On a multi-camera production it’s not always possible to run cables to every camera vantage point but it’s important that the feed from the wireless camera is reliable and the operator shares the same feedback from the production team as if they were on a wired link. A bonus would be if those at the production centre had an overview of all that was visible from this remote point.

The new IDX CW-F25 enables this to happen in a cost effective solution using worldwide standard 802.11n technology. To get the quality needed to mix seamlessly with wired camera systems 4 x 4MIMO channels are utilised with OFDM/64QAM modulation to achieve a maximum data rate of 300mbps. This supports H264/25Mbps high profile video with 4 channels of embedded audio and time code data. Uniquely the product also supports a second video stream over the link from an IP camera or the G-Bit Ethernet connector on the receiver can be used to route the main feed into an IP server or network.

The high quality video signal is resistant to interference on the popular 5GHz frequency band through the use of beam forming technology which has the added advantage of increasing the wireless range to a maximum of 400 metres utilising the standard antennas. Optional external patch antennas are available for both the transmitter and receiver to give a maximum transmission range of 2km where delay is still an acceptable 6 frames.

To increase the resilience of the link on the IDX CW-F25, DFS (dynamic frequency selection) is employed to scan 9 possible working frequencies to determine which will deliver the best performance and breaks to the transmission are prevented by Adaptive Variable Bit Rate which would decrease signal quality if issues with the link happened, rather than cut to black.

Return video, intercom, tally and RS-422 remote control are supported over the link so the camera operator feels an essential part of the production team.