FEATURE: INTERCOMS AND PAGING I’ve just gotta get a message to you...
IP functionality and elaborate matrices are giving rise to a new generation of highly flexible venue communication systems. David Davies matches currently available products to everyday applications, highlighting some of the sector’s latest innovations along the way
FEW WOULD argue with the suggestion that, in line with most other areas of pro- audio, intercom and paging technology has undergone a significant evolution during the last 10 years. Even so, in 2013, more venues than you might expect continue to rely on fixed two-wire paging and intercom systems, looping users into fairly simple rings. Rock-steady and reliable? Absolutely. Endlessly reconfigurable for different applications? Ah, now that’s where the limitations can begin to reveal themselves... In which case, it’s hardly surprising that the primary watchword for R&D into venue communications these past few years has been ‘flexibility’. Hence, in particular, the ascendancy of sophisticated digital matrix intercom systems with extensive connectivity options and the ability to be distributed around venues. In tandem with this
development, venues’ growing sense of ease about multiple audio systems residing on one centralised backbone has made intercom design receptive to the audio-over-IP movement. Consequently, accommodation for current and future IP-based technologies is an increasingly central consideration. More powerful remote and ‘virtual’ control requirements, as well as compliance with regulatory imperatives (most obviously, EN54-16), are among the other factors informing venue comms design – but more of that anon when Installation matches some current market-leading systems to various applications and operating circumstances. But first things first: what
are the general circumstances in which a facility might need more than straightforward paging functionality – in other words, a dedicated intercom solution? Johannes G Rietschel, CEO and founder of Barix, is ready with a succinct summary. “Paging and intercom are
two separate things – although you often want to combine the functionality,” he says. “There may be security, reliability or operational reasons to ask for
28 May 2013
a standalone intercom solution. We also see cases where a ‘building paging’ system is already installed by the landlord and it is somewhat usable for paging, but the tenant then needs detailed zoning (still paging) or intercom – which we understand as being bidirectional, where someone in the building can talk back in a dialogue fashion with security personnel or an operator. This is typically not provided by a paging system.
New York City's Signature Theatre Company has installed a Riedel system including an Artist digital intercom matrix and Acrobat Digital Wireless Intercom system
[KEY POINTS]
Scalable matrix intercom systems are increasingly ubiquitous in medium and large-scale venues
Full compliance with EN54-16 and other regulatory measures is a key design factor
Manufacturers are acknowledging growing interest in IP-based delivery
“In such cases you would add an intercom system and likely connect it also to the paging system, if this is a requirement, so that you can use the intercom panels to make building-wide announcements through the installed overhead paging system.”
1) PAGING, INTERCOM FOR SMALLER VENUES; VARYING SKILL-SETS
The adoption of intercom for houses of worship and other
community-based spaces where technical knowledge may be limited has increased the demand for solutions that can be operated by untrained personnel. Barix has therefore placed an emphasis on security features designed to prevent unauthorised access and deliver ‘touch-free’ operation for intercom systems. “We have introduced new
intercom/paging solutions (Annuncicom PS1) and
upgraded earlier products to full-duplex capability (PS16 paging master, Annuncicom two-way audio series) so that we can provide state-of-the- art intercom products that work for uneducated users,” explains Rietschel. Meanwhile, the
manufacturer’s modular, typically ‘serverless’ design means that the solution can be scaled up in relation to the current or future requirements of the venue.
www.installation-international.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60