New Pathport Octo Installed at CBC Toronto

September 9 2009

For Immediate Release

Pathway Connectivity proudly announces the successful installation of eighty-eight of its brand new 8-port Pathport® Octo nodes in Studios 40 and 42 at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Toronto Broadcast Centre.

“The CBC has again shown faith in our company and our products by taking delivery of the first eight-port Pathports,” states company president Dave Higgins. “Between them, Studio 40 and Studio 42 now have a total of 704 ports, one of the largest installations of Pathport technology in the world.”

The CBC first approached Pathway last fall about replacing their existing DMX Pathfinder and opto-splitter distribution.  “A lot has changed since we installed the original systems in those studios fifteen years ago,” say Higgins.  “The CBC’s desire for compatibility with the current generation of lighting consoles meant the answer for them lay with our Pathport DMX-over-Ethernet technology.”

But the need to fit into the existing infrastructure also meant accelerating plans for a new Pathport node.  Spearheaded by VP of Operations, Shawn Vike, the product development and delivery of the Octo had to be tailored to meet the tight timelines required.  “The studios are only dark for a very short period in the summer,” says Vike, “so the Octos needed to be solid pretty much from the moment we plugged them in. The CBC was really happy with how smoothly the installation went.”

After training and commissioning at the end of August, the studios are now ready for the upcoming season of shows, including Rick Mercer Report and Hockey Night in Canada.