Clear-com has announced that the production teams for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have added Clear-Com FreeSpeak wireless and Arcadia Central Station to upgrade their production communications.

Audio Masterpiece’s Gary Vahling, who has worked in the professional audio industry since the early 1990s, served as the lead systems partner for the project. Known for his meticulous preparation and hands-on testing approach, Vahling made sure the communications system was fully validated before deployment, minimizing risk and guaranteeing reliability once it reached the studio floor.

Chris Savage, technical manager and project lead for both shows, oversaw the system design and installation.

“Both shows share a control room but have stages that are effectively miles apart due to walls, pathways, and even parking lots,” Savage explained. “We needed a system that could handle extensive travel between the control room and the stages without a single dropout, and that’s exactly what we achieved.”

The production team on Wheel of Fortune requested a more flexible and channel-rich system to accommodate a technically savvy crew with increased monitoring needs. Clear-Com integrated a combination of FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems, leveraging Bluetooth-enabled beltpacks for maximum ease-of-use, even for executives with minimal technical experience.

For Jeopardy!, reliability and streamlined communication were equally critical in supporting the show’s fast-paced production environment, where timing, contestant coordination, and precision cueing are essential, Clear-com said. The Clear-Com setup provides dedicated wireless coverage across the stage and production areas, giving crew members instant, uninterrupted communication throughout tapings.

The system now supports 30 FreeSpeak II beltpacks and 6 Icon beltpacks for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, with easy intersystem connectivity.

The upgrade also included Arcadia Central Station, allowing full interoperability with existing Dante-enabled audio networks. This approach enabled lighting and PA crews to continue using legacy FreeSpeak II beltpacks while taking advantage of FreeSpeak Icon’s advanced capabilities.

“The goal was a system that would last for years and scale with evolving production needs,” said Savage. “The team at Clear-Com, working closely with our Partners, delivered a solution that was simple and useful. From control room to stage, operators experienced zero downtime, even during high-pressure live productions.”

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced the successful deployment and testing of FreeSpeak Cell by RTL Deutschland during a live event production at Germany’s Nürburgring race circuit. The test validated the system’s ability to deliver reliable, low-latency communications across both private and public 5G networks, demonstrating the potential of cellular-based intercom workflows for future broadcast operations, the company reported.

Conducted in collaboration with RTL Deutschland and supported by Deutsche Telekom’s 5G network expertise and connectivity, the proof of concept demonstrated how FreeSpeak Cell can extend communications coverage across large-scale production environments by leveraging existing 5G infrastructure. The test integrated with RTL's existing communications ecosystem and provided stable connectivity across areas that would traditionally require multiple DECT antennas or additional infrastructure.

“For us at RTL, the flexibility of our production workflows is one of our top priorities,” said Jens Schilder, Project-Engineer at RTL Deutschland. “The successful test at the Nürburgring proves that integrating intercom solutions into 5G infrastructures efficiently bridges the last mile of wireless communication. Thanks to FreeSpeak Cell technology, we were able to ensure stable communications coverage across almost the entire Grand Prix circuit, the paddock, and additional production areas without relying on complex infrastructure. This is a decisive step toward fully mobile remote productions that demand the highest standards of latency and reliability.”

By leveraging 5G connectivity, RTL achieved clear audio quality and reliable communications coverage across almost the entire Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, as well as the paddock and additional production areas including Hatzenbach.

Key results from the text included:

• Successful operation across private campus and public 5G networks
• Extended communications coverage using existing 5G infrastructure
• Integration with RTL's established communications workflow
• Validation of cellular-based intercom technology for live production environments

“The partnership with RTL Deutschland shows our commitment to implementing innovative solutions directly in real-world applications,” added Alex Hemme, sales manager DACH at Clear-Com. “The market demands scalable systems that reduce operating costs while increasing freedom of movement for production teams. FreeSpeak Cell delivers exactly that kind of flexibility and investment security. Demonstrating these capabilities under the demanding conditions of the Nürburgring sends a strong signal to the entire broadcast industry.”

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has unveiled the purpose-built Avalon 1RU IP intercom communication platform for modern networked production.

Designed to simplify and scale workflows across broadcast, live events and production environments, Avalon supports FreeSpeak wireless beltpacks, HelixNet digital partyline, V-Series and I.V. Direct within a compact 1RU form factor. The platform features scalable licensed port capacity and flexible IP interfacing, allowing users to configure systems based on current operational needs and expand over time without replacing hardware.

