Crystal installs network management and control for many different broadcasting applications, including:

Teleport

Teleports are the type of customer that use the broadest range of CrystalVision's features. If you're a teleport, you can't get a more ideal monitor and control system than CrystalVision.

Like TV stations, teleports often have equipment at a remote location, usually several. Some may be in a shelter (via RS-232), some may be across town (via WAN). Some may even be in another city (via fiber). CrystalVision displays all of this equipment in the organized, understandable way that our customer dictates.

Of course, the most obvious benefit of real-time monitor and control is the ability to meet your customers' needs accurately, timely, and reliably:

• Don't miss the beginning of a feed
• Stay up without a blip when equipment fails with software protection switching
• Correct human errors as fast as possible
• Give your customers the continuity of service that they expect

Our teleport customers use many of CrystalVision's features to stay up, running, and reliable:

• Automatically adjust your HPA power during rain with AUPC
• Monitor your signal power using EIRP
• Switch your entire site in the event of a disaster with Site Diversity
• Check on your system from home using our Web Engineering Tool. (All you need is access to the Internet and a VPN.)
• Maintain your equipment timely using our Database Analysis feature
• Create a Hot Button for feeds that you use frequently
• Keep your 24-hour feeds undisturbed using our Security
• Save money with Smart Router
• Identify unreliable equipment and diagnose problems with our Database Trending feature
• Ditch your tables with DVB Calculator
• Make sure you stay on the bird with Carrier Monitoring
• Keep your screen clean by masking insignificant Alarms

Teleports are known for their constant changes in the configuration of their equipment.  CrystalVision can be reconfigured for these changes without the disruption of rebooting.

To Top

Network Broadcaster

A network broadcaster's satellite systems are generally stable, so automation usually doesn't play a large role in M&C. However, a network broadcaster's downlinks must be exactly on time and its uplinks must be as reliable as possible.

CrystalVision provides this reliability:

• Automatically switch to backup equipment in case of failure, usually without a discernible disruption with software Protection Switching
• Switch your entire site to your backup site without disruption with Site Diversity
• Protect your signal from interference with Security
• Monitor all of your equipment your way with Configurable Alarms
• Make sure your power level conforms to regulations with EIRP Monitoring
• Automatically adjust your signal during rough weather with AUPC
• Make sure you're staying on the bird with Carrier Monitoring
• Keep your equipment in tip-top condition using Database Trending
• Make sure yourCue Tones are sent properly

Using network management, CrystalVision allows you to control your affiliates and/or other sites. Or allow your other sites to control part or all of yours. CrystalVision can control all of your muxes - even if they happen to be in multiple cities.

To Top

Direct-to-Home

Direct-to-home applications use monitor and control very similarly to network broadcasters:

• Monitor your equipment with Configurable Alarms
• Make sure your power level conforms to regulations with EIRP Monitoring
• Automatically adjust your signal during rain with AUPC
• Make sure your signal is staying on the bird with Carrier Monitoring
• Analyze your equipment usage to implement maintenance programs using Database Trending
• Save money with software Protection Switching instead of hardware

Real-time isn't needed 24 hours a day for a direct-to-home application, but when it is needed, there can be no compromise!

• Implement software Protection Switching in case of failure, usually without a discernible signal disruption
• Switch your entire site in case of failure or disaster, usually without a discernible signal disruption

With our network management and security settings, you can control your backup site or vice versa. You can control only some equipment at another site - or only some settings on some equipment.

To Top

Tracking Telemetry & Control

Monitor and control is very useful for TT&C, especially because of the multiple sites involved. With CrystalVision, you can monitor and/or control any site from any site of your choosing.

But CrystalVision really shines because of its real-time capabilities:

• Be connected to your other TT&C sites in real time with our Network Management
• Automatically switch - fast - to backup equipment in case of failure with software Protection Switching
• Take snapshots of time stamps, pointing angles, and distance measurements as accurately as possible

CrystalVision also provides the great benefit of a modular design. CrystalVision can gather data from many devices and run system-level calculations on that data without any change to the CrystalVision code that controls those devices.

For TT&C, we're implemented this modularity by communicating with the baseband processor, converting signal times into distances, and correlating those distances with antenna angles. We can run regression analysis for those time stamps that don't exactly line up.

To Top

Television Station

Most television stations need monitor and control because their equipment is not located in the same place as their operators. They also like the feed automation that M&C can provide.

However, with CrystalVision, the benefits go beyond that. We have many TV station customers who use our more robust features:

• Save money by using a smaller L-Band router and fewer receivers/IRDs with Smart Router
• Make sure you're on the right bird and you stay on it with Carrier Monitoring
• Automatically adjust your HPA power during rain fade with AUPC
• Schedule feeds with equipment conflict detection
• Modify a single instance of a feed up to 5 seconds before start

CrystalVision easily displays more complex TV station systems. And with CrystalVision's real-time capabilities, you can

• Start your feeds at exactly the correct time
• Schedule your feeds without having to take into account delays in your M&C software
• Make your entire system feel more responsive

  To Top

Distance Learning

We have several universities who use CrystalVision for their distance learning applications. Their equipment is always at a remote location. They enjoy the automation features such as Schedule and Scripts to make their feeds and uplinks easier and more reliable.

Since most distance learning customers purchase their satellite time, each second is not to be wasted. A real-time monitor and control system can save these seconds by making sure that every signal begins and ends at exactly the right times. 

• Don't lose a single second of programming with our real-time software Protection Switching.
• By the way, Crystal controls digital video recorders!

To Top

Custom Application

CrystalVision can be customized for many purposes other than traditional monitor and control. We know satellites and the equipment that uses them, no matter what the application is. Our system has been installed for:

• Pay-per-view on-air automation
• Mobile military satellite telephony
• Mass tape duplication
• Bridging systems
• Environmental applications
• Cable channel automation
• Test bed for new equipment

  To Top