How to Send an SDI Signal Super Long Distances?

A university needs to extend and send an SDI signal from a PTZ camera in the auditorium to their main building half a mile away. Let’s see how we can accomplish this.

The Scenario

A well-known guest speaker is presenting at a university, but seating is limited. PTZ camera BG-UPTZ-30XHSU has been installed so students can view it live from their classrooms.

It's a half mile between auditorium and classroom. Luckily, single-mode fiber optic cables are already installed between the two locations.

The Solution

Send live video feed from the PTZ camera’s SDI output to an SDI fiber optic extender like the BG-FES12G. The BG-FES12G is an SDI over single mode SFP-type fiber optic extender capable of extending signals 6.25 mi (10 km).

Check our video for a closer look:

The transmitting unit (Tx) offers SDI connectivity for the camera and SFP for the signal extension over the fiber optic cable. Connect the SDI cable from the camera to the transmitter's SDI input, then connect the fiber optic cable to the SFP output via an SFP transceiver module.

Take the fiber optic cable from the transmitter and connect to the SFP input on the receiver unit (Rx) using SFP transceiver module. Connect another SDI cable from the BG-FES12G receiver to an SDI distribution splitter like the BG-DA-12GS1X8 via the SDI input.

Where the TV displays are located, we’ll need an SDI to HDMI converter for universal TV compatibility. The BG-3GSH converter is needed as most TVs do not offer SDI inputs; commercial grade TVs being the exception. So if the TVs offer SDI input connections, then an SDI to HDMI converter is not required.

Now all that’s left is to power up all the units. Start with the BG-FES12G fiber optic extender, then the BG-DA-12GS1x8 distribution splitter, and lastly power up the BG-3GSH SDI to HDMI converters.

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