Built for fully IP-based intercom environments, Avalon provides a streamlined alternative for users who do not require analog audio connectivity. The platform combines scalable licensed port architecture with a compact rack-mounted design, helping users reduce system complexity while maintaining the performance and reliability. Optimized for modern network infrastructures, Avalon expands customer choice within the Clear-Com product family as a cost-efficient option for IP-only workflows.

“Avalon represents a major step forward in how intercom systems are designed and deployed,” said Dave MacKinnon, vice president of product management at Clear-Com. “We focused on simplifying deployment while maintaining the flexibility and performance our customers expect. The result is a modern IP platform that enables teams to scale efficiently and communicate reliably across a wide range of environments.”

Avalon complements the company’s Arcadia Central Station, which remains part of the Clear-Com product portfolio for applications requiring hybrid analog and IP connectivity, front-panel control and legacy system support.

The platform supports AES67, Dante and Clear-Com’s I.V. Direct technologies for local and remote connectivity. Avalon also offers expanded IP capacity and networking flexibility for productions and installations operating on converged infrastructures.

“With Avalon, we wanted to remove traditional barriers to system design and expansion,” said Frank Linton, product manager at Clear-Com. “The licensed port architecture allows users to scale capacity over time without replacing hardware, while support for open standards helps simplify integration into existing workflows.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has named Brian Grahn as market outreach manager, Americas, and Ben Turnwell as business development manager, EMEA live, expanding their roles to work more closely with customers, consultants and partners in those regions.

Grahn, who joined the intercom and communications system provider in 2022, now leads consultant-focused outreach and technical engagement across such markets as themed entertainment and cruise lines, the company said. Formerly regional sales manager, Southwest U.S., Grahn will work across sales, marketing and product management and engineering teams to support system design conversations, refine messaging and help translate real-world workflows into future product direction, Clear-Com said.

“I am very much looking forward to building deeper connections with consultants, shaping how we tell our story in the market, and helping deliver communication solutions for some truly complex and creative environments,” Grahn said.

Added Kris Koch, Clear-Com’s director of sales, North America: “Brian has a unique ability to connect the technical and human sides of what we do. He understands how systems are used in the field, but also how to communicate that value clearly. That’s critical as we continue to engage more closely with consultants and end users.”

The U.K.-based Turnwell will lead business development across the live production sector in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), working with production companies, venues, promoters and other stakeholders to identify new opportunities and support sustainable business development across the region, Clear-Com said. He brings to the company more than a decade of experience in live sound, system design and technical sales, it said, with a background in touring, theater and large-scale live productions.

“Ben brings a practical understanding of how our customers operate in high-pressure, real-world environments,” Chris Willis, vice president of worldwide sales at Clear-Com, said. “He’s focused on building trust and long-term partnerships, which is exactly how this industry works and how Clear-Com continues to grow globally.”

Turnwell will also work closely with Clear-Com’s internal teams to ensure alignment on commercial strategy, product capabilities and customer expectations across the market, the company said.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced FreeSpeak Cell, a cellular-based wireless intercom system that uses LTE and 5G infrastructure to support large-scale production communications. The system makes its debut at the 2026 NAB Show between April 18 and 22.

FreeSpeak Cell is designed to operate over public and private LTE and 5G networks, enabling full-duplex wireless intercom across wide geographic areas without relying on traditional radio frequency coordination. FreeSpeak Cell directly addresses increasing congestion in UHF, DECT and Wi-Fi bands, particularly in large venues and high-density live event environments.

Unlike traditional wireless intercom systems constrained by local spectrum and physical coverage boundaries, FreeSpeak Cell leverages cellular networks to support communications across much larger areas with fewer on‑site components.

“FreeSpeak Cell represents a shift in how productions approach wireless intercom,” said Bob Boster, president of Clear-Com. “We are applying carrier-grade cellular infrastructure to professional communications, expanding both scale and coverage.”

FreeSpeak Cell is intended for large‑scale and distributed environments where conventional wireless systems can face channel limits, coverage constraints or spectrum coordination challenges.

The system supports deployments of 100 or more beltpacks and can scale to hundreds of users depending on network configuration. Because it operates over LTE and 5G, coverage can extend beyond a single building or compound, enabling communications across large properties or distributed production areas.

