Team ssm of euromicron systems and Sachsenkabel support the MDR in the transition to high-definition television

HDTV stands for High Definition Television and defines a new era in television technology. Be it movies, documentaries or great sports events – HD-technology makes television a new visual and acoustic experience. As in 2012 already 70 % of German households were equipped with an HD TV-set, now more and more TV stations pave the way for impressive picture quality and brilliant sound. The station Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) has started broadcasting in high definition quality in December 2013.

The production and broadcasting of HDTV causes considerably higher data volumes than standard resolution. Efficient streaming of the data can, thus, only be secured with optic fibers. In order to transport the new HD experience into the living rooms of the viewers without quality loss, MDR decided to modernize the entire passive infrastructure of the internal information and communication network.
Experience and quality for success
In addition to new cabling for the data center, the conversion also meant upgrading the studio equipment down to the individual graphics and cutting workstations. Already in the planning phase it was clear for MDR that an efficient and successful implementation needed a reliable partner with highest quality standards. Based on decades of experience in optic fiber cabling systems, euromicron systems got the assignment for planning and implementing the new infrastructure.

Jörg Peter, Project Manager of the ssm team euromicron systems, put it like that: “In order to meet our standard of delivering reliable and sustainable solutions for our customers, one thing was clear from the beginning: this project can only be realized with our efficient combination of accuracy with high-class optic fiber cabling systems by Sachsenkabel.”

Conversion with uninterrupted broadcast activity
However, the complexity of the project was only one challenge. In fact, the integration during continuous broadcast activity put special requirements on project management as well as the products used. All working steps, from measuring to installation to splicing, were optimized to avoid disturbance of the operative process. Sachsenkabel could cover short-notice demand with fast and easy product deliveries directly to the installation site. The high quality standard of the components to be built in was an additional advantage, avoiding delays due to product failure. The responsible persons at MDR stressed that it was particularly convenient to focus on a single external contact person for both service and product supply. Emerging questions, changes in schedule as well as problems could, thus, be solved fast and directly.

Conclusion
The result is convincing. The bandwidth could be raised by factor five with the modernized infrastructure. MDR is now the first public broadcasting station to have HD implemented in the complete production workflow.