NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas highlighted a clear industry shift: broadcasters, live production teams, sports networks, and systems integrators are demanding more flexible, scalable, and efficient workflows. Across the show floor, it was clear that production teams want to accelerate operations, support more distributed production environments, and maintain reliability.

At the MultiDyne booth, Jim Jachetta, CEO and Co-Founder of VidOvation, sat down with Matt Watkins, Director of Sales Operations & Western U.S. Sales at MultiDyne, to discuss two product lines that address that need: the SilverBack APE and the VersaBrix Build-a-Box fiber transport system.

The conversation focused on a single operational question: how can broadcasters simplify real-world engineering problems without sacrificing live production capability? How do you integrate cinema cameras into live broadcast environments? How do you transport multiple signals over fiber without creating complicated infrastructure? How do you simplify remote production while maintaining professional broadcast functionality?

These are exactly the types of challenges VidOvation and MultiDyne work together to solve for customers across broadcast television, live sports, corporate AV, remote production, esports, houses of worship, government, and live events.

The Industry Shift Toward Flexible Infrastructure

In response, the traditional broadcast infrastructure model is evolving rapidly, reshaping how broadcasters plan their operations.

Broadcasters now manage SDI and IP workflows simultaneously. REMI and at-home production continue expanding. PTZ cameras, cinema cameras, specialty cameras, wireless systems, and distributed production models are now standard in live environments.

The challenge is that production environments have become significantly more complicated.

Modern productions require:

• Flexible signal transport
• Fiber-based infrastructure
• Hybrid SDI/IP workflows
• Remote camera deployment
• Low-latency connectivity
• Rugged field systems
• Power delivery over long distances
• Seamless integration between field and facility systems

Broadcasters now seek integrated workflow solutions that minimize engineering friction and deployment complexity.

This demand marks the area where MultiDyne has established its reputation.

As Matt Watkins explained during the interview, MultiDyne remains heavily focused on fiber optic transport solutions while continuing to expand into IP-based workflows. The company’s approach centers on solving practical production problems with modular, scalable systems designed specifically to simplify live production environments.

SilverBack APE: Turning Cinema Cameras into True Broadcast Cameras

One of the most important trends in modern production is the increasing use of digital cinema cameras in live broadcast workflows.

Broadcasters value the cinematic image quality, shallow depth of field, dynamic range, and lens flexibility that cinema cameras provide. Sports productions, concerts, esports, entertainment broadcasts, houses of worship, and live events increasingly rely on cinema-style cameras to create more immersive productions.

But cinema cameras were never originally designed for traditional live television workflows.

This creates significant operational challenges, and those challenges need specific solutions.

During the interview, Watkins explained that the MultiDyne SilverBack product line was specifically developed to simplify the operation of cinema cameras in live broadcast systems.

The SilverBack APE extends cinema cameras by adding critical live production functionality that broadcast engineers expect in professional environments.

According to MultiDyne, the SilverBack APE is a “24V camera power and multi-accessory interface” system designed to support demanding broadcast workflows while extending cameras over fiber infrastructure.

The system allows production teams to:

• Power 24V cinema cameras
• Extend camera systems over fiber.
• Add live broadcast connectivity.
• Integrate the return video.
• Support tally
• Enable Genlock
• Add prompter feeds
• Transport multiple signals simultaneously

These capabilities bridge a key workflow gap, enabling production teams to use cinematic visuals while keeping the essential operational features of a live broadcast and simplifying the overall production.

Why Cinema Cameras Need Broadcast Integration

Cinema cameras often lack many of the core operational features required for live television.

In the interview, Watkins specifically referenced functions such as:

• Genlock
• Tally
• Return video
• Prompter integration

These are essential in live multicamera production.

Without proper integration systems, engineers are forced to create complicated workarounds that increase setup time, cable complexity, and operational risk.

The SilverBack APE streamlines live production by reducing the need for multiple external systems, minimizing setup time and risk, and supporting faster integration with existing broadcast workflows. That makes it easier to deploy a cinema camera within the broadcast environment.

Instead of building multiple external systems around a cinema camera, production teams can deploy a unified fiber-based workflow that integrates the camera cleanly into the broadcast environment.

This is particularly important in:

• Live sports
• Concert touring
• Houses of worship
• Corporate events
• Remote production
• Esports
• Broadcast studios
• Large venue production

As production becomes more mobile and distributed, streamlined deployment becomes even more valuable.

Powering 24V Cameras Over Fiber

One of the standout capabilities discussed at NAB 2026 was the SilverBack APE’s support for 24V camera powering.

Watkins cited compatibility with cameras like the ARRI Alexa 35.

High-end cinema cameras frequently require more robust power systems than traditional broadcast cameras. Supporting those systems in live environments can quickly become difficult, especially when deploying cameras over long cable runs.

Fiber infrastructure changes that equation, making long-distance power and connectivity more manageable.

By extending camera systems over fiber with integrated power and accessories, teams can deploy cameras quickly, cover greater distances with fewer cables, and maintain consistent reliability.

• Longer deployment distances
• Reduced cable weight
• Simplified infrastructure
• Improved reliability
• Faster deployment
• Cleaner routing
• Reduced EMI and grounding issues

Fiber-based workflows support REMI and distributed productions where cameras may be far from control rooms.

