At Pac-12 Networks, the collegiate sports-focused digital cable and satellite TV network run by the Pac-12 Conference, we are proud to bring about 850 live sports events from over 100 venues each season to our viewers. For over 20 years, our broad spectrum of broadcast activities — from remote and studio productions to broadcast ingest, transmission, and game officiating — had been based out of our San Francisco facility.
However, as our lease was approaching its end in June 2023, we made the decision to relocate to the Bishop Ranch campus in San Ramon, California. This move was more than just a change of scenery; it represented a significant upgrade to our broadcasting capabilities. In collaboration with Advanced System Group (ASG), we developed a cutting-edge facility equipped with SMPTE ST 2110 technology, built on a centralized spine and leaf network architecture.
Need it Yesterday
The shift to San Ramon was not without its challenges. One major issue was the extremely stringent deadline. It was imperative that we were fully functional in time for the kickoff of the Pac-12 2023 football season. So, we had a window of just 16 months for researching, choosing, and acquiring the necessary equipment for our facility, a task made all the more difficult by COVID-induced product shortages.
Additionally, signal conversion would prove to be a critical aspect of our system. With numerous simultaneous updates underway, a full upgrade to 1080p HDR was not yet achievable, leaving us with a 720p SDR transmission path. However, we would be receiving 1080p HDR signals from various satellite and fiber sources, necessitating efficient conversion.
After thorough market research and a fact-finding trip to the 2022 NAB Show, we chose Imagine Communications’ Selenio Network Processor (SNP) for signal conversion at our San Ramon site. The SNP was selected not only for its ability to handle our extremely demanding workflows, but also its potential to greatly streamline our operations. To validate our choice, we conducted a proof of concept in January 2023, ensuring everything would function as intended.
Simplifying Operations
Our San Ramon facility boasts an impressive array of 34 SNP units, each handling a diverse range of functions. The processors are serving as IP gateways and facilitating both SDI-to-IP encapsulation and IP-to-SDI de-encapsulation. Additionally, they are responsible for frame synchronization and up/down/cross conversion. The SNPs also come with multiviewer processing capabilities and will allow us to utilize JPEG XS for interfacility connections in the future.
A key benefit of incorporating the SNPs into our facility is the significant simplification of our operations. Traditionally, different devices have been required for IP conversion, up/down/cross conversion, and HDR conversion. However, the SNP combines all these functions into a single path.
This integration means that regardless of the signal coming from a broadcasting truck or satellite, it can be directly processed through the SNP before being transmitted to our channel. This consolidation into one path not only minimizes the likelihood of errors, but also greatly eases the workload for our operators, who now only need to familiarize themselves with a single destination — the SNP.
The building of our new facility commenced in November 2022 and reached completion by September 2023, just in time for the college football season. Despite encountering some initial hiccups, the facility is now operating seamlessly, surpassing the ease of operation of our previous setup. Having successfully navigated our first football season with this new system, its stability, reliability, and flawless performance have been clearly demonstrated.
As we now shift our focus to the basketball season, we are confident in our system's capability to handle the demands, thanks in large part to the efficiency of the SNP.
