CableFree Microwave links with ASI Interfaces for Broadcast Applications

Asynchronous Serial Interface is a streaming data format which often carries an MPEG Transport Stream (MPEG-TS). It is typically physically carried on 75-ohm coaxial cable, terminated with BNC male connectors on each end, though the ASI data can be transported by wireless or fibre links. CableFree AMR Microwave Radio is a link specifically intended for transport of multiple ASI signals over microwave point to point wireless connections.

Broadcast Television, Outside Broadcast (OB), Electronic News Gathering (ENG) and Radio Station feeds

An ASI signal can transmit one or more compressed SD, HD or audio programs, unlike uncompressed SD-SDI (270 Mbit/s) or HD-SDI (1.485 Gbit/s). Its transmission speed varies based on user engineering needs, with a maximum bandwidth of 19.392658 Mbit/s. Typically, the ASI signal represents the final compressed video and audio output, usually in MPEG2 or MPEG4 format, ready for transmission to a transmitter, microwave system or other device. It can also be converted to fibre, RF or SMPTE310 for alternative transmission methods. The ASI interface commonly uses two packet formats: the 188 byte format, which is more widely used, and the 204 byte format, which includes an additional 16 bytes for optional Red-Solomon error correction.

Broadcast Microwave Links

When used with CableFree AMR Microwave links, multiple ASI signals can be passed over the links with no disruption or further compression. The microwave link acts as a transparent “pipe” to the video streams. These can be relayed via multiple microwave links to increase distance or overcome obstacles such as mountains or buildings in a city.

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