In Broadcast - June 2015 - 30


30

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 5 - Issue 6 | June 2015

InStudio

Intercom Systems Make Great Strides cont'd...

Clear-Com's new Gateway CG-X1

Leveraging The Push To IP
The
drive
within
television
production today is for broadcast to
be underpinned by IP connectivity.
BBC's Stagebox IP adapter has been
at the helm of this surge in activity
and is still being actively developed.
Recently BBC R&D department
partnered with Trilogy Broadcast to
integrate a Gemini IP intercom with
BBC's Stagebox. The Trilogy Gemini IP
intercom can now use Stagebox to link
the intercoms for multiple cameras, all
while transmitting HD content over a
standard IP network.
Trilogy's Sales Director, Ewan
Johnston said: "Gemini, already being
an IP-based comms system, has taken
a major step toward all-inclusive
IP production with the successful
completion of integration testing of its
talkback system and Stagebox
on a Cisco based Wide
Area
Network
(WAN)."

Sony's NXL-IP55 live production
unit, and Sony's Networked Media
Interface, uses a standard IP link over
a Local Area Network to transmit up
to four HD-SDI video streams (three
downstream and one upstream, or two
downstream and two upstream). The
system also supports up to 10 audio
channels, including intercom, control
signals, tally, GPIO and genlock. It
is designed to be an extremely low
latency system delivering broadcast,
control
and
intercom
signals
simultaneously.
Intercom over IP is, however, not
a new phenomenon. More than five
years ago Axia introduced an IP
Intercom system.
Its IC.20 intercom panel now
features 20 station presets for
quick contact with frequently-called
locations. With no central matrix or

Sony's NXL-IP55

This new enhancement allows
talkback to travel via Stagebox onto
a WAN and emerge at the other end
feeding directly, as native IP, into
a Gemini matrix. In a recent music
festival, Trilogy IP panels were
connected via a WAN, which fed IP
audio traffic directly back to Gemini.
No converters or interface boxes were
required.
Another front runner in the
transition to IP networks for
production is Sony. At this year's
NAB it showed developments in its
growing IP ecosystem and its goal
of making the transition away from
SDI for certain live applications.

card-cage, it is fully scalable. Users
can expand the number of intercom
stations as the facility grows by simply
plugging in new stations.
IP Intercom systems are now being
developed for lower cost installations.
Riedel Communications' Tango TNG200 networked intercom system is an
example, featuring RAVENNA audio
over IP, AES67 interoperability and

AVB (Audio Video
Bridging)
Ethernet
transport technologies.
It is designed to be
used in conjunction with
the My First Riedel intercom
application and offers two Digital
Partylines, two AES67 and AVBcompliant ports, two Ethernet ports,
an optional slot and redundant power.

FreeSpeak II wireless intercom which
runs in multiple, license-free DECT
frequencies in the 1.897 to 1.933GHz
band and includes a new five-channel
digital belt pack, which is resistant to
water and dust and complies with the
IP-65 rating. Other features include:
an audio memory replay function,
real-time battery monitoring and a
technician's light.

Clear-com's Freespeak II wireless solution

"With Tango, we're extending our
intercom product line with a comms
platform that is suited for small to
mid-size installations at a price/
performance
ratio
unheard of in the
industry," commented
Jake
Dodson,
Director of Product
Management
for
Riedel. "Tango allows
our clients to use the
network technology of their
choice. Moving from hardware
to software based solutions gives
them this flexibility."
Cutting The Cord
The future may be IP, but there
might be no cable required. There
are numerous examples of wire
free systems for all sorts of media
production environments, from the
AA battery operated Duo from Wood
& Douglas for studio crew, to Trilogy's
semi-duplex UHF wireless systems. The
latest to appear is Clear-Com's new

FreeSpeak II can be used either as a
standalone wireless system with a base
station or, as FreeSpeak II Integra,
integrated with Eclipse HX matrices.
Up-to 20 full duplex wireless belt
packs can be connected in base station
mode, with the number rising to 50 for
a matrix.
Clear-Com has also introduced
Interruptible
FoldBack
(IFB)
capabilities for systems and a mobile
app for remote access from iPhone
or iPad. The Clear-Com Eclipse HX
IFB has been redesigned to include
new assignment and management
features within both the EHX
configuration software and integrated
Production Maestro Pro program.
The IFB manager is able to handle
installations starting with a handful
of units up to hundreds of lines, all
from a single central display. The 'SeeHear-Touch' feature gives interactive
options and management support
with dynamic graphical views for
monitoring IFB status, plus functions
for troubleshooting.

Riedel's Tango TNG-200 networked intercom system
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.clearcom.com/product/interoperability-solutions/clear-com-gateway/cg-x1 http://www.clearcom.com/product/wireless/freespeakII http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/product/broadcast-products-switchers-ip-live-production/nxl-ip55/overview/ http://www.riedel.net/en-us/products/communications/tangonetworkedcommunicationsplatform/platform.aspx
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - June 2015
