Norway
Effortless and fast transmission of audio, video and data signals over fiber.
We visited Nationaltheatret in the center of Oslo and met Lars Hermansen and Martin Peck, Service and Maintenance Managers at the theater, to see how they utilize BarnColor in their production.
Nationaltheatret, one of Norway’s oldest and most prestigious theaters, has recently undergone a significant upgrade to its technical equipment, installing extensive optical fiber throughout the historic building.
Long cable runs
During renovations in the summer of 2023, Nationaltheatret upgraded its video production cameras in the main hall to modern SDI cameras. This created a need for new cables, but installing new cables for SDI would have been both costly and challenging due to the long distances involved. Martin explains:
“We had very long cable runs, so when we upgraded to better cameras, we didn’t want to use the old cables or install new ones. Pulling new cables would have quickly become very expensive, so we decided to explore a fiber solution.”
The solution was BarnColor, practical plug-and-play boxes from Barnfind Technologies, designed for transmitting SDI signals over fiber.
Nationaltheatret has now implemented six pairs of BarnColor units for SDI signal transmission over fiber, as well as 32 BarnMini units for point-to-point distribution of HDMI signals and more. Hermansen and Peck highlight the user-friendliness as one of the biggest advantages:
“It’s very quick and easy” they both agree.
The BarnMini units are particularly useful in areas where only one camera, one screen, or a simple point-to-point connection is needed:
“There are places where we only have, for instance, one camera, one screen, or something simple. We distribute a lot of HDMI to single points, such as monitoring, but also for video production.”
Extra functionality and future projects
Although they still use network cables for DMX, they are now considering running DMX through BarnColor, which is signal-agnostic and capable of transmitting various types of electrical signals without issues:
“That was actually a question we had. Is it possible?”
We confirm that it is. Providing the theater with even more flexibility in using their existing infrastructure. Furthermore, Nationaltheatret plans to use BarnColor Ethernet for transmitting KVM signals over fiber, offering better control over remote devices.
Reliability in practice
Nationaltheatret has experienced increased stability with Barnfind products, even in situations involving older cables. Martin shares an anecdote:
“We had trouble getting a picture from a monitor connected to some long, old coax cables with outdated connectors. It was amazing to see how simply routing the signal through BarnColor in the same rack instantly solved the problem.”
Plug-and-play and flexibility
With a total of six pairs of BarnColor and 32 BarnMini units in operation, Nationaltheatret has achieved a robust and flexible solution for transmitting audio and video over fiber. This has reduced the need for costly cable installations and allowed them to upgrade infrastructure without extensive reconstruction.
Nationaltheatret’s experience demonstrates how BarnColor can solve practical challenges in older buildings requiring long signal runs and quick installation. As Martin Peck and Lars Hermansen summarize:
“We’re very satisfied. BarnColor has made it easier for us to handle audio and video signal transmission in a building like ours.”
Facts about BarnColor
- Plug and play: Effortless transmission of video, audio, and data signals without requiring special skills.
- Efficient cabling: Transmit multiple audio and video signals in both directions through a single fiber pair.
- High quality: No delay, no compression – optimal for professional use.
- Versatile use: Ideal for concert halls, stages, festivals, sports arenas, AV and TV production – in short, anyone needing simple signal transmission.
- Modular system: Choose from SDI, Ethernet, HDMI, or SFP versions. Cascade up to four units per side in various combinations.
- Long range: Maximum transmission distance of 40 km for 3G SDI signals.
- Norwegian quality: Exclusively represented by Danmon Group Norway in Norway. Produced in Sandefjord by Barnfind Technologies.