The Growing Importance of Fiber in Live Production

Fiber transport continues to become a foundational part of modern production infrastructure.

As productions demand:

• Higher resolutions
• Greater bandwidth
• Lower latency
• Longer transport distances
• Reduced weight
• Increased reliability

Fiber increasingly becomes the preferred transport medium as production demands higher resolutions, greater bandwidth, lower latency, longer transport distances, reduced weight, and increased reliability.

MultiDyne has long been recognized as a leader in broadcast fiber transport systems, and the company continues to expand its solutions that simplify signal extension across increasingly complex workflows. That same philosophy is reflected in the SilverBack and VersaBrix product families.

The SilverBack and VersaBrix product families are both examples of this philosophy.

MultiDyne lets engineers build systems tailored to their exact operational needs rather than forcing rigid infrastructure.

That flexibility matters enormously in modern production environments where no two workflows are exactly alike.

VersaBrix: Build-a-Box Fiber Transport

One of the most interesting discussions during the interview centered on MultiDyne’s VersaBrix platform, which illustrates that approach in practice.

Watkins described VersaBrix as one of MultiDyne’s most popular product lines because of its flexibility across so many different applications.

The concept behind VersaBrix is simple but extremely powerful.

Broadcasters can essentially “build their own” fiber transport system by selecting the exact combination of signal transport modules they need.

According to MultiDyne, the VersaBrix VB Series Build-a-Box system allows users to configure custom signal transport solutions inside multiple enclosure sizes, including:

• V10 (10-slot)
• V6 (6-slot)
• V4 (4-slot)
• VT (2-slot)

Each enclosure can be populated with different VB cards depending on the workflow requirements.

This flexibility allows engineers to tailor the transport system to specific projects, simplifying workflows and ensuring all required signals are extended with minimal equipment and complexity.

A Practical Solution for Real Broadcast Engineering

What makes VersaBrix especially compelling is that it addresses how engineers actually work in the field, where every production is different.

Every production is different.

Some deployments need:

• SDI transport
• Ethernet
• Audio
• PTZ extension
• PoE camera support
• Data transport
• Intercom
• Tally
• IP connectivity

Others may require ruggedized field systems that integrate directly into existing OpenGear infrastructure back at the facility.

VersaBrix enables these workflows without forcing customers into oversized or inflexible systems, making deployment simpler and more adaptable.

Watkins explained that sending all signals over a single fiber with one power supply improves deployment speed, reduces setup errors, and increases operational reliability in demanding broadcast conditions. Those gains are especially valuable when crews need to move quickly.

That reduction in complexity has real operational benefits:

• Faster setup and strike
• Reduced cabling
• Lower troubleshooting time
• Cleaner infrastructure
• Improved reliability
• Easier scalability

For remote productions, sports venues, flypacks, and temporary event infrastructure, these benefits are substantial, especially when workflows must stay fast and flexible.

PTZ Cameras and Remote Production

One major use case highlighted during the discussion was the PTZ camera extension.

PTZ cameras continue expanding across broadcast, corporate AV, education, esports, government, and live event production because they reduce staffing requirements while enabling highly flexible camera placement. That growth creates new infrastructure challenges.

However, PTZ workflows often create infrastructure challenges:

• Long cable runs
• Power delivery
• Network transport
• Signal reliability
• Centralized control

VersaBrix addresses these PTZ challenges by enabling fiber-based extension, ensuring reliable signal transport, reducing infrastructure complexity, and supporting PoE for efficient, scalable camera deployment in modern venues.

This becomes especially valuable in:

• Stadiums
• Arenas
• Convention centers
• Houses of worship
• Large campuses
• Remote production facilities

Fiber allows PTZ systems to scale far beyond traditional copper limitations.

Rugged Field Deployment Meets Facility Integration

Another important capability discussed during the interview was VersaBrix interoperability with OpenGear systems.

This flexibility allows engineers to use rugged VersaBrix systems in the field while integrating directly with OpenGear frames inside centralized facilities.

That hybrid deployment model is increasingly important as broadcasters combine:

• Field acquisition
• REMI workflows
• Centralized production
• Distributed contribution
• Hybrid SDI/IP systems

Instead of creating isolated infrastructure silos, VersaBrix helps unify workflows across multiple environments.

For engineers, interoperability matters.

Production teams do not want proprietary dead ends. They want systems that integrate cleanly into larger operational ecosystems.

MultiDyne clearly understands that reality.

Designed for Real Operational Environments

One of the more interesting parts of the interview involved Watkins discussing specialized enclosure requirements.

MultiDyne even offers white VersaBrix enclosures for environments such as medical facilities where specific visual or compliance requirements may exist.

This may sound minor, but it reflects an important aspect of MultiDyne’s engineering philosophy.

The company designs products around real deployment requirements, not just theoretical specifications.

That practical mindset aligns closely with VidOvation’s approach to solving customer problems.

At VidOvation, the focus has always been on understanding the operational challenge first, then engineering the right workflow solution around it. 

As outlined in VidOvation’s marketing and operational principles:

• Strategy before tactics
• Story before technology
• Customer as the hero
• Sell through education
• Solve real-world workflow problems. 

That alignment is one reason the MultiDyne and VidOvation partnership continues resonating so strongly with broadcasters and systems integrators.