The cable has been designed for flexibility, robustness and durability, according to the company.

SMPTE camera cables carry video signals, power, tally and talkback in the one sheath. They also have to be resilient to heavy treatment, whether being pulled long distances on outside broadcasts or subject to constant flexing, bending and crushing on studio floors. The result is that, while fibre is seen as the best medium for camera outputs, the cables and connections have a relatively short life compared to Triax cables.

Argosy has addressed this conundrum with the new Hyperflex cable. The fibres and copper are enclosed in an outer jacket comprising a custom-developed polyurethane rubberised compound. This provides greater resilience and resistance to damage than previous products. The flexible nature of the compounds avoids the common problem with other SMPTE cables where voltage leaks in the event of slight damage to the copper conductors.

“SMPTE cables, inherently, have a definite lifecycle,” said Josh Simons, technical director of Argosy. “Our customers told us that replacing cables was a significant ongoing operational expense, and asked us to look at extending the working life of a camera cable. Working with our key supplier Draka that is what we have achieved.

As well as the cables, Argosy also supplies a number of accessories. These include compact splice trays, suitable for outside broadcast trucks, and wall boxes. “Compared to making repairs to fibres on the truck tailboard, which is very complex, with our splice trays a user with no specialist training can swap out a damaged end in 10 minutes,” according to Simons.