In Broadcast - May 2021 - 58

58

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 11 - Issue 5 | May 2021

InForm

Broadcast Systems
Integration, Evolution
& Revolution
By Russell Peirson-Hagger, Managing Director, ATG Danmon...

B

roadcasters take great pride in
telling each other how rapidly
their industry is advancing. Much of that
progress has been steady and relatively
predictable evolution. With nearly
three decades at the cutting edge of
broadcast systems integration, ATG
Danmon maintains a watching brief on
developments across the entire media
business, not just on technology but on
its proven or potential applications and
the business opportunities these look
set to create.
Our long experience of IT-based
infrastructure design and integration
positioned us well for the progression
from SDI-centric to today's SDI/IP
hybrid systems and the increasing
trend towards IP-centric workflow. The recommendations we
offer to existing and potential
clients contemplating the SDI to IP
transition are based on the realworld operational, technical and
cost benefits they are likely to gain,
both in the immediate and long term.
Our strategy is not just to replicate
traditional SDI workflow but to make
full use of the flexibility inherent
in hybrid and IP-specific system
structures.
Applied
experience,
knowledge and expertise in uniquely
challenging technical environments
are the keys to successful broadcast

media systems integration.
Success
in
winning
project
contracts
stems
from
solid
practical
experience combined with
an understanding of how
improved
engineering
translates
into
superior
systems.
2020 was expected to be
the year 8K emerged from
the shadows as a high-profile
performer in OB coverage
of the Tokyo Olympics: an
opportunity
for
Japan's
entire broadcast sector to
showcase new developments
in digital technology, not
least for NHK's 8K direct-to-home
satellite channel which would provide
justification for display manufacturers
to ramp up production of consumer 8K
TV receivers. What actually happened
was the global coronavirus pandemic.
Live event streaming
Like many other regions around
the world, London went into its first
lockdown towards the end of Q1 2020.
Among those affected was the Venue
Group which had created the new
600-capacity Lafayette London liveevent centre. We were commissioned
by the group to provide the production

That Lot founder David Schneider and colleagues

Robotic camera testing in progress during installation at Lafayette

system to allow the live relay of stage
performances, as well as studio-style
recording with on-site editing. The
introduction came from an existing
ATG Danmon customer, Universal
Music Group, which occupies most
of the building in which Lafayette is
situated.
Live-streaming proved a lifeline
for Lafayette. The absence of a live
audience became an advantage as the
group were able to break the mould of
traditional music TV by televising from
various locations on and beyond the
main stage. The auditorium, bar area
and foyer spaces rendered
empty by the lockdown
opened up shooting styles
which would have been
difficult or impossible under
normal circumstances.
A crucial question was how
to accommodate a complete
control room in the limited
amount of space available
above and behind the stage.
Another was the need to
minimise any obstruction of
stage performances when
viewed from the 600 capacity
auditorium. The solution we
proposed and built includes

UHD robotic PTZ cameras which
allow the operators to capture full
broadcast quality video from multiple
positions without interrupting the
view from the auditorium. Camera
robotics have greatly improved in
recent years, notably in terms of
mechanical precision with features
such as dynamic acceleration which
allows accurate live tracking of
moving subjects. Programmability,
connectivity and the performance of
the cameras themselves have also
developed apace.
Social media TV
With nearly 4 billion smartphones
now in use around the world, a
growing number of manufacturers
and service providers have recognised
the potential of social media as
a vehicle for direct or sponsored
television advertising. That Lot, one
of Europe's leading providers of social
media content production support,
commissioned us to create a multicamera studio plus a fully equipped
control room including lighting,
vision and audio mixing, routing,
recording, monitoring and archiving.
This included a full-colour back-lit LED
cyclorama which provides sharp
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