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DTC Domo Broadcast 2016 year in review

Dec 13, 2016
DTC broadcast 1440x800
DTC broadcast 1440x800

DTC Domo Broadcast kicked off 2016 with an announcement that set the tone not only for the year, but for the future of the company.

Formerly known as Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance, DTC adopted ‘Domo Tactical Communications’ (DTC) as its new company name, with its broadcast subdivision now called ‘DTC Domo Broadcast’.

The change followed close on the heels of an announcement on 15 January 2016 by former parent company Cobham Plc that it had sold Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance to a leading private equity firm as part of Cobham Plc’s strategy to “divest non-core entities”.

2016 marked the start of an exciting new chapter for Domo Broadcast, which seized the opportunity to significantly enhance products and services independently.

All along, the deployment and implementation of Domo COFDM transmitters, receivers, and IP Mesh accelerated throughout the world, covering marathons in Singapore and Mumbai; professional cycling in London and Amsterdam; Six Nations rugby; The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge; professional skydiving; football; cricket….well, you get the picture, largely because of DTC Domo Broadcast.

But it wasn’t just deployment. DTC Domo Broadcast constantly assigns resources dedicated to product development, and a number of exciting new developments were unveiled to the world at trade shows throughout the year. At NAB in April, DTC Domo Broadcast introduced the feature-packed SOLO7-OBTX camera-back transmitter, the company’s first step toward 4:2:2 1080p 50/60 support. The inclusion of integrated bi-directional camera control proved to be a major talking point at the show. All it needs to match variances in frequency availability internationally is to simply swap out a module, which is a major boon to those who are frequently deployed on international assignments.

And Domo certainly catered to international markets with strong participation in CABSAT, where it announced a new partnership with GloCom for distribution in the region, and Broadcast Asia, where Domo’s SOLO HD transmitters and PRORXD receivers had been so successfully used for coverage of the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore.

The use of Domo technology has long been synonymous with sport, but the technology is equally powerful, now even more so, in ENG applications. The move to produce lightweight, compact systems that enable a reporter to double as a cameraman, arriving at a scene, setting up, and reporting – in minutes – is crucial. Audiences want to see news and events not just from places they’ve never been before, but from compelling points of view that make them feel “there”.

To achieve this, cameras, and their transmitters are trending toward lighter, smaller, and increasingly robust wireless transmission systems. This gives broadcasters the ability to cover news, events, and sport in ways that establish new benchmarks for creative work.

The SOLO7 OBTX transmitter was specifically designed for creative ENG applications. And we also introduced a new module that interfaces directly within the SOLO7 OBTX and transforms it into a class-leading ENG transmitter based on our SOLO8 SDR (software-defined radio) platform.

The functionality this radio offers for ENG is staggering. Full bi-directional communication and control from camera to studio means that production teams can move many of the command, control, and creative functions right back to a studio or OB truck.

The SOLO8 SDR can be used as a traditional wireless camera system, but it also has bi-directional, IP mesh capability. Camera data and control can move both ways, all over RF, which proved to be a very exciting development that has paid dividends for users throughout the year.

IP is rewriting a great many broadcast rules. Wireless transmitters that include IP-connectivity are the way forward and the SOLO 8 SDR includes IP connectivity amongst its exceptionally high density of connectors. The transmitter’s ability to perform multiple functions substantially reduces the need to run back to a truck or rummage through a backpack for another bit of kit, which is a major advantage

And that tracks precisely with DTC’s aims for 2017, which are, as ever, to continue to make life easier for production teams in the field. The company has a lot of significant advances in RF technology up its sleeve that, coupled with an increasing palate of IP benefits, some yet to be unveiled, will open substantial new business opportunities that DTC and its customers will be uniquely placed to exploit.

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