London, England

Billions of people worldwide watched the 2012 London Olympic Games® opening and closing ceremonies, where producer Danny Boyle masterfully deployed mystical elements of the gods – light, colour, and fire – in a celebration of British culture and history, depicted using a huge rig featuring all the latest in entertainment technology from around the world. 

The prodigious system of LEDs, Lasers, Lighting, Projection, Audio, Motion Control and Pyrotechnics was flawlessly controlled and synchronised over a stadium-wide network using more than eight kilometres of fibre optic cable.  A significant element of the network was a system of ProPlex GBS Gigabit Switches and Fibre Cable from TMB.

TMB’s ProPlex GBS tour-grade Gigabit Ethernet Switches and Fibre Distribution systems represent the state of the art in reliable networking for high-volume, multicast control and data distribution in the portable entertainment and staging environment.

Rugged and reconfigurable, ProPlex GBS Ethernet Switches are available in Managed and Unmanaged versions, and both RackMount and PortableMount models.  All models incorporate advanced thermal and shock protection.  RackMount models feature modular, reconfigurable panels, i.e. connectors can be added, removed, and swapped front to back.

ProPlex Fibre “Rock ‘n’ Roll Tactical” Cables are the toughest and most dependable fibre cables available.  ProPlex GBS and ProPlex Fibre are part of the comprehensive ProPlex Devices range of fibre/copper signal management systems, all of which feature Neutrik® data and power connectors.

“There is no greater A/V event in the world than the Olympics,” says Fred Morgenstern, Product Manager at Neutrik USA.  “Every four years, Neutrik supports the games with tens of thousands of our connectors.  We were delighted when TMB chose our opticalCON fiber optic connector system for its line of ProPlex Devices signal distribution products.  And we’re honoured that opticalCON has been specified for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games.”

Fred adds, “TMB’s ProPlex line of fiber optic products is a perfect pair for opticalCON.  Both ProPlex and opticalCON have been engineered to succeed in the rough-and-ready world of live A/V.  Whether on tour, on set, or at the Olympics, ProPlex and opticalCON prove their worth every day in front of thousands, millions, and even billions of people at a time.  TMB’s decision to standardize on opticalCON QUAD multimode cabling is a great step forward for the market.  A universal cabling specification allows interoperability of equipment of all kinds and eliminates any confusion in the field.”

ProPlex Devices are distributed exclusively worldwide by TMB:  www.tmb.com/products/ProPlex/DDD.
Find out more about Neutrik opticalCON at www.neutrik.com/en/audio/opticalcon.
Learn about more innovative and exciting products from TMB at www.tmb.com

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