Alfacam’s EuroLinX taps Sencore OpenGear for wireless needs

EuroLinX, the wireless entity of the Alfacam Group, has installed Sencore’s modular card-based receiver-decoder systems across its entire wireless fleet and will use them for mobile coverage of high-profile outdoor and sporting events. Sencore’s aG4800 openGear Chassis, featuring aG4802 receiver-decoder cards, enables EuroLinX to supply high-quality HD feeds from aircraft- and motorcycle-based cameras, as well as its OB vehicles.

“For large sports events, we’re often required to provide multiple HD feeds from multiple fixed and roving platforms, both on the ground and in the air,” says Bruno Coudyzer, RF project coordinator at EuroLinX. “It’s a dense challenge that calls for a dense decoding solution, and the Sencore aG systems fit our requirements perfectly.

Coudyzer says the 2RU chassis saves space and weight in Alfacam aircraft and the receiver-decoders provide a great deal of flexibility by supporting different formats from different sources.

The 20-slot openGear aG4800 openGear Chassis can accommodate up to 10 receiver-decoder cards. Together, the systems enable EuroLinX mobile units to select the best signal coming from various airborne relays and then output the signal via ASI and SD/HD-SDI to broadcasting clients.

“Alfacam is well-known throughout Europe for its excellence in HD broadcasting services for the highest-profile live sports and entertainment events,” adds Tony Oehlerking, general manager, international business development, Sencore. “Alfacam’s extensive use of the aG4800 and aG4802 is a real validation of our open-architected system, which integrates the multiformat decoding functionality of the award-winning modular receiver-decoder with a wide range of multivendor solutions.”