Major League Baseball Network has ordered a large Artist digital matrix intercom system from Riedel Communications. The system consists of four Artist 128 frames linked via fiber at the MLB Network facility in Secaucus, N.J., plus 32 additional Artist mainframes that will be installed at all 30 Major League ballparks and a few other locations.
These remote systems, each equipped with VoIP cards, will be intelligently trunked back to the MLB Network over an IP network. The Secaucus system alone includes more than 160 intercom control panels plus interface equipment for VoIP, analog telephone lines and digital partylines.
“Our ability to trunk the ballparks via IP has given us unparalleled connectivity to all Major League Baseball teams,” said Mark Haden, vice president of engineering and IT at the MLB Network. “That allows us to operate more efficiently and effectively.”
MLB Network began operations in early 2009 and already reaches about 50 million cable and satellite households. It offers continuous baseball related programming comprised of past and present games as well as original studio programming.
Intercom panel types at MLB Network include both Riedel’s 1000 series LED display panels along with 2000 series panels with LCD displays. In addition to panels, the system includes Connect Solo dual telephone hybrids for the interfacing of analog telephone lines, VoIP matrix client cards offering the system a number of VoIP connections, C44 digital partyline interfaces and C3 digital beltpacks.
The systems are being installed by The Systems Group.
