Professional Products Inc. has completed Phase I of the U.S. House of Representatives high-definition video production control room upgrade project for the House Recording Studio located in the new Capitol Visitor’s Center in Washington, D.C. The primary goal of the system is to record/archive live events within the House.
The House Recording Studio provides the video recording and telecast of the proceedings from the main chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. The HRS currently sends the live signal to the Capitol closed circuit television system and to the Capitol Hub room. The Hub room distributes the live signal to various news agencies. The HRS delivers recorded copies of all proceedings to the National Archives and the Library of Congress. Tapes of all proceedings are also available for House members to review in the HRS main facility.
The production control room consists of a 4 M/E HD production switcher, a 24 channel audio console, two HD character generators, and a multi-image video production monitor system that consists of 10 57-inch LCD display monitors and a video processor. PPI replaced Extron analog scan converters used in the analog control room with Broad Scan HD scan converters from Analog Way. Existing HRS HD cameras, remote camera controllers, and microphones are integrated into the control room. The production operating consoles and production-monitoring wall are custom designed and fabricated.
“The overall goal was to upgrade them into the digital age and be able to record HD and supply HD to the TV networks,” said Kevin Filano, systems engineer at PPI. “They have an existing analog control room that has been in service for over 25 years. Most of the equipment is 25 years old with only a few updates over the years. With all the major networks providing HD now, live coverage from the House needs to be in HD. They will be running in 720P, but the system is capable of 1080i.”
The technical core is centered on a routing system that includes a 256x256 HD video router, a 128x128 analog video router, and a 256x256 mono analog and AES audio router. Video is recorded on six HD VCRs, three DVD recorders and an eight channel video server. The video server consists of four HD/SD encoders and four HD/SD decoders. The server supports more than 500 hours of HD MPEG-2 50 Mbps video and audio.
Another system provides more than 4,000 hours of storage and delivers low resolution content to desktop browse stations over the HRS internal Ethernet network. Four nonlinear editing systems connect to the server via Ethernet. The fiber audio and video transports system consists of 22 series transmitters and receivers.
The intercom system consists of a 32 port matrix and control panels. The video and audio distribution and conversion system consists of four frames of modules and seven frame syncs. The video monitoring system consists of 7-, 17- 23- and 24-inch LCD video monitors. Dual matrix switchers provide redundant KVM switching. The equipment in the technical core mounts in 31 vertical rack enclosures.
PPI said the project is still in transition mode from current system to new, but Phase I was completed in December 2008. The company has been contracted for Phase II of the House Recording Studio high-definition upgrade project. Phase II will include two HD studios/control rooms and a technical equipment core in the House Recording Studios main facility in the Rayburn office building.
