Mediatec Broadcast Invests in Trilogy Systems
Issued July 2009 Mediatec Broadcast, a leading Norwegian OB facilities company, has recently increased its suite of Trilogy Communications intercom systems to improve the cost effectiveness of its regular production contracts. Most notable of these contracts is its coverage of Norwegian horse racing which is shown for 4 to 6 hours daily as RIKTOTO DIREKTE. In addition, the company provides twelve to twenty hours of sport daily for VIASAT SPORT-N, a new VIASAT News studio based in Oslo and a contribution studio for Canal+. Mediatec Broadcast had been using a Trilogy Orator digital intercom in one of its OB’s for some years. However when the contract for the horse racing was secured a method of quickly rigging up to three of the twelve possible courses on a daily basis was required. The solution was to utilise dark fibre installed by the Norwegian state railway operator alongside its trackside signalling and communications circuits. The network uses fibre terminal equipment from Tandberg and is supplemented by microwave links from the racetrack to the nearest rail hub, Mediatec Broadcast now has access to significant IP capacity on this newly created WAN which was principally intended to carry SDI video and audio to the Oslo MCR. This availability of this new IP network coincided with the production availability of Trilogy’s Mercury IP intercom and after tests in Oslo, Mediatec Broadcast’s Managing Director Paul Henriksen committed to installing seven Mercury systems at its Oslo facility and six race courses. Mercury provides a complete standalone intercom at each venue’s OB but also allows other sites to link via the WAN to provide a national enterprise solution. In addition, Mercury can be connected to the existing Orator system which has now been redeployed at the main facility. Some 11 Mercury Interface Units (MIUs) have now been deployed and plans exist to expand the network in the future. |
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| The RIKTOTO DIREKTE channel is serviced by 3 Mediatec Broadcast OBs each equipped with a Mercury MIU and two further vehicles, owned by local TV production companies, which are sub contracted as required. These have also been equipped with MIUs. The trucks are also fitted with UHF radio base stations and portables which receive IFBs (Interrupted FoldBack) generated in the Oslo MCR and sent over the Mercury link. The IFBs from multiple sites are all controlled from a virtual PC based software panel in the MCR. Each MIU also has local rack mount control panels and a number of 4-wire circuits which are used for local ISDN hybrids, UHF base station local audio feeds etc. VIASAT SPORT-N works in co-operation with NRK which has facilities in both Oslo and Copenhagen. It is planned to install a further MIU in Copenhagen and virtual software panels will be established in Oslo and Copenhagen to dynamically control up to 6 commentator circuits regardless of where they are generated. The VIASAT News studio is the newest addition to the network and is responsible for 2-6 hours of live sports including the Norwegian contributions for Champions League football, Formula 1 and Norwegian national soccer team away games. Currently, the link to Viasat’s London control room is via dial up ISDN, but Mediatec Broadcast hope for further cost savings by adding a Mercury MIU in London in the near future. The original Orator system has been redeployed in the Canal+ studio that provides the Norwegian language add on for English premier league football. |
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