More specifically, Clear-Com reported that FreeSpeak Cell supports:

• Operation over LTE and 5G networks
• CBRS private LTE (Band 48) in the United States
• Dual SIM capability, including physical SIM and eSIM
• Global radio support across 700–900 MHz and 1700–4200 MHz bands

The dual SIM design allows users to configure access to private cellular networks, public carrier networks or a combination of both, depending on operational needs.

FreeSpeak Cell complements Clear‑Com’s existing FreeSpeak wireless intercom portfolio, extending communications beyond the physical limits of traditional RF‑based systems.

While FreeSpeak II is optimized for contained venues and localized productions, FreeSpeak Cell is designed for large, distributed environments that require wide‑area coverage, high user density and seamless communication across campuses, venues or geographically dispersed production zones.

Unlike traditional DECT- or UHF-based systems that require local transceivers positioned throughout a venue, FreeSpeak Cell leverages existing cellular infrastructure. In venues with private LTE or 5G networks, the system can operate over that infrastructure. In other environments, it can utilize public carrier networks where coverage and policies permit.

This approach can reduce the amount of on-site RF infrastructure required for large-scale deployments and simplify coordination in spectrum-constrained markets.

The system is designed to support multi-channel, full-duplex voice communications alongside other workflows running on the same network, including data applications and video transport, subject to network configuration and bandwidth availability.

By relying on cellular infrastructure rather than venue‑specific RF transceivers, FreeSpeak Cell can significantly reduce the amount of temporary equipment, cabling and frequency coordination typically required for large productions. This model allows teams to deploy communications more quickly, scale systems more easily, and adapt to changing production layouts without reconfiguring RF infrastructure.

Currently, FreeSpeak Cell works with the Eclipse HX digital matrix platform. Integration with Arcadia Central Station is expected a few months after initial release and support for Gen-IC , Clear-Com’s cloud-based intercom platform, is planned for later this year.

FreeSpeak Cell will begin shipping in spring 2026 in the United States. Additional regulatory certifications for other regions are expected throughout the year.

Clear-Com will be showing the system during the 2026 NAB Show at Booth C5807.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com announced significant updates to its Arcadia Central Station as well as enhancements to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System now running the latest EHX v15 software. The improvements deliver expanded scale, flexibility, and network resilience across its intercom ecosystem, the company reported.

EHX v15 represents the newest software improvements for Eclipse HX, delivering expanded configuration capabilities, increased system capacity, and enhanced network resilience. They also enable the introduction of ARC (Access, Resource, Configuration).

ARC introduces a fundamentally new architectural model that redefines how intercom systems are designed, deployed, and experienced, shifting the industry toward a more flexible, software-defined future. Rather than binding users, devices, and resources to fixed physical infrastructure, ARC decouples hardware from system behavior, transforming intercom into a more flexible, software-defined platform. This shift helps systems to dynamically adapt to users, workflows, and environments in real time.

This architectural shift enables more efficient use of system resources and removes traditional hardware constraints. That means ARC can significantly reduce system complexity and cost, while simultaneously expanding capability and in many use cases, customers can achieve substantially greater functionality with fewer resources compared to conventional intercom approaches.

Built on three foundational layers (Access, Resource, and Configuration) ARC offers these key features:

• Access introduces secure, identity-based system entry, allowing users to log in and operate seamlessly across devices and locations.
• Resource allows dynamic allocation of system capacity through floating or fixed assignments, improving efficiency, scalability, and resilience.
• Configuration establishes role-based workflows, allowing users to move between panels, beltpacks, and virtual clients while maintaining consistent communication and system behavior.

Together, these layers remove traditional hardware constraints for a more agile, resilient, and scalable intercom experience, aligned with the needs of modern, distributed production environments.

With expanded support for the FreeSpeak family and the latest high-density keypanels, users can now also build larger, more flexible systems with increased endpoint density. System capacity has grown to support up to 424 registered beltpacks with up to 255 online at a time, enabling more complex and demanding communications environments.

Updates to Arcadia Central Station are designed to further enhance its role as a flexible, all-in-one intercom core with expanded support for broadcast, live production, and other fast-paced communication environments.

New capabilities include:

• IFB support, expanding program audio and monitoring workflows
• Support for AES67-enabled panels, improving interoperability within IP-based systems

Arcadia continues to support a wide range of Clear-Com endpoints including FreeSpeak wireless systems, HelixNet wired beltpacks, V-Series keypanels, V-Series-Iris-X keypanels, and analog (2-wire) partyline within a single, scalable platform.

“These updates mark a step change in how intercom systems are conceived and deployed,” said Bob Boster, president of Clear-Com. “With ARC, we’re introducing a new architectural approach that breaks traditional constraints between users, devices, and infrastructure. The result is a more flexible, efficient, and scalable system that allows customers to do more with less... unlocking new levels of performance that simply weren’t possible before.”

Clear-Com will showcase these latest enhancements at the 2026 NAB Show between April 18 and 22 at booth C5807.

During the 2026 NAB Show, Dejero and other exhibitors have announced that they will be offering a “Field to Air” demo bringing together a full end-to-end live production chain across multiple booths on the show floor.

The participants stressed that the “Field to Air” effort will not be a staged demo, but as real, continuous signal paths operating in real time between the partners’ stands.

The demonstration brings together Clear-Com, Eutelsat, GlobalM, Matrox Video, and Ross Video alongside Dejero in a live demo that runs across multiple booths on the NAB show floor.

From field capture to air, every link in the production chain will operate in real time over TITAN Command–featuring three independent 5G modems, integrated antennas and Dejero Smart Blending Technology, combining cellular and Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO constellation into a resilient and reliable network.

“This isn’t a canned demo. It is a live proof of concept showing the broadcast industry what happens when the world’s most reliable connectivity meets the world’s best production technology,” said Michael Stanton, director of sales for the Americas at Dejero. “Field to Air brings together partners that broadcasters already trust, united by one thing: Dejero critical connectivity.”

The workflow combines Dejero’s blended connectivity (cellular + LEO satellite via Eutelsat), live encoding, transport, and downstream production systems, creating a true field to air pipeline that runs live throughout the event. It’s a multi-partner ecosystem designed to show how modern broadcast workflows can be built across distributed infrastructure, rather than relying on fixed, single location systems .

As part of the demo, GlobalM plays a central role in making that architecture work, acting as the multi-point distribution layer within the signal chain.

Using its software-defined video network, GlobalM receives the live contribution feed and distributes it in real time to multiple destinations across the NAB show floor, enabling each partner to integrate the signal into their own workflows simultaneously. This is where the orchestration layer becomes critical at managing routing, scaling, and per-destination delivery without duplicating the source feed. In practice, GlobalM is what turns a single contribution into a fully connected, multi-destination live production environment, tying together the entire ecosystem in a way that reflects how modern broadcast infrastructure is evolving.

The partners describes how it works and the primary workflow as follows:

• Field Capture: Dejero EnGo 3 mobile transmitter captures live video in the field using Live Video + GateWay mode, blending cellular and OneWeb LEO satellite connectivity via Eutelsat.
• Encoding: TITAN Command powers the live feed via Matrox’s REMI kit and Monarch Edge encoder, leveraging SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) at 10 Mbps per stream with a target latency of 200–300 milliseconds.
• Distribution: GlobalM’s software-defined video network (SDVN) serves as the multi-point SRT distribution hub, delivering low-latency and high-resilience feeds simultaneously to multiple partner destinations across the NAB show halls.
• Decoding & Production: Partner booths receive and integrate the live feeds into their own production workflows. Ross Video integrates feeds into its production switcher and core router, while Matrox, Eutelsat, and other partners decode and display and process the live signal at their respective booths.
• Additional workflows include Clear-Com’s tally services running on a separate IP path, as well as an NDI HX demonstration via the Dejero WayPoint Flex platform.

The six partners are multiple booths are:

• Dejero (W2761): TITAN Command and EnGo mobile transmitters provide the critical connectivity backbone for the entire demonstration.
• Eutelsat (W3409 & SL300): OneWeb LEO satellite connectivity integrated via REMI Kit and Monarch Edge encoder, with daily live transmissions from the Eutelsat truck.
• Ross Video (N2005): Integrates Dejero connectivity in its latest production truck built by Gerling and Associates, connecting live feeds via the Ross OSG-8971 SRT gateway to the truck’s core router and production switcher.
• Matrox Video (N2451): Supplies the REMI kit for field encoding and Monarch Edge encoder/decoder for SRT transport, streaming feeds to its booth and to Ross.
• Clear-Com (C5807): Provides return video, and tally services, including the launch of FreeSpeak Cell, a new cellular-based intercom ecosystem.
• GlobalM (W3736): Operates the multi-point SRT distribution hub via its software-defined video network, delivering low-latency and high-resilience feeds to all partner destinations.

