DIGITAL SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION IN A COMBINED DIGITAL ANALOG ENVIRONMENT

The requirement for television signal distribution and routing has gro wn considerably. The industry started with simple patch panels for int erconnecting all forms of television signals. This progressed to indiv idual electronic routing systems. One system was used for video, one f or audio, and occasionally one for machine control. Eventually all sys tems started to merge into a single system with common control. With t he advent of component, digital, and computer technologies many more f orms of signals were introduced into the broadcast, production, and po st-production environments. The types of signals used today are compon ent and composite video in both analog and digital form. This video ma y exist in many different formats, such as NTSC or PAL, with other adv anced or high-definition formats coming in the near future. Audio sign als as well are in both the analog and digital domains. The requiremen ts for audio and video routing and distribution seem to follow the sam e principles, but a new form of signal in a television facility is com puter data and control interconnect. This form of data can have totall y different requirements and is likely to be the one that will see som e of the fastest growth in the near future.