Parameters Affecting the Performance of 12G Digital Patching Systems

The ongoing transition from 3G to single-link 12G digital patching systems in the broadcast, audio and video industry has introduced new challenges requiring higher performance components. To optimize signal performance from input to output through coaxial transmission systems, it is helpful for engineers and users to familiarize themselves with the concepts of frequency dispersion, group delay, impedance discontinuities and reflections, and to understand how these ultimately affect the error-free transmission of information, which is crucial to avoiding intrusions and artifacts in the received video and audio. As signals move through digital patching systems, patching system design engineers must also keep their eyes on how time domain parameters affect the performance of jacks and other high-speed components within the patching workflow. This paper will analyze how these parameters affect the performance of 12G patching systems, explore the various problems that can be anticipated, and how to proactively mitigate them, by understanding every step of the signal flow in relation to the various components of the system. This paper will also detail the use of eye pattern graphs to visualize how noise and reflections in the signal flow may result in decoding errors, ultimately impacting the received image quality.