Special report: Finalizing EBU setup, day 2
Formula 1 2012 São Paulo - Brazil Grand Prix for EBU, Special report
The Dutch satellite uplink company Multi-Link Holland is responsible for all Formula 1 EBU (European Broadcasting Union) transmissions. This company travels the world since 2004 for the Formula 1. You can regonice them easily by their green uplink dishes. Since 2004 they produce satellite uplinks at the Formula 1 for many broadcasters, RTL Netherlands, RTL+ Germany, ORF Austria, Sky Italia, Ferrari TV, ViaSat Sweden and more. They will give us an inside look through the whole season in what they must achieve on every location they land with their equipment, starting this weekend in Melbourne Australia and ending 25 november in Brazil. At this last race in Brazil we will do a special report about this company on the Interlagos circuit.
Again a very very nice sunny day in São Paulo. This makes working more easy and more pleasant. It is still needed to prepare the 3 Gigasat dishes for Rain. Knowing from past years the weather can change suddenly over here. Protection against water of the Amplifiers is very important, they do not like it too much.
Meanwhile still waiting for the promised tables so the Play Out's can be installed. They will be there at 11:00 ... they said. Then concentrate first on the other cabling towards FOM and TV Globo Brazil. FOM needs cables for audio, communications and WIF + NIF signals what need to be transmitted. These last 2 go by a fibre. Globo just needs WIF + NIF, these go by copper.
Also the work on the dishes themselves continues. They are pointed precisely to the satellites, and there will be some testing with all 3. Following the instructions and info delivered by EBU and the satellite operator are crucial. Communications between them is only in the english language, does not matter where the satellites are from Japan, Brazil or Germany.
At 15:00 the so hard needed tables arrived, or better said....... EBU bought those themselfves at a shop in São Paulo. No time to waste! The Play Out's , XDCAM HD were installed rapidly and professionaly by a Brazilian rental company. All signals from the Play Out's go by fibre to the Rack where they will be encoded and transmitted.
All setup now, just some minor things to arrange on thursday. The last parts of the work on the dishes is done, the finalization with the black fabric around the frame underneath the dishes are performed, just to let make everything looking great and protect some more against rain water. This fabric solution is invented by Multi-Link Holland themselves.
At 22:00 all was done for today. Time for some food (did not have lunch even yet).
Every Grand Prix a new Mix on, this time a Brazil Special:
More photo's available on our Broadcast Brazil Facebook page, you can find them here.
mentioned:
Multi-Link Holland
EBU
Sky Sports
Globo TV Brazil
Gigasat
D.O.T.
FOM (Formula 1 management)