At the 2012 NAB show, Belden (NYSE: BDC) subsidiary Telecast Fiber Systems announced the addition of new products to its Thor series of fiber optic extenders for broadcasting, government, and professional A/V applications.
New products include the Thor DE modular DVI extender, the Thor DE Throwdown DVI with audio extender, the Thor DA Throwdown HDMI distribution amplifier, and the Thor-SXL mission-critical KVM switcher. Positioned for use in environments such as hospitals, airports, or casinos, Telecast says the Thor series enables operators to drive arrays of high-resolution flat-panel displays digitally, through DVI or HDMI interfaces, to achieve optimum image quality.
The Thor DE is an optical DVI with audio fiber extender that offers a high-performance uncompressed data links for connecting video and audio sources to displays. The Thor DE consists of transmit and receive modules that use CWDM optical multiplexing to transmit four channels of WUXGA (1920x1200) graphic signals with a 60-Hz refresh rate over two fibers with LC connectors. At this data rate, this module can extend up to 2 km (6,000 feet), a capability that makes it suitable for large A/V and digital signage installations at college campuses, corporate facilities, and sports/entertainment venues.
The companion Thor DE Throwdown DVI and audio extender drives uncompressed WUXGA (1920x1200) signals with a 60-Hz refresh rate using CWDM optical multiplexing that transmits four data channels over only one fiber. At this data rate, this module can extend up to 1 km (4,920 feet) over one singlemode fiber and 500 m over multimode fiber without any distributions.
The Thor DA Throwdown HDMI distribution amplifier allows one HDMI (TMDS) single-link digital video signal to be split into multiple digital displays, with a built-in amplification function that enables HDMI signal distribution without signal loss. The system is built to deliver the highest quality picture, preserving the native resolution of the video source without any signal loss. Any digital noise that may affect the picture quality is eliminated, and the signal strength is enhanced to preserve the video signal quality. The Thor DA supports resolutions from 480p to 1080i/p (VGA to WUXGA).
The Thor-SXL is a new mission-critical KVM switcher in the Thor-S family of combination multiplexers, repeaters, and crosspoint switchers. The Thor-SXL enables customers to make cross-switching between up to 288 DVI/KVM sources, including computers, servers, and workstations. The switcher supports the DVI graphics interface (DVI-D) and, depending on the device, USB-driven human interface devices (HIDs) such as keyboards/mouses, touch screens, graphics tablets, and barcode readers.
“As these new modules demonstrate, we’re continuing to expand and enhance the Thor line to make it easier than ever for our customers to harness the power of fiber for digital transmissions from any content source, even RGB,” commented Steve DeFrancesco, vice president and general manager of Telecast Fiber Systems.