[24 November 2014]
Flexible, expandable routing platform forms vital signal hub at Smoke & Mirrors’ new London headquarters
Imagine Communications, a market leader in advertising optimization and video infrastructure solutions serving global TV networks, broadcast stations, multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD), governments and enterprise markets, today announced that its Platinum™ IP3 routing technology has been deployed in the new London headquarters of international post production company Smoke & Mirrors. The installation is part of a multimillion pound investment by Smoke & Mirrors to move to a larger facility that incorporates the latest technology and workflows.
Smoke & Mirrors was founded in 1995 in London as a specialist visual effects and post production company. It now also has operations in New York and Shanghai, primarily serving commercial producers looking for visually stimulating and contemporary creative work. To meet this goal, the company relies on a technical infrastructure that handles content at multiple resolutions, both as real-time video and as files. Supplied by UK distributor Thameside TV, the Platinum IP3 routing and signal distribution solution deployed at Smoke & Mirrors allows for considerable expansion on its initial 225 x 288, 3 Gb/s-ready configuration. The Platinum IP3 is fully redundant to provide highly secure, nonstop operation for the vital communications hub of their London facility. Smoke & Mirrors is using fibre cabling extensively in the new building, making the ability of Platinum IP3 to handle both coax and fibre connectivity an additional operational benefit.
“We have a lot of experience with Imagine Communications’ networking infrastructure and primarily chose the Platinum IP3 router for its ability to handle frame synchronisation, mux and demux, as well as path to the IP future,” said George Cook, Head of Engineering at Smoke & Mirrors. “The Platinum IP3 gives us all the security we can wish for, particularly with its built-in redundancy and the ability to hot-swap components for maintenance and expansion. It is something we can rely on now and build on as our future requirements develop.”
Imagine Communications’ Platinum IP3 routers combine a highly robust architecture with a path to an IP-enabled future and rich, integrated, modular functionality including mixed-format video and audio routing, multiplexing and demultiplexing, multiviewers and advanced I/O support. Supporting up to 576×1024 signal routing in a single 28RU frame, Platinum IP3 can seamlessly scale to matrices beyond 2Kx2K in multi-frame configurations, while its redundant crosspoints protect all signals — including multiviewers — to maximise reliability.
“Companies like Smoke & Mirrors succeed because their creative staff can get on with the job without worrying about the underlying technology,” said Steve Reynolds, Chief Technology Officer for Imagine Communications. “Getting the right signals to the right places cleanly and accurately is critical, and our Platinum router family was designed with those uncompromising principles. We are delighted to be a part of the continuing success of Smoke & Mirrors.”
