Video, Audio and Data Transmission

Satellite transmission; satellite technology has improved and the cost of transmission has dramatically reduced for this type of link. Eco-watch has worked on many BBC projects involving very long distance transmission (hundreds to thousands of miles) within and between countries. As long as a transmitter or receiver can "see" a satellite from your location we can transmit video, audio and data from it. For example, you could control a camera and view images from a camera in the African bush from the UK. These sorts of links are obviously ideal for very remote locations and live transmissions. If satellite transmission is appropriate for your project it is sometimes more cost effective to lease rather than buy equipment.

Wireless transmission: high quality wireless transmission is a mainstay for many wildlife projects. Eco-watch specialises in design and implementation of both analogue and digital links. These are generally point-to-point and enable you to include, view and present wildlife living many miles away from your visitor centre or point of recording / broadcast. Using repeating stations there is no limit to the distances that you can transmit over, but generally we use these for distances up to 50 km.

Fibre optic and cable infrastructure: this is the most robust, reliable and cost effective medium for transmission. For example, unlike wireless systems, fibre optic infrastructure is not affected by electromagnetic interference due to close proximity to power cables. Eco-watch routinely use both types of media and would assess which is best for your project during the consultation process. Analogue video quality can degrade to unacceptable levels (especially for high quality recording and presentation) as the distance from the camera increases. We would usually limit the use of copper or steel cable to shorter distances, less than 200 metres and for cabling within buildings.

We generally recommend fibre optic infrastructure for medium distances (up to 5 km), although using this medium it is possible to transmit over far greater distances. It is lossless and ideal for both digital and analogue systems.

IP networks, streaming video and VoIP: when Eco-watch consult with you on your project we look at what you already have in place and see how best we can use it to benefit the project and save you money. The simplest installations can be based around your existing computer network infrastructure; often CAT 5, fibre optic or both. We can design systems that can use this to transmit video, audio and data from IP or analogue cameras and data-loggers, to presentation points (e.g. screens or projectors) within buildings. If you are looking to live stream video to your website then this can be included.