DIGITAL CINEMA COLLECTIVE THRIVES WITH MULTIDYNE SILVERBACK FIBER CAMERA ADAPTERS
The entertainment professionals at Digital Cinema
Collective say they create exceptional productions with a
smile. Those smiles have broadened since adding
SilverBack-V fiber camera adapters from MultiDyne Video
& Fiber Optic Solutions to its live production model.
The creative professionals responsible for diverse
productions such as the Democratic National Convention
Digital Production and ABC holiday specials have utilized
several MultiDyne SilverBack models, and simplified how
they bring digital cinema cameras into broadcast TV
productions.
“We specialize in multi-camera TV shows that
capture a cinematic feel,” said Aaron Cooke, CEO, Digital
Cinema Collective (DCC). “That means using digital cinema
cameras from Sony, ARRI, Panasonic and others with a
variety of cinema lensing to enhance any broadcast
production with a film aesthetic. The SilverBack systems
help us incorporate these cameras into the broadcast
workflow, which has not historically been easy to
accomplish.”
The SilverBack-V and SilverBack-4K5 both
convert digital cinema cameras into SMPTE studio
cameras for live multi-camera productions. Adaptable to
any digital cinema or broadcast camera, both systems
multiplex video, audio and data signals for multicamera
4K/UHD productions onto a single tactical or SMPTE
hybrid fiber cable – with robust connectivity and remote
powering.
James Coker, Technical Engineer, who has used
the SilverBack-4K5 on many large multi-camera shows
including the widely seen live broadcast of last year’s
Super Bowl Halftime Show, said: “We have pushed the
Camera-agnostic fiber adapters help producers achieve cinematic vision for broadcast TV,
corporate and other live and recorded productions
BROADCAST AND FILM MARCH - APRIL 2022 30
CAMERA TECHNOLOGY
envelope with the 4K5 in 110-
degree heat, and they held up
incredibly well in extreme heat and
direct sunlight. It’s amazing to
think that with all the added
processing power of the
SilverBack-V, they somehow stay
even cooler in the outdoor heat.”

Beyond being cameraagnostic, Coker points to two
SilverBack benefits as particularly
helpful: quick-set up, and
network connectivity. “We do
live-to-air and live-to-tape
events, which have different yet
challenging timeline demands,”
he said. “I can now get a 10-
camera production up and
running in four-to-six hours,
compared to what used to take
up to two days. The SilverBackV has a more direct mounting
interface that makes camera
adaption even faster. From there it’s
just pulling all the feeds from the I/O
of the cameras, including SDI 12G, 6G,
and 3G signals, as well as sync,
timecode, power, audio, intercom and
other important elements for the
editors.”
Coker adds that MultiDyne’s
12G throughput and fiber-optic
connectivity make it easy to manage
cameras across multiple locations
for live productions. He points to a
recent large corporate event from a
global provider of Internet-related
services and products as an example
of how MultiDyne makes complex
shoots efficient.
“We had 12 cameras for the
main show and six remote cameras
in other states, and we used the
SilverBack to send everything over
fiber and into the cloud for a threehour event,” he said. “This is a show
that has been done for 10 years and
was enormously complex. Now we
can provide everything back to the
truck over the network with
livegrade instead of RCPs. We brought the cinema world to multicamera along with all the power to do
everything with live control.”
Jesse Foster, Director of
Product Development and Western
Region Sales, confirms that MultiDyne evolved the SilverBack series
specifically to support the
advanced broadcast cinematic
production requirements of 4K
resolution, HDR and Wide Color
Gamut, as well as 24fps support
for film-like motion blur as well as
high frame-rate acquisition for
slow motion. “We are providing
our customers with quick-set up,
camera adaptability and flexible
networking in ways that help
them easily achieve their
storytelling goals with greater
cinematic emotion.”
Cooke confirms that both
SilverBack models will play
significant roles in future live and
recorded productions. He noted
that the SilverBack-V was used
for several holiday specials that
aired over the 2021 holiday
season and would be used for this
year’s Super Bowl Halftime show.
“These systems have
completely changed the look and feel
of these shows, and elevated the
overall production quality for our
clients,” said Cooke. “This has been a
gamechanger for our high-end
clients that are seeing something
very different than what they were
previously used to and commenting
that they never thought they could
achieve this level of quality.”
About MultiDyne
With over 40 years of
experience serving the Broadcasters
and video production communities
worldwide, MultiDyne Fiber Optic
Systems leads the industry in
developing pioneering signal
conversion and fiber-optic-based
transport systems for the broadcast,
cable, satellite, production, digital
cinema, pro A/V, corporate, retail,
surveillance, teleconferencing,
judicial arraignment, transportation,
government, military, and healthcare
markets.