Bits & Bytes

Think CSPAN on the state level. Add to it some of the most sophisticated, state-of-the-art broadcast systems available and you have the Connecticut Network (CT.N), a 24-hour-a-day eye on state government that allows Connecticut citizens to watch the inner workings of their government.

Currently, CT.N airs live and live-to-tape House and Senate sessions of the Connecticut General Assembly, as well as selected legislative public hearings, much like CSPAN does on the federal level. CT.N is aired on cable-fed Community College Instructional Television (CCIT) channels throughout the state.


To design its broadcast system, the budding CT.N network selected HB Communications, a North Haven-based systems integration company with 56 years of experience. The state congress allocated $1.4 million to theproject, with nearly $1million of the startup money spent on equipment.

With this budget, HB Communications designed a flexible system ready for digital broadcasting. The system is comprised, in part, of ten Sony DXCD30WSL cameras. For recording and archival purposes, HB Communications chose three Sony DNW-75 BetacamSX® broadcast digital videotape recorders. Six Sony PVM-14M2U 14-inch Trinitron® monitors were installed for previewing and as part of the character generator system. A Sony PVM-20M2U 19-inch Trinitron monitor is used for test feeds.

“The equipment selected for the CT.N project represents a quantum leap forward in terms of quality, flexibility, and reliability,” says Rich Gibbs, director of broadcast sales at HB Communications.

Two identical systems are in place, making it possible for two control panels that work independently of each other to allow the server to broadcast one session while recording another. If a session starts at 3:50 p.m.,for example, and broadcasting is set to start at 4 p.m., the operators can start the broadcast on a ten-minute delay while still recording the session as it happens.