AVMATRIX FE1121-12G SDI Fibre Optic Extender TX/RX Set

AVMATRIX FE1121-12G SDI Fibre Optic Extender Set

The AVMATRIX FE1121-12G is a transmitter and receiver set that carries SDI video over optical fibre, for the distances where coaxial cable simply runs out of reach. A 12G-SDI signal — enough for 4K UHD at 60 Hz — survives only a few tens of metres on coax, but on single-mode fibre this set is specified for up to 10 km. Cameras on a stadium gantry, a stage at the far end of an auditorium, a commentary position across a campus: fibre is how those feeds get back to the switcher, and the FE1121-12G is the compact, USB-powered way to put a 12G-SDI signal onto that fibre and take it off again at the other end.

Key features

• Transmitter and receiver set for 12G-SDI over single-mode fibre
• Supports 12G, 6G, 3G, HD and SD-SDI with automatic bandwidth switching
• Maximum format of 4K UHD 2160p60
• Transmission distance up to 10 km over single-mode SFP/LC fibre
• Transmitter has an SDI input plus a local SDI loop output
• Receiver provides two SDI outputs
• SDI equalisation and re-clocking for signal integrity
• Both units powered by USB-C at 5 V

Why fibre, and why 12G

SDI data rates have climbed with resolution: 3G-SDI carries 1080p60, 6G carries 4K at 30, and 12G-SDI carries full 4K UHD at 50/60 over a single cable. Each step up shortens the practical length of a coax run — AVMATRIX rates the coax side of this set at up to about 60 m for 12G — and adds signal loss and jitter. Optical fibre removes that ceiling: the same 12G signal travels up to 10 km on a single-mode strand, immune to the electromagnetic interference that runs near power cabling, lighting dimmers and motors can induce in copper. For venues that already have fibre pulled between buildings or floors, the FE1121-12G simply uses two ends of it.

Transmitter, receiver and signal handling

The transmitter (FE1121-12G-TX) accepts one SDI input on BNC and passes a loop output on a second BNC, so a local monitor or recorder can see the camera feed at the source position while the main signal converts to optical. The optical side uses a hot-pluggable SFP module with an LC connector, the standard arrangement that lets the module be swapped if a link ever needs service. At the far end, the receiver (FE1121-12G-RX) converts the optical signal back and provides two SDI outputs, feeding, for example, both a switcher input and a monitor or a backup recorder without a separate distribution amplifier. Embedded audio and metadata travel with the video in all SDI formats — AVMATRIX supports up to 32-channel embedded audio at 12G rates — and both units apply SDI equalisation and re-clocking, which regenerates a clean signal eye rather than simply amplifying a degraded one.

Power and form factor

Both units are compact standalone boxes powered over USB-C at 5 V, with power consumption around 1.5 W per the published specifications, and USB power supplies are included in the set. That makes powering them easy at awkward positions — from a camera battery plate’s USB output, a nearby laptop port or a small power bank during setup — where a mains outlet may not exist. The operating temperature range is 0 to 60 degrees Celsius. Keep the LC connector ends capped and clean, respect the fibre’s minimum bend radius, and the link itself needs no configuration: the set detects the incoming SDI rate automatically.

Where it is used

Typical deployments include outside-broadcast and live-event camera links, houses of worship sending a stage camera to a control room, lecture theatres and auditoriums, e-sports and conference venues, and fixed installations moving 4K signals between floors or buildings. Note that the set extends a signal; it does not convert formats or scale resolution, so source and destination equipment still need to agree on the format being carried.

For any production that has outgrown coax distances, the FE1121-12G puts a full 12G-SDI feed — picture, embedded audio and metadata — onto a single strand of single-mode fibre and delivers it, re-clocked, up to 10 km away.