42 TVBEurope Forum Communications
www.tvbeurope.com June 2013
“It’s hard to imagine that a broadcaster would outsource its intercom to a cloud service”
Speaking of communication
In our latest industry Forum, Philip Stevens discusses current studio and outside broadcast communications issues with several industry experts. What are the broadcasting challenges and how does the cloud play a part?
WITHOUT EFFECTIVE communications between all parts of the broadcast production and technical chain, chaos would ensue. But comms is often one of those hidden parts of the system that people take for granted – until there is a problem. So what are the challenges that face the makers of this vital part of the studio and outside broadcast set-up? Do integrated networks have a downside? What part does ‘The Cloud’ play? Here we draw on the expertise of (in alphabetical order) Simon Browne, Clear-Com director of Product Management; Eric de Bruyn, CEO of ASL Intercom; Christian Diehl, product manager Intercom at Riedel; Mike Fleetwood, owner, FACE Systems; Geoff Rogers, systems engineer, Bosch Security Systems; and John Sparrow, product sales manager, Trilogy Broadcast
What is the biggest challenge you face? Is it technology, cost, finding new markets?
Browne: I would say choosing to facilitate the correct emerging IP audio standards and control interoperability within them. We are also seeing many emerging markets with their own type approvals, environmental and safety certifications. Meeting all these is challenging if our specialised intercom industry is to retain a global reach. de Bruyn: The biggest challenge we have in Europe at the moment is costs. Everyone has to deal with small budgets. Diehl: We are constantly exploring new markets and regions, each of which has their own requirements. Of course since cost structures are differing between the individual markets, the product portfolio must be modular and flexible as well. Fleetwood: This is an interesting question – and one I keep asking myself! The glib answer is probably ‘all of the above’. Technology is always an issue for a small company, and almost certainly the main reason why our products have remained firmly analogue for many years. It can cost a great deal to bring a high- technology product to market, although, counter-intuitively, the advances in semiconductor technology are making it easier. I do wonder to what degree there are still new markets to be found in comms. Once you get out of the traditional broadcast environment, I think there is increasing overlap with other product sectors. In fact, I feel the main problem will be in maintaining the current marketplace against increasing competition from other manufacturers looking for an opening! Rogers: I would say that the challenges today are not really any different to those we have faced in the past. However, it is becoming more and more challenging to build a product to a state where that platform remains viable for a reasonable period before technology changes, and makes components obsolete.
Sparrow: It’s a mixture. In our case, there are numerous customer benefits to be realised from the implementation of IP- based intercom systems, both for high-end solutions using our Gemini distributed matrix intercom and smaller applications using the new Messenger system. Our challenge is to educate the marketplace while simultaneously working with existing customers to inform them about how these contemporary systems can improve, and often future-proof, their businesses.
What do you see as the most significant developments in comms in recent years?
Browne:We see digital audio technologies being specially adapted to solve infrastructure limitations within analogue systems, such as single channel per cable partyline. Clear- Com’s HelixNet opens up new workflows for multi-channel partyline over existing standard mic cable infrastructure. We see more external control automation controlling routing within a distributed intercom network. Our Production Maestro and HCI, a third party API, allows for centralised management within or external to our matrix systems. We have been successful with licence-free roaming wireless technologies that adapt well to real and congested radio environments. A wireless extension to the intercom enables continuous production over wider areas supporting the larger events and sporting broadcasts.
Eric de Bruyn: “The biggest challenge we have in Europe at the moment is costs. Everyone has to deal with small budgets”
de Bruyn: Going to digital intercom, using proprietary or open platforms. Diehl: The way intercom systems are implemented has changed drastically over the last decade. What may have been an analogue partyline system in the 90s has changed to digital partyline and matrix intercom solutions. More and more different signals and technologies need to be able to interface with each other. But that is not the only demand. Since productions have become more complex, larger areas need to be bridged, remote studios need to be integrated. Fleetwood: I think that the rise of IP connectivity, although, perhaps not for the obvious reasons. For
Simon Browne: “The integration of audio, video and intercom is being demanded more and more as customers’ infrastructure moves toward fibre”
many years, the bigger players in this industry had communications matrices based on digital audio cores, and all, to some degree, have offered inter-system connectivity. This has generally been to some proprietary standard, and resulted in a relatively closed marketplace. Smaller production companies, particularly those involved in outside broadcast, have tended to look for comms systems from the same source as their expected client base, so they can offer interconnectivity. The growth in IP connectivity is tending to open up this marketplace again, as it provides a common standard for interconnection between systems. Rogers: The use of multifunctional studio complexes and reconfigurable production suites have required a rethink about how matrix size and the operating systems are deployed geographically on the site, or with some broadcasters, worldwide. While a large intercom system still has its place, the devolution to interlinked smaller intercom matrices provides a degree of redundancy and avoidance of a catastrophic failure. Sparrow: Customers expect a more complex solution at a lower cost, alongside advancements in technology including redundant fibre optic links and the use of IP network connectivity. The ability to quickly deploy a solution using IP networks helps customers keep smaller inventories and still cover all possible production requirements.
Are integrated digital media networks becoming increasingly important?
Browne:Yes AND no. Yes – because as an intercom manufacturer we have to play well with standardised infrastructure. The integration of audio, video and intercom is being demanded more and more
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