FEATURE: INTERCOMS AND PAGING “We identified a gap in the market
for an entry-level system that fundamentally supports the same SIP-style IP interfaces as Gemini [distributed matrix intercom system] and it’s already proven to be a highly compelling offer,” says John Sparrow, product sales manager of Trilogy Communications.
4) INTERCOM FOR LARGE PERFORMANCE, SPORTS VENUES Like Trilogy, Riedel emphasises the fact that its intercom systems are “seamlessly expandable” – as with the Artist digital system, which can be grown from 32 x 32 matrices of 1,024 x 1,024 non-blocking ports. “For plus-4,000-seat venues, an Artist Digital Matrix intercom system in combination with digital trunked radios gives users the needed flexibility, redundancy and connectivity – including scalability of the system, if needed,” says Christian Diehl, Riedel’s product manager intercom.
Diehl also pinpoints the desire of
larger venues, such as stadiums, to transfer their communications infrastructure to a fibre network, such as Riedel’s MediorNet. “Although it is not necessarily a communications system, it will give you a fibre network backbone, which can transport all the venue’s data – including HD video, audio and communications – in real time,” says Diehl. “[In particular] in large-scale venues such as sports arenas, this approach opens up a lot of possibilities and is a very cost- effective solution since it reduces the costs in installation and maintenance of multiple discreet networks.” Fibre optic-based networking specialist Optocore is also well placed to acknowledge these wider transportation trends, having lately introduced interfacing solutions (X6R- FX-INTERCOM, V3R-FX-INTERCOM) that allow Clear-Com and RTS Matrix platforms to be integrated into the Optocore digital network system. Optocore founder Marc Brunke says
there has been “plenty of interest” in the interfaces among larger venues, not least because they “allow you to easily deploy keypanels on the matrix. For example, where a user might have put another matrix in a remote location to cover the necessary distances where only keypanels were required, they can now save on the cost of this one matrix and accommodate the remote location with keypanels.” Clear-Com, meanwhile, has been
experiencing strong take-up of its Tempest 2400 and Tempest 900 2- and 4-channel digital wireless intercom system among stadium clients. Once again, ease of integration with other venue systems is a key driver. “In the US, the need for wireless communications and tying in to Tempest with walkie-talkies, a matrix or existing partyline is what we are seeing a lot of here at Clear-
www.installation-international.com
Stadsschouwburg Theatre in Utrecht now boasts an ASL digital intercom system
Com,” says Vinnie Macri, product marketing manager at the company.
THE FUTURE = IP? The willingness for multiple systems to sit on the same network highlighted by Brunke and several others means that there is a general expectation that venue comms will – as Vermuyten remarks – “become more and more IP-based, allowing the integrator to monitor the unit from a distance or to control it with a tablet or smartphone.” There’s no shortage of available audio-over-IP technologies, of course, but integration with standards- backed Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) networks is likely to be a recurring theme. Diehl remarks: “We believe that utilising large AVB-Ethernet infrastructures for real-time communications will be one of the major changes we will see in the future.” Accommodating current and
future regulatory requirements will be similarly integral to new product design. Adams observes: “Proven, high-tech practices built into our products ahead of time, and the dedication to meeting life safety standards in some of the most stringent regions of the world, increases the futureproof abilities of our platforms and solutions.” But although systems will continue
to require greater ease of integration, many would probably concur with Brunke’s suggestion that intercom/paging design is likely to be characterised by “gradual evolution” – as opposed to a paradigm shift. Therefore, manufacturers who combine ‘classic’ and forward-looking design elements are destined to reap the greatest rewards over the next few years.
www.apart-audio.com www.asl-inter.com www.clearcom.com www.barix.com www.biamp.com www.optocore.com www.riedel.net www.rtsintercoms.com www.trilogycomms.com
May 2013 33
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