Video Production and Broadcast

Audio/Video Components and Configuration

This page describes the layout and function of the equipment in the video facility.

Most of the equipment is in equipment racks in the machine room and in the adjacent control booth. The control booth is normally locked, but the machine room is not. Many operations require only access to the machine room. Peripheral equipment is in the Annex, the lab proper, the AML downstairs, and in the offices of Alpha_1 personnel. The organization of this equipment changes continually over time.

Equipment racks

The equipment racks are numbered 1-5 from left to right. Equipment is described from top to bottom in each rack.

Video control booth

The video control booth console is organized with video displays and equipment on the left side and audio controls on the right side.

Video displays

The video displays are laid out in three colums and two rows as follows:

Signal monitors (3)
Displays as on an oscilloscope the raw video signal of the selected input. 		Preview monitor
Displays the input video signal which is next in line to be sent to the output. 		Program monitor
Displays the output video signal.
Input monitors (2)
Views input signals. 		Input monitors (2)
Views input signals. 		Edit controller display
The Paltex editing controller produces a computer display which is shown on this monitor.

Most of the monitors can take more than one input signal. A button or switch is provided to select which input is seen. A label on the monitor shows which signal corresponds to each switch position. For example, the rightmost input monitor can display either the signal from VTR1 (signal A) or from the Abekas frame buffer (signal B). The A/B button is to the right of the monitor power button.

Audio equipment

The right side of the booth console contains the audio equipment.

The audio mixer on the right of the desk controls mixes the signals from the Annex microphones, the audio equipment in the booth, and the audio signal from the videotape recorders and other devices. Its output goes to the codec for transmission over the STC link, and to speakers in the Annex.

Control panels

Remote control panels on the console desk are connected to equipment physically located in the equipment racks and in the console itself.
Paltex editing controller
This panel can be used to remotely control the videotape recorders. It is also used to program the editing controller, which can send programmed commands to the videotape recorders.
Videotek Prodigy
This controls the video mixer and special effects generator. During broadcasts this is used to switch between video sources and to produce composite effects.
Abekas A60
This is the remote unit for the Abekas frame buffer. If the frame buffer is used to store slides or video sequences, this unit can be used to cue those for broadcast.
Tascam compact disc player
Controls the Tascam CD player in the audio equipment rack.
alpha_1@gr.cs.utah.edu