Different wavelengths of light can use the same fiber without interfering with one another, much like different channels on the radio spectrum can operate without interference. Inneos’ WaveStacker technology uses 6 different wavelengths of light to stack 4 data channels and a bi-directional comm and control backchannel onto a single fiber.
Other “pure” optical video solutions use multiple lasers, but their lasers all use the same wavelength of light. This means the signals will interfere with one another if the signals were transmitted on a single fiber. Consequently, they require a bundle of fibers to transmit the same signal. The disadvantage of a bundle of fibers is that they can not be readily terminated in the field, whereas Inneos' single multimode fiber can be terminated with an SC connector in the same amount of time required for a Cat6 copper cable.
The telecom industry developed Coarse Wave Division Multiplexing to increase the distance of optical solutions by breaking high-speed signals into lower speed channels that can travel further on fiber. Operating as Blaze Network Products, Inneos engineers first developed WaveStacker technology in the early 2000s for use in potential use data center applications. In 2003, the company was approached to help a customer move a high-definition signal from NFL football fields to production vans in the parking lots of stadiums. For the last 15 years, the company has developed a variety of optical solutions specifically designed for video. The advent of 4K video and the optical revolution in AV has highlighted the usefulness of high-speed video transfer over a single fiber.