Reference · From the Rack

The broadcast BOM checklist.

A build fails on the thing nobody listed — the reference feed, the power headroom, the one cable length. Here’s a layer-by-layer bill-of-materials checklist from a working engineer, so your next build BOM is complete before it ever hits a dock.

Use this as a walk-down before you finalize any broadcast, flypack, or studio BOM. Not every line applies to every build — but every line should be a conscious “yes” or “not needed,” never a “we forgot.”

1. Sources & Acquisition

2. Switching & Production Core

3. Conversion & Sync

4. Distribution

5. Recording & Playback

6. Monitoring

7. Audio & Intercom

8. Cable & Connectivity

9. Power

10. Housing, Logistics & Spares

The line that gets forgotten most

Reference and power headroom. Nine times out of ten the “mystery” fault on a new build traces back to a broken reference chain or a PDU that’s maxed out. Walk those two down twice.

Want us to sanity-check your BOM?

Send us your bill of materials and we’ll review it as engineers — flag the gaps, confirm compatibility, and quote the whole thing as one package at distribution pricing. It’s what we do.

Related reading: unsure which transport to spec for a given hop? See our SDI vs. HDMI vs. NDI vs. fiber guide.

Free Engineer Tool

Not sure your BOM is complete?

Run our free Signal Chain Builder — answer a few questions and it generates a correct converter/DA/cable/switcher bill of materials, specced by a broadcast engineer.

Try the Signal Chain Builder →

Send us your BOM for a free sanity-check.

We’ll review it, flag the gaps, and quote the complete build.

Request a Quote