Newington, VA – May 24, 2010 – Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI) announced today that it has been selected by Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic to upgrade and expand its Bethesda, Md., studio and news facilities to high-definition (HD) capability. The project will include upgrades to the production control room and studio, two additional master control rooms, equipment core area, transmission system and additional edit suites.
CEI will be responsible for final design, equipment procurement, systems integration, installation, testing, training and overall project management for the HD upgrade and expansion. The key elements of the project include: Apple Final Cut Pro edit systems; Chyron Hyperx3 character generators and Cameo graphics management; Click Effects HD clip server system; Fingerworks telestrator; Fujinon HD lenses; Harris Corporation waveform monitors, terminal equipment, Velocity edit systems, Nexio Volt servers and NetVX HD encoders; Image Video tally system; Miranda Master Control Switching, NVision Routing and Kaleido-X multi-image processors; Panther Trixy and Vario Jib; and Sony MVS8000 switcher, HXC HD cameras, test monitors, and professional displays.
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is the official television partner of the Washington Redskins, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, D.C. United, Atlantic Coast Conference and Colonial Athletic Association. The regional sports network delivers more than 500 live sporting events per year, along with Emmy Award-winning news, analysis and entertainment programming, to more than 4.7 million homes throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, as well as parts of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
“This upgrade will greatly enhance the original programming that originates from our studio, as well as improve the functionality of our facility, allowing us to greatly expand the amount of HD programming we deliver to our viewers,” said Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Director of Engineering Steve Weber. “We are aware of CEI’s extensive experience and capabilities in transitioning facilities to HD, so we are confident this project will be a successful one.”
“The Comcast SportsNet project involves work in many different areas of the facility, from studio to transmission, but we’ve completed numerous projects of this scope, so we’re looking forward to getting this one started,” said Lawrence Brody, President and CEO of CEI. “Comcast SportsNet broadcasts a significant amount of programming from their studio facility that is of great interest to a major region of the country, and CEI is pleased to have a key role in delivering more HD content to all those viewers.”
The HD upgrade project is expected to be completed by late summer of 2010.
Background:
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, and supplies products and services to a wide range of commercial clients and non-profit businesses. Federal agencies and government organizations can be supplied through GSA. CEI has helped to define the leading edge of systems engineering and implementation for the communications industry since the mid1980’s.
