Lawo has announced that it worked with Talpa Network, a leading television and radio broadcaster in the Netherlands, to upgrade Talpa’s broadcast infrastructure.
As part of the project, the broadcaster, which produces content at two main locations in Hilversum and Amsterdam with distributed buildings, upgraded its technical facilities, including the implementation of video gateways to transport uncompressed signals between locations over its private network.
Talpa is the owner of prominent TV channels such as SBS6, Net5, and Veronica, as well as popular radio channels including Radio 10, 538 and Sky Radio. Talpa Network is owned by John de Mol, is a multimedia company known for broadcasting shows like ‘The Tribute: Battle of the Bands’ and ‘Marble Mania’.
“We want to establish an ‘Audio, Video and Communication Network’, or AVC for short, to enable a joint efficient use of our external connections, infrastructure, and resources by leveraging cutting-edge IP technologies”, states Mark de Jong, technology architect lead at Talpa Network, working on this project. “With this new infrastructure, we aim to integrate various production environments of previously independent companies under the roof of Talpa Network to meet production demands, and facilitate the sharing of technical resources. At a certain point, we encountered integration issues where signals available in only one production environment had to be transferred to another, sometimes via an intermediate environment. As a result, multiple tie-lines were required to transmit a single signal. This led us to the conclusion that we needed to establish an IP network.”
After market research and a POC with various vendors, two vendors emerged as winners, one of which was Lawo.
Talpa Network's ambitious project utilizes Lawo's cutting-edge IP technology, including the HOME Management Platform for IP Infrastructures and the .edge Hyper-Density SDI/IP Conversion and Routing Platform for converting video signals to raw ST2110 streams, to optimize its broadcast operations.
A long-time Lawo user, Talpa Network has a lot of experience with the German manufacturer’s audio technology and is using Lawo’s overarching, vendor-agnostic IP Broadcast Control and Workflow Solution.
This system easily integrates with the majority of broadcast equipment on the market and allows for custom workflows that meet the most complex project demands, all devices being controlled from a single, highly automated and intuitive user interface, Lawo reported.
Talpa Network's installation leverages various technologies, including Lawo's .edge technology and HOME Management Platform for IP Infrastructures. By incorporating these solutions, Talpa Network aims to enhance operational efficiency and scalability across its broadcast infrastructure. To maximize efficiency, Talpa Network has strategically deployed Lawo's .edge SDI matrix bundle across its facilities. This approach enables efficient resource utilization while meeting the demands of its broadcast operations.
“We have a data center and a production hub in different locations in Hilversum and in Amsterdam,” de Jong said. “There we installed Lawo .edge, to integrate with equipment of other vendors. Besides video and audio transfer, we aim to establish an n-1 IP communication network. With our central management systems, VSM and HOME, we can route signals such as ST2110 streams, giving users easy access to the signals they need for their production without worrying about the underlying technology.”
By leveraging Lawo's HOME Apps for agile broadcast and AV operations, Talpa Network will further establish innovative, efficient, and flexible workflows. Part of the installation are three standalone HOME App multiviewers with 16 PiPs each running on one server. They offer pixel-perfect mosaics and ultra-low latency, ensuring seamless monitoring of UHD, 3G, HD, and SD video as well as audio sources for global events and broadcast operations. De Jong: “Our Lawo HOME Apps allow us to efficiently utilize our resources by enabling us to spin up an app when needed and stop it once the production is complete, freeing up processing power for other tasks.”
Lawo Project Manager Rudi Antonissen added that “We are proud to collaborate with Talpa Network on this transformative project. By combining Lawo's cutting-edge technology with Talpa Network's vision, we have created a broadcast infrastructure that sets new standards for efficiency and scalability.”
“With our move to integrate all our production environments in Hilversum and Amsterdam using a Lawo IP infrastructure, we are on the path to achieving centralized control and resource management, as well as optimizing workflows at a higher level,” de Jong concluded. “All of this will bring more efficiency and help us meet the growing demands for modern, quality production for our audience. Talpa Network has worked with Lawo products for many years, valuing their reliability in live media production workflows. This makes Lawo a trusted technology partner for our mission-critical operations”, de Jong closes.
