Focal Point Productions relies on AJA FiDOs to simplify network deployments

The AJA FiDO and Hi5-Fiber mini fibre optic converters allow Focal Point Productions to reduce the setup time for its outdoor coverage.

Baltimore-based Focal Point Productions has provided live production services for events of all sizes since 2000, evolving over the decades to adapt to client demand. As the company began to take on more complex projects, SDI cable deployments became difficult to manage. Marty Jenoff, owner and president of the production company, found AJA’s FiDO and Hi5-Fiber mini-converters to be the solution they needed: “They are essential for nearly all our large-scale projects. With the SDI cables we typically run between gear on-site, we’re limited to 300 feet and can only run one signal per cable; there’s nothing worse than having to run a bunch of 300-foot cables. The AJA fiber Mini Converters allow us to run multiple signals thousands of feet simultaneously, without issue.”

Focal Point Productions’ arsenal of 12 AJA Mini-Converters includes FiDO-4R, FiDO-4T, FiDO-2T, FiDO-2R, FiDO-TR, FiDO-R-ST, FiDO-T-ST and Hi5-Fiber. In addition to speeding up assembly and disassembly, the mini-converters also give the team more options for positioning equipment. This flexibility is especially crucial in large venues, as more and more events resume sizable meetings: “FiDO Mini-Converters make our job a lot easier; they’re rock solid and trustworthy, which is important because we usually only have a couple of hours to set up on location,” Jenoff explained.

Before the pandemic, Focal Point Productions primarily created videos for corporate marketing, training and event recaps. Although its focus shifted to live streaming with the constraints of face-to-face meetings, demand for its traditional services has picked up, and live streaming remains a key component for many projects: “We’re a small business with a heavy project load, so I look for versatile solutions, like the AJA FiDO and Hi5-Fiber Mini-Converters, when evaluating new equipment.”