Maryland Public TV Upgrades to a UTAH-400 Series 2 Hybrid Router

Critical Router Upgrade Puts Award-Winning Public Station on Path to IP

SALT LAKE CITY — July 27, 2017 — Utah Scientific today announced that Maryland Public Television has placed a UTAH-400 Series 2 hybrid enterprise router at the core of its recent facility upgrade and its strategy to make a gradual transition to IP operations. The PBS affiliate serves viewers throughout the state of Maryland, as well as the District of Columbia and parts of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Utah Scientific solution was designed and architected by systems integrator Digital Video Group.

“Maryland Public Television knows the migration to IP is inevitable, but like many other broadcasters, it does not have the resources to make a wholesale, overnight switch to IP,” said Chuck Heffner, vice president of broadcast systems, Digital Video Group. “The station sought our help in finding a hybrid solution that can run in existing SDI environments, but can also support a gradual and cost-effective transition to IP.”

He added, “The UTAH-400 was a great choice for the upgrade. Not only does the router come with Utah Scientific’s no-fee, 10-year warranty — unheard of in the broadcast industry — but it’s based on a unique hybrid signal architecture that offers a single platform for all types of signals, including those used in IP networks.”

At Maryland Public Television, the UTAH-400 replaces two legacy routers, each about 17 years old, with one deployed in master control and the other serving in production. Both of these routers were workhorses and were still going strong, but the facility needed an upgrade and was seeking to lay the groundwork for an upcoming IP-based infrastructure.

“For three decades, Maryland Public Television has brought the renowned educational and entertainment programming of PBS to its viewers. It’s an honor to be a part of the station’s growth and plans for the future of broadcasting,” said Tom Harmon, president and CEO of Utah Scientific. “With the UTAH-400, Maryland Public Television has future-proofed its operations with a hybrid routing solution that can handle existing HD-SDI feeds now, and then drive an eventual move to 4K and maybe even 8K resolution without requiring another major upgrade.”

What Our Customers Have To Say About Us

“As a well-known provider of dependable, worry-free routers with the world’s best warranty, Utah Scientific was an easy choice to supply the routers for this value-added solution.”
– Peter Schut, Senior Vice President, Media Infrastructure, EVS

“Based on our ongoing and successful partnership with Utah Scientific, we already have firsthand experience with the company’s engineering excellence, product reliability, and first-rate service and support.”
– Todd Mason, Founder and CEO, BMG (Broadcast Media Group)

“Utah Scientific has outstanding brand recognition in the studio and mobile broadcast markets and a stellar reputation for reliability, longevity, and customer service.”
– Michel Suissa, Managing Director of Professional Solutions, The Studio-B&H

“The new Utah Scientific system has made a huge difference in our production capabilities, allowing us to handle five times the programming output of the old facility.”
– David Finer, Manager, City Channel Pittsburgh

“The first and most important element in our decision to renew with Utah Scientific was our current router's dependability. It ran 24/7, 365 for nine years, with no failures: whether power supply failures or control failures. There was never a need to reboot the router.”
– Craig Jutson, City of San José

“The UTAH-400 was a great choice for the upgrade. Not only does the router come with Utah Scientific’s no-fee, 10-year warranty — unheard of in the broadcast industry — but it’s based on a unique hybrid signal architecture that offers a single platform for all types of signals, including those used in IP networks.”
– Chuck Heffner, Digital Video Group