 16 Demon de-embedding monitors, 16 DDA108 SDI distribution amplifiers and eight SYN102 frame synchronisers. The boards will be housed in eight Indigo 2S 2U frames and six Indigo 1S 1U frames with Statesman PC software for control. The versatility of the Indigo frames means that both audio and video modules can be mixed within a single frame, with up to six boards in a 1U frame, 12 boards in a 2U frame and two in a desk-top box.

The public tender was won by the Hungarian systems integrator “Future Trading”, who has worked with Magyar Television previously.

Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK, Crystal Vision provides digital keyers and a full range of digital and analogue interface equipment including converters, decoders, encoders, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.