Furman's PL-8 PRO Series II Power Management Solution Chosen By Minnesota's Senate Media Services

Furman, a leading provider of power management solutions, has announced that 12 of its PL-8 PRO Series II power management solutions are being utilised to protect and minimise downtime in the new digital media system for Minnesota's Senate Media Services.
The system is being used to provide live broadcasts and archive coverage of Senate floor sessions and committee hearings, press conferences, special events, capitol reports, and civic education.
To maximise output and facilitate operations, Senate Media Services began the transition from an analog to a digital system in February 2008. Phil Mednick, Director of Engineering for Senate Media Services, said: "Until now, we had been recording Senate coverage to tape. The new digital system is much easier and faster, and will maximise our output flow by moving us into a parallel task environment, enabling us to provide greater services with a limited staff."
For the installation, Senate Media Services chose Visual Sentrik Technologies, a custom integrator that specialises in conceiving, designing and installing video, audio, content creation and distribution systems.
Visual Sentrik installed a Grass Valley media server and media client system, a Concerto router and a Maestro master control system. To protect the system and to minimise down time, 12 of Furman's PL-8 PRO Series II power management solutions were included in the installation.
Wayne Dodaro, President of Visual Sentrik Technologies, said: "In addition to increasing efficiency, minimising downtime was a top priority with this new system. To that end, we chose Furman for protection because of its non-sacrifical technology. Many power management solutions are self-sacrificing, so once they take a hit, they have to be removed from the rack, repaired and reinstalled. This takes a lot of time. With Furman, all you have to do it hit a button and the system goes back online."
The 20-amp PL-8 PRO Series II offers Linear Filtering Technology (LIFT) for unequaled audio and video clarity, Series Multi-Stage Protection (SMP) for the highest level of surge protection available, and automatic Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS) to protect connected equipment from dangerous overvoltage conditions.
Two retractable, long-life, low-heat LED lights with dimmers offer front-of-rack illumination, while a BNC connector on the rear panel allows connection of any standard gooseneck lamp.
Mednick said: "With my background in broadcasting, I'm familiar with Furman and its reputation for quality. The new system should be online by December 1, and I have complete confidence in the Furman units and the performance they will provide. Such peace of mind is a real testament to Furman and its advanced technology."
Further information is available at: www.furmansound.com and www.panamax.com.
(KMcA)