Wohler Card Encodes, Decodes Game-Clock Data from Scoreboards into Baseband SDI Signals

Wohler Technologies is expanding its HDCC Series with two new offerings for ancillary data management capabilities. The new HDCC-708WSTTrans-OG2 and HDCC-WST708Trans-OG2 cards are the first single-card solutions to support automatic, real-time transcoding between 608/708 and WST/OP-47 captions in baseband applications. The new HDCC-Gameclock-OG2 is the first single-card solution to encode and decode (with optional overlay) game-clock data from scoreboards frame-accurately in baseband SDI signals.

Designed to support sports venues, broadcasters, and officials’ in-game review of scoring and other critical game-related decisions, the HDCC-Gameclock-OG2 card interfaces with all main scoreboard vendors to encode and decode clock data in a baseband SDI signal. Replacing clumsy manual methods, this new Wohler HDCC card provides a flexible, fast, accurate, and easy-to-use solution for relating official game times — whether from the primary clock, a shot clock, a play clock, or similar timer — to game video.

“The new cards announced today demonstrate Wohler’s focus on delivering truly innovative solutions that simplify and streamline critical aspects of today’s media-focused workflows,” says Don Bird, chief marketing officer at Wohler. “The capabilities of our HDCC Ancillary Data Management Platform are ideally suited to help our customers successfully address key challenges in managing ancillary data insertion, extraction, and on-the-fly format conversion within baseband video signals.”

Engineered for broadcast and postproduction facilities, the HDCC-708WSTTrans-OG2 and HDCC-WST708Trans-OG2 provide automatic real-time transcoding, respectively, of 608/708 captions to WST/OP-47 captions and of WST/OP-47 captions to 608/708 captions. Replacing complicated workflows that rely on several devices in tandem, these cards offer a straightforward solution for on-the-fly closed-caption translation. The simple, fast single-card approach minimizes maintenance requirements and ensures that users never waste precious time re-entering captions.

Both new additions to the HDCC Series are compatible with a Ross openGear® frame as well as Wohler’s own MC-1RU single-rack-unit enclosure with redundant power supplies and housing for up to two cards. The new cards will be featured in the Wohler booth, N3729, at the 2013 NAB Show. Further information about Wohler’s entire HDCC Series is available online at www.wohler.com.