TVCS Chooses Artel Quarra PTP 10 Gbps Ethernet Switches

Artel Video Systems has announced that television production and broadcasting complex Television City Studios (TVCS) in Los Angeles has selected Artel Quarra PTP 10 Gbps Ethernet switches as the basis for its new Precision Timing Protocol (PTP) distribution network.

Television City Studios has been home to legendary shows such as "The Carol Burnett Show" and "All in the Family" and today broadcasts "The Price Is Right", "The Late Late Show with James Corden", "American Idol", among others. The facility has begun migrating to media-over-IP, and the recent deployment of various systems operating in a SMPTE ST 2110 environment meant engineers had to build a reliable PTP distribution network from scratch.

"We chose Artel's Quarra 10G for several reasons," said Jerzy Gorczyca, vice president of TVCS engineering. "For one thing, Artel gave us loaner units so we could evaluate the device before moving forward with a purchase. During that time, we found that the accuracy was spot-on, and the web browser interface made for easy configuration. Also, Artel’s engineers were readily available with complementary technical support whenever we needed it. Another determining factor was that Artel will work with us as our needs continue to evolve."

In the Television City workflow, two Quarra 10G switches serve as boundary clocks in the PTP distribution network. The boundary clocks support equipment in two studios in a redundant fashion (blue and red networks) and are referenced by Evertz 5700MSC-IP grand master clocks. The Quarra switches take PTP messages from the grand master clocks and pass them to other timing distribution switches located in different studios.

Quarra 10G PTP switches can operate in either boundary clock or transparent clock mode. They provide accurate holdover when the PTP grand master is lost, the fastest boot time in the industry (less than 30 seconds), and nanosecond timing accuracy, thanks to a design that uses accurate temperature and voltage-controlled, high-precision crystal oscillators.

With the Quarra switches in the PTP workflow, signals are synchronized within nanoseconds so that TVCS can avoid broadcast interruptions, unwanted noise, lip sync misalignment, and audio latency that arise from errors in timing.

"Television City was the first studio in the world built especially for television, and it has evolved a lot since it first opened in 1952. Artel is pleased to be a part of that evolution," said Rafael Fonseca, vice president of product management at Artel. "With the Quarra’s ease of use, accuracy, and flexibility, coupled with Artel’s commitment to customer support, Television City can be assured of precision timing that gives viewers the best possible experience."

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