Project Enables The Switch to Double Its Capacity and Extend New Services
CEDAR GROVE, N.J. — March 3, 2015 — BeckTV, one of the United States’ premier design-build systems integrators, today announced that it has completed an expansion of the New York City network operations center (NOC) for The Switch, the leading provider of customer-controlled video switching services throughout major U.S. media markets and in key international locations. BeckTV had provided the original technical design and integration services for the visually striking modern facility at 60 Hudson St., and the company returned to extend both the capacity and functionality of the NOC while preserving its unique look and feel.
“Our New York NOC is a showcase facility that not only supports state-of-the-art switching services, but also demonstrates our commitment to providing customers with an exceptional broadcast transmission product,” said Howard Miller, senior vice president of operations at The Switch. “We tend to be very aggressive in researching and deploying the technology that will enable us to continue providing advanced services, even in the midst of rapid business growth. As a highly responsive partner with strong connections to key vendors, BeckTV is able to support this aggressive strategy, providing fast, accurate design proposals that meet our aesthetic, functional, and pricing requirements.”
The Switch has grown significantly since 2012, when the company launched its expanded New York NOC. The subsequent acquisition of HTN Communications in 2013 made The Switch a major player in the sports broadcasting market, and many of the most popular live entertainment shows and sports events — from the Oscar(R), Emmy(R), and Grammy(R) awards programs to the NFL playoffs, NBA games on ESPN, and an array of college sports — broadcast today are transported over the company’s network. The company’s Web-enabled customer control system, put in place by The Switch staff in conjunction with BeckTV during the original NOC build, allows users — independently or with the help of The Switch staff — to transmit on demand or to schedule transmissions in uncompressed HD, JPEG 2000, and 270 Mbps SDI, as well as 3G uncompressed in some cases.
At the New York NOC, the expansion completed by BeckTV has transformed a 90-degree arc of monitoring stations, with a smaller arc of supervisory stations behind it, into a 180-degree arc that doubles the facility’s monitoring capacity. Using multiviewers at each station, operators can look at multiple feeds as needed. The additional space and equipment provided by BeckTV have not only accommodated the growth of the company’s uncompressed HD transport business, but also enabled The Switch to introduce new technologies and services into its offering. The company now provides a “home run” camera service that centralizes sports production — and dramatically reduces associated remote production costs — by bringing individual feeds from the venue to the client’s home site for production. The Switch is also moving into the realm of 4K production and has become the first video transport service provider to offer 4K transmission capability.
“The installation at our New York NOC not only gives us the tools and capacity to ensure the 99.999 percent reliability guaranteed by The Switch Five Nines Service, but also enables us to give our customers the network control and visibility they demand,” added Miller. “For customers who come into our facility, both prospective and existing, the functional style and elegance of the installation reaffirm our commitment to quality.”
In addition to equipping new operator stations to control and monitor video being transmitted over the network, BeckTV integrated an alarm system that allows all operators to view any network issues. During the expansion, the company also built a second conference room, giving The Switch the ability to project video from the network system into either of two conference rooms for review, internally or with clients and vendors. To create a sleek, high-tech look throughout the facility, BeckTV designed and built custom consoles for the NOC monitoring area and custom tables for the conference rooms, and The Switch added granite tops to complete the look.
The Switch is working with BeckTV to complete a second NOC in Los Angeles. This new facility, slated to open later in 2015, will be staffed 24/7 to operate in tandem with the New York NOC in a shared-control configuration.
“The long-standing relationship we have with The Switch is one that we value a great deal, and we are always excited to work with the company’s extremely talented team,” said Matt McMurray, senior project manager and systems engineer at BeckTV. “Like every project, the New York NOC expansion presented challenges, but we were able to work collaboratively with The Switch to ensure not only that we would meet all of the company’s deadlines, but also that the overall project would be a technological and aesthetic success.”
Further information about BeckTV is available at www.becktv.com.
# # #
About BeckTV
BeckTV (formerly Beck Associates) is one of the United States’ premier design-build systems integrators. With more than 30 years of experience, BeckTV has designed and built more professional television facilities for more customers than any other systems integrator. In virtually every application from broadcast and cable networks, local TV stations, sports trucks, and stadium venues to educational institutions and houses of worship, BeckTV uses a collaborative approach to assure successful outcomes, on time and on budget. The company maintains full-service offices in Denver, New York, and Austin, Texas. More information about BeckTV is available at www.becktv.com.
All trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/BeckTV/BeckTV-TheSwitch-HR.jpg
Photo Caption: The Switch — New York City Network Operations Center
