Newseum Press release

For Immediate Release

Telecast Fiber Systems’ Vipers Transport High-Quality HD Signals for Newseum

Advanced Fiber Optic Production Systems Enable Remote Broadcasts and Power Large-Format A/V Equipment Throughout New ‘Museum of News Media’

WORCESTER, Mass. — June 17, 2008 — Advanced fiber optic systems from Telecast Fiber Systems are enabling live remote HD television broadcasts throughout the Newseum, a museum of the news media in Washington, D.C. The Newseum, which opened the doors to a vast new 250,000-square-foot facility in April, is using Telecast Viper portable fiber optic production systems to transmit high-quality signals for remote broadcasts from any one of 50 drop points located throughout the building, as well as to high-visibility A/V equipment.

Newington, VA-based Communications Engineering, Inc. provided systems integration services for the Newseum’s fiber optic network and equipment, including sourcing of the Telecast Viper systems. The Newseum’s five portable Viper “mussel shell” units can be quickly deployed to any of the 50 broadcasting support panels (BSPs) located throughout the facility, each of which has a minimum of 12 single-mode fiber connections in addition to copper connections. The BSPs have been strategically located to take advantage of the many compelling visual settings the Newseum has to offer. For instance, ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos often broadcasts a portion of his Sunday morning “This Week” program from the Newseum’s sixth-floor terrace, which has a sweeping view of Washington D.C.

Once connected to a BSP, the Viper unit carries all camera, audio, and miscellaneous signals such as intercom and teleprompter to the Newseum’s master control center over its fiber backbone. In addition to live remote camera shots, the Viper units transmit HD broadcast signals to A/V equipment like the “Electronic Window on the World,” a 40-foot by 22-foot-high LED screen. A focal point of the Newseum’s Great Hall of News, the giant screen features continuous, breaking news from around the world.

“The Viper units are a key component in our strategy to leverage the most advanced fiber optic technology throughout the Newseum. With the Vipers, we’re able to plug in and connect virtually anywhere in the building with any type of camera, monitor, or signal — and we’re able to project to high-resolution equipment such as large-format LED screens without losing any signal quality,” said Bud O’Connor, engineering director for the Newseum. “With five Viper mussel shell units, we have the option of transmitting five separate remote shots simultaneously, and we can use them for our own broadcasts or pass them along to other broadcasters.”

In addition to the Vipers, Telecast’s SHED (SMTPE Hybrid Elimination Device) and HDX units provide local power to the Newseum’s HD cameras via single-mode optical fiber. “The SHED technology is very important to our operation because it gives us full studio-level control of our cameras in the field with very little gear and effort. The result is a very sophisticated, gorgeous shot that looks as if it were created in the studio,” said O’Connor.

“The Newseum is a showcase of all of the most powerful benefits of fiber technology in a widely distributed broadcast setting, including the ability to route signals throughout such a large building and have them arrive, in perfect shape, anywhere in the venue,” said Richard Cerny, president, Telecast Fiber Systems. “We’re excited that Telecast technology is playing such an important role in the Newseum’s ability to employ fiber optics not only for HD broadcasts, but to drive such dazzling features as the ‘Electronic Window on the World.’”

More information about fiber optic solutions from Telecast Fiber Systems is available online at www.telecast-fiber.com.

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About the Newseum
The Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., on America's Main Street between the White House and the U.S. Capitol and adjacent to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. The exterior's unique architectural features include a 74-foot-high marble engraving of the First Amendment and an immense front wall of glass through which passers-by can watch the museum fulfill its mission of providing a forum where the media and the public can gain a better understanding of each other. The Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces, and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museumgoers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. More information is available at www.newseum.org.

About Communications Engineering, Inc.
Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI), located in Newington, VA, is a leading, award-winning broadcast and multi-media systems integrator. The company also offers complete equipment service, support and training. Its subsidiary, CEI Sales, supplies products and services for a wide range of clients, and for federal agencies and organizations through GSA. CEI has helped to define the leading edge of systems engineering and implementation for the communications industry since the mid 1980’s. For more information, visit www.commeng.com.

About Telecast Fiber Systems, Inc.
Telecast Fiber Systems, Inc. is a leader in portable and fixed fiber optic systems for television broadcast production. The company’s video, audio, and communications systems are used worldwide by TV networks, teleproduction companies, sports venues, and various private, educational, and government and military organizations to extend range, simplify cabling, and reduce labor costs and set-up time. Telecast systems accommodate all television production signals, including NTSC/PAL video, SDI and HD/SDI video, analog and AES/EBU audio, HD and triax camera interfaces, and intercom and data signals. More information can be found at www.telecast-fiber.com.

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