Grass valley APEX DATASHEET

Apex

H I GH - D E NSI T Y, L A R G E- SCALE
DIGITAL AUDIO ROUTER

The Apex router combines the features
that audio professionals love with the
adaptability, reliability, and serviceability
that broadcasters demand—all while
using less power and less space than
any other system available.

PRODUCT DATA SHEET

Grass Valley™ solutions include one
of the broadest selections of routing
switchers, including the new Apex
digital audio routing switcher, the
highest density and most highly reliable
audio router available for large-scale
infrastructures.

The Apex router combines the features
that audio professionals love with the
adapt abilit y, reliability, and serviceability
that broadcasters demand—all while
using less power and less space than
any other system available. This industry­leading design has a dozen patents
pending.

Central to the Apex system is its
adaptability. Scaling to 1024x1024 via a
unique Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)
switching architecture, it offers the
simplest expansion path available—for
both studio and mobile users. It handles
any data rate a facility could ever need,
supporting simultaneous synchronous
and asynchronous signals from 30 to
100 kHz. And it offers a set of audio
features not found in any other system—

KEY FEATURES

including a silent-switching design that
eliminates unwanted clicks and pops.

The Apex router is also highly reliable
and serviceable. It uses redundant TDM
matrix cards to keep signals moving
through a facility without interruption.
It features redundant power supplies to
maximize uptime. It uses a common air
chamber and an N+1 fan arrangement to
ensure even, uninterrupted cooling. Plus
its components are front removable and
hot swappable.

Adaptable to Any Large-Scale
Audio Environment

The Apex system uses an 11 RU
256x256 chassis housing a unique TDM
routing core enabling both a dense and
feature-rich product. The system features
cost-effective, reliable linear expansion:
you can interconnect multiple frames to
create matrices as large as 1024x1024
using only a handful of interconnection
cables and without the need for
expensive distribution amplifiers.

The Apex system offers similar physical
flexibility. You can stack its chassis
vertically or horizontally. And should
you need to work at great distances—in
different buildings, in different mobile
units, or even across town—you can
interconnect two chassis up to five
kilometers away.

Each Apex can contain one of two I/O
board types: one for 75Ω signals and one
for 110Ω signals. Each accommodates
32 AES pairs. The 75Ω board offers
unbalanced BNC connectors and BNC
MADI ports. The 110Ω board offers
balanced DB25 connectors and BNC
MADI ports. Both feature a field­programmable gate array (FPGA) design
that minimizes components and power
requirements and increasing overall
system reliability.

The multi-format support of the Apex
router includes AES digital audio (75Ω
unbalanced and 110Ω balanced), Multiple
Audio Distribution Interface (MADI), and
Dolby E formats.

11 RU 256x256 frame with either:•

75Ω unbalanced BNC connectors —
and MADI BNC ports

110Ω balanced DB25 connectors with —
MADI BNC ports

Up to four frames can be connected •
linearly to create routers up to
1024x1024

Simultaneous synchronous/•
asynchronous support for 30 kHz to
100 kHz signals

www.grassvalley.com

Conforms to AES75, AES110, MADI, •
and Dolby E specifications

All active components are front-•
loading and hot swappable.

Fan and power supply modules are •
redundant

Input or output expansion in •
32 crosspoint increments

One video and one audio sync •
reference per chassis (each with
redundant inputs) along with output
monitor ports for quality control

Various audio modes supported, •
including normal, mix, reverse

AES pair breakaway for full mono •
routing

Silent Switching with programmable •
V-fade for noiseless switching

PRODUCT DATA SHEET

SWITCH

POINT

WITHOUT

Soft Switch Dunking

WITH

Soft Switch Dunking

Pops and clicks occur when
the levels of switched signals
are differen

t

By bringing both signals to zero,
pops and clicks are reduced

The adaptability of the Apex system
also extends to its signal support.
Unlike other routing systems that force
you to purchase separate board sets
and sample rate converters to handle
multiple signal types, the Apex system
can automatically detect a signal’s
type (synchronous or asynchronous),
its rate (from 30 kHz to 100 kHz), and
then switch it properly—without any
additional modifications or intervention.
It can even switch a signal that has lost
its reference.

An Apex chassis features two sync
references: one video and one audio,
plus a redundant input for each. This
design enables you to use a video
reference for audio switching while
also supporting the proper, uncorrupted
switching of Dolby E signals.

Unrivaled Audio Features

Designed with audio professionals
in mind, the Apex system offers an
unrivaled set of signal-processing
features. These features include a silent­switching design to minimize unwanted
clicks and pops. You can turn this feature
on or off as needed.

For full mono routing, the Apex system
offers an AES Pair Breakaway feature.
While input and output signals are
always tied together as a left/right pair,
the internal routing engine separates the
pairs—hence the term breakaway—to
handle the signals independently. This
independent routing allows a control
system to view the router as either a
single-level stereo system in which the
pairs switch together, or in a single­level mono system with two levels of
mono audio. This capability also allows
the Apex system to support a full
complement of audio pair manipulation
modes, including normal, mix, and
reverse.

Ensuring High Reliability

To maximize uptime and reliability, the
Apex system uses redundant TDM
matrix cards. Should the primary matrix
card fail, a secondary redundant card will
take over immediately.

The system also employs redundant
TDM expansion links between chassis—
and connects those links in a fully
connected st ar topology. This topology
ensures that every chassis is speaking
to ever y other chassis, eliminating the
weak-link pitfalls of serial or daisy-chain
topologies.

To ensure even, uninterrupted cooling,
the Apex system uses a common air
chamber and an N+1 fan arrangement—
the same high-performance cooling
approach used in the Trinix NXT digital
video routing switcher. Additionally, the
Apex system design curbs overall power
usage by minimizing circuit board and
component counts. This significantly
reduces the load on the cooling system,
increasing the overall reliability of the
system.

SOFT SWITCHING AUDIO SIGNALS

By bringing audio levels to zero at the switch point, clicks and pops in the audio are
reduced.

www.grassvalley.com