April 2013
www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 37 The Workflow
Kiss Kiss Italy enters TV with Blackmagic Design
Italian radio broadcaster Kiss Kiss recently moved into local television thanks to the opportunity presented by a switch from analogue to DVB-T television transmission. The group turned to Blackmagic Design, whose Studio Videohub,
OpenGear converters and ATEM switchers are key to the technology operation. David Stewart reports
EARLIER THIS year, Italian radio broadcaster Kiss Kiss began paving the way for its first foray into television. The initiative involves a radio group, which encompasses Rete
Nazionale Radio Kiss Kiss, Kiss Kiss Italia, Kiss Kiss Napoli and Radio Ibiza, with ‘round the clock’ television programming comprising of various music videos and talk shows. Italy’s recent switch from
analogue to digital (DVB-T) had presented broadcasters with a multitude of commercial opportunities and producers at Kiss Kiss have sought to diversify into television. Ugo Speculato, technical director at Radio Kiss Kiss, explains how the group has seized the opportunity to expand on its radio programming with the addition of four new television stations and talks about the technical infrastructure needed to make that happen. According to Speculato: “The barriers to entry for digital technology has been broken by
companies like Blackmagic Design, who are offering high quality HD broadcast equipment at an affordable price point. This turn in the market coupled with DVB-T is what has enabled us to expand our presence into television.”
First televised broadcast Radio Kiss Kiss chose to use its Naples headquarters to reproduce its radio programing on the television screen. The group’s first station to begin broadcasting over DTT was Kiss Kiss Napoli in September 2012. The programming schedule for this particular channel includes music videos on 24-hour rotation, plus a new series of live transmissions, which mirror the current radio programming. The remaining three channels
announced are set to begin broadcasting in 2013. To help realise the project,
Italian reseller, D1 Group, was bought in to help with the design and eventual installation of a four-channel playout system. The broadcasters first television studio was established in the main production centre. Previously an audio recording facility, the room was adapted for use as a television studio and kitted out with two Panasonic AG AF101 cameras. At the system core is a Blackmagic Design Studio Videohub which is responsible for handling all video distribution for the broadcasters entire television output, while Blackmagic OpenGear converters are used for converting audio signals to SDI and vice-versa. Two SDI camera signals are then fed into an ATEM 1 M/E production switcher, which has eight outputs, comprised of four HMDI and four SDI, and also includes integrated multiview functions and graphics insertion capabilities. Furthermore, an NEC 42-inch screen is used by producers for mixer generated multiview.
Automation of the television system was supplied by Axel technology and includes four HD playout channels, two ingest stations and a logo generator along with four audio processors and four digital recorders. In addition, Radio Kiss Kiss has installed the XMAM archiving and content management platform, also developed by Axel technology, as well as a workstation that is used to stream each channels output online. All of the machines supplied
by Axel Technology use, in turn, Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme 3D capture and playback cards, which were chosen for their cost to performance ratio. This setup is currently being replicated across three additional production units for the television channels, Radio Kiss Kiss, Kiss Kiss Italia and Radio Ibiza, which are slated to begin broadcasting in the New Year. And although the installation is capable of broadcasting in HD, the initial transmission of each channel will be in standard definition.
Dear sound engineers, Sadly, the next page is not for you.
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