Station automation
WTTW-TV by Sundance Digital
WTTW analog master control and associated tape room facility from the 1960s had undergone several rebuilds in the past, but it needed to be re-purposed for other operations and so the station decided to build a new broadcast facility. WTTW decided to use its employees in the electronic maintenance and design group and built the facility without the help of a systems integrator. Engineering managers researched equipment, tactics and budgets and developed an overall system design, while vendors selected equipment and furnished implementation ideas.
Key technology: SeaChange International Broadcast Media Cluster, Sencore Stream server, Thomson Trinix video router, Thomson Venus audio router, Thomson Jupiter control system, Thomson Saturn master control switcher, 360 Systems Digicart II, Miranda K2 monitors, Sundance Digital FastBreak automation system
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards.
WLVT-TV by Microfirst Automation
Key technology: DSR-4000 IRDs, Panasonic AJ-D960 DVCPro 50 VCRs, Sony BVW-75 Betacam VCRs, Pinnacle MediaStream decoders, Miranda Oxtel ImageStores, Nvision router controller, Leitch AgileVision
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards.
New Studio Technology Network
Fox News by The Systems Group
Fox News brought in The Systems Group to implement a “21st century operations suite” as part of a turnkey production facility. The addition of the studio allowed Fox News to expand its current programming to include a live audience production. This suite of control and production operations rooms includes production control, audio control and voice-over booth, tape and server playback area, satellite equipment room, and a glass-walled street level studio in the Rockefeller Center district of New York City.
The facility incorporates some of the latest in multiviewer monitoring, hybrid audio mixing and network-connected production systems technology.
Key technology: Thomson XttenDD production switcher, Thomson LDK-200 digital cameras, Accom Dveous DVE, Quantel Picturebox SS, Miranda Kaleido K2, TSL USC-21 system controller, Clarity Lion UX 67-inch display, Calrec Sigma 100 Audio Mixer, Fujinon studio and ENG lenses, Radamec camera robotics
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards.
CNN by The Systems Group
Key technology: Thomson Grass Valley Trinix SDI video router 256x256, Thomson Grass Valley Venus Analog audio router, Thomson Grass Valley 4000 M/E production switchers, Yamaha O2R digital audio mixer, Vinten Quattro studio pedestals, Telex intercom key panels KP32, Sony HDC950 cameras, PVM and BVM video monitors
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards New Studio Technology - Station
Georgia Public Broadcasting by Silicon Graphics
Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) needed to transition their infrastructure to an open digital format. Therefore the Silicon Graphics architecture needed to meet not only broadcast playout requirements, but also the common data management, shared storage and archiving infrastructure that the station envisioned for both its broadcast and non-broadcast data. GPB also wanted to build a highly reliable centralized storage environment that would support both their Internet service and broadcast operation.
Key technology: SGI Media Server, SGI Origin 300 servers, SGI CXFS shared filesystem, Hitachi Data Systems 9980V storage, Masstech Group MassStore storage, Masstech Group Mass Proxy transcoder, ADIC Scalar robotic tape library, Harris automation, Brocade 2Gb Fibre Channel switches
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards
CSTV-TV by Janson Design Group
Key technology: Sony BVP-E1 triax studio cameras, Vinten pedestals, Jimmy Jib, Pinnacle FX Deko II and Deko 1000 character generators, Pinnacle Thunder XL DDR, Telex Adam CS matrix intercom, Soundcraft Series V audio console, Sennheiser wireless microphones, Leitch terminal gear, Tektronix test and measurement, Venaca S3 archive system, TBC consoles
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards RF/Cable/Satellite
WGBH-TV by Microwave Radio Communications
WGBH-TV maintains a full-duplex 7Ghz inter-city microwave link between WGBH in Boston and its sister station in WGBY-TV in Springfield, MA, 100 miles away. The link is used for program exchange and also handles network traffic such as e-mail and Web access for WGBY. In 2001, Microwave Radio Communications (MRC) upgraded these systems. The company proposed specified variable-rate modems at each end as the baseband interface and at each repeater site to re-clock the data. These modems met the bandwidth and interface requirements the station was looking for.
Key technology: MRC DAR radios, MRC variable rate modems, TANDBERG E5720 MPEG encoders, TANDBERG TT1260 MPEG decoders
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards
WNED-TV by Thales Broadcast & Multimedia
Key technology: Thales DCX Paragon transmitter, Tektronix RFA 300 measurement set, Sencore IRD 3384 receiver/decoder, Leader LV5152DA HD monitor, Wohler ATSC-3 5.1 channel audio monitor, Barco HDM5049 HD monitor, Dielectric NTSC/DTV combiner, DeltaStar TUC-05-16/80H-R panel antenna
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards
Newsroom Technology-Station
Sudwestrundunk (SWR) by Silicon Graphics
As one of the first German public broadcasting stations, SWR serves more than 14 million viewers from three broadcast sites in the cities of Mainz, BadenBaden and Stuttgart. SWR recently built a new studio and implemented a tapeless digital newsroom. This newsroom will allow the 50-person news team in Mainz to streamline its operations for distributed news production and play to air.
The new tapeless digital newsroom is based on IT technologies and centered on networking for computers and storage.
Key technology: SGI Media Server with RAID-3, SGI Origin 300 server with SGI TP9400, Dalet OpenMedia newsroom system, SGT Media Manager/DBOS news automation, Pinnacle Systems Liquid Blue NLEs
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards
Audio
Cumulus Media by Wheatstone
With five stations broadcasting from two different facilities within the city limits of Nashville, it was time for Cumulus Media to consolidate all of its operations under one roof. Cumulus built clusters, or “pods,” instead of linear rows of studios. Each air studio is grouped with its program director’s office. Keeping each station’s personnel together helped preserve its individual personality, and placing the program director in the cluster keeps him close to his people and the heart of the broadcast.
The facility also has a glass-enclosed live performance studio with its own separate control room. The room will serve as both a radio and a TV studio.
Key technology: Scott Studios automation, Wheatstone D-9 TV digital television console, Wheatstone G-5 digital audio radio console, Wheatstone BRIDGE digital audio network router, European Cabinetry furniture
For more information visit 2003 Excellence Awards
