Category
New studio technology
— HD
Submitted by
Comcast Media Center
Design Team
Comcast Media Center (CMC): Robert Baker, mgr., eng.; Rich Rivera, mgr., sys. integration; Paul Catterson, dir., eng.; Tom Wise and Judy Bandstra, eng.; Jerry Gambill, Chris Frazier and Ed Grillo, techs; Robert Meacham, cameras; Bruce Swanson, audio, communications
5280 Broadcast: Tony Roccanova
Technology at work
Canon HD lenses
Chyron HyperX CG
Evertz
Master sync/TSG
caption encoder/ decoder
Harris
Platinum router
X75 HD frame sync
Lawo
MC266 audio console
Wireless mics
Miranda Kaleido K2 multiviewer
Sony
MVS-8000A switcher
HDC-1500 camera
HDW-M2000/20 VTR
BVM monitors
Luma monitors
New HD studio capstones CMC’s migration to an any format, anywhere facility
Denver-based Comcast Media Center (CMC), a unit of Comcast Cable, provides a content solution for TV networks, independent producers and advertisers.
Upgrading the CMC’s 6400sq-ft studio presented the engineering team with some significant challenges. First, they needed to maintain support for on-air studio clients tied to the core SD infrastructure. Second, they had to repurpose and relocate an existing SD control room while building the new HD studio.
Planning and preparation was the key to successfully redeploying the existing SD control room through a series of engineering efforts that took place well in advance of the actual move. As a result, the engineering staff was able to rebuild the SD control room and bring it back as a fully functional studio in only two weeks.
To meet customer demand for supporting multiple formats, the team chose four new Sony HDC-1500 HD cameras, including a 4:4:4 dual link version capable of shooting 1080p 60. Two of the cameras have large lens build-up kits that are supported by Vinten Quattro 3 pedestals and are equipped with Canon Super 25x lenses with QTV LCD teleprompter systems.
Sony was the choice for the 3.5 M/E,multiformat MVS-8000A switcher, five HDW-M2000 HDCAM VTRs, an SRW-5000 HDCAM SR VTR, and Luma and BVM series professional monitors. At the heart of the system is a Harris 256 x 256 Platinum router. While capable of meeting future growth, the frame was loaded with 64 x 64 HD-SDI cards and 64 x 64 AES cards.
The team decided to wire the entire router and terminate all of the I/Os to ADC 32 position HD patch bays. This allows for an easy transition for future expansion. The HD router was interfaced with an existing Thomson Grass Valley 7000 SD router to provide cost-effective monitoring and SD routing.
With the new studio, 5.1 surround sound was a necessity. The digital audio work surface is a Lawo MC266 console. It features 64 x 64 AES I/O and an additional 48 x 48 analog I/O. The system is expandable and capable of 7.1 surround sound mixing.
The studio accommodates multiple HD video and audio formats and resolutions. Up/down/crossconversion was built into the system using a variety of products, including four Harris X75 HD frame syncs, one Teranex upconverter and Dolby encode/decode products. Due to the variants of formats, trilevel sync was designed to be easily patchable either system wide or device independent.
The control room monitoring can be made customer specific using Miranda’s K2 dual head multiviewer system displayed on two Samsung 57in LCD flat panels.
The new studio is designed to meet the needs of an ever-changing content landscape.