“Eutelsat brings a longstanding history of delivering satellite-based broadcasting solutions to customers around the world. Our innovative OneWeb LEO constellation extends video expertise to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity worldwide,” said Genaro Grajeda, key accounts manager for the Americas at Eutelsat. “Partnering with Dejero at NAB 2026 demonstrates the power of combining satellite and cellular connectivity for mission-critical broadcast production.”

“This is a strong example of how the right partners can come together to solve real production challenges,” said Jeff Moore, executive vice president and CMO, Ross Video. “Everything here is live and connected, and it shows how easily these workflows can come together.”

Throughout NAB 2026, Dejero and Eutelsat will produce live interview sessions streamed to YouTube from the Eutelsat truck, featuring partners, customers, and industry leaders. The live transmission schedule includes:

Sunday, April 19 – Tuesday, April 21: Morning sessions at 11:00 AM PT daily

Monday, April 20 – Tuesday, April 21: Afternoon sessions at 2:00 PM PT

Each session will run 15–30 minutes and feature technically knowledgeable spokespeople from each partner organization, demonstrating the technology in real time and discussing the workflows and partner ecosystem.

NAB 2026 takes place April 19–22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Dejero will be exhibiting at West Hall, Booth 2761. For more information, visit dejero.com/nab-2026..

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced it will introduce new solutions and unveil a major new product at the 2026 NAB Show, where it will be exhibiting on Booth C5807 from April 19-22.

“NAB gives us an opportunity to introduce new tools that expand what our communications ecosystem can do,” said Bob Boster, president of Clear-Com. “These solutions provide production teams with flexibility and reliability as workflows evolve. We look forward to showing customers and Partners how they support real world production.”

In addition to expanding its communications ecosystem with new technologies to support modern broadcast and live production workflows, the company said it will demonstrate how its intercom technologies connect production teams across studios, remote production sites, broadcast trucks and large live events.

At the booth, visitors can experience the NAB Best of Show award winning FreeSpeak Icon beltpack, the newest addition to its HelixNet family, the 4-Channel HelixNet beltpack, updates to Arcadia Central Station, Gen-IC virtual intercom and more. These solutions support reliable communication in high-stress production environments where coordination across multiple locations and teams is essential, the company said.

Arcadia Central Station serves as Clear-Com’s IP based intercom platform, supporting both wired and wireless deployments while enabling scalable communication across complex workflows. Leveraging Clear-Com’s patented roles-based communication workflow, the platform enables virtual endpoints and floating ports that allow users to dynamically assign panels, including wireless systems such as FreeSpeak, to support evolving production needs. The system allows teams to expand communications as productions grow while integrating seamlessly across diverse production infrastructures.

Clear-Com will also present its virtual intercom solutions, including Gen-IC, Agent-IC mobile app, and Station-ICvirtual desktop clients. These tools secure real time communication for on site, remote and hybrid teams, helping production staff stay connected regardless of location.

Clear-Com also noted that its experts will be available throughout the show to discuss deployment strategies and demonstrate how the solutions integrate across broadcast, sports, live events and corporate production environments. Attendees can explore how Clear-Com systems support coordination, efficiency and operational clarity across a wide range of production settings.

For more information, please visit www.clearcom.com.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com will feature its latest intercom innovations for broadcast, live production and AV professionals, including its 4-Channel HelixNet beltpack, at ISE 2026, Feb. 3-6 at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain.

The company will also feature its other wired, wireless and virtual intercom solutions at ISE 2026.

The 4-Channel Helix Net Beltpack expands on the two-channel model. It allows users to communicate across four distinct channels at the same time for enhanced coordination in multi-team workflows.

With an improved user interface and compatibility with the company’s Arcadia Central Station, the new beltpack provides production teams with greater flexibility and maintains backward compatibility with legacy HelixNet systems.

Clear-Com will also show the FreeSpeak Icon beltpack, its premium wireless solution, delivering performance over 1.9 GHz (DEST). FreeSpeak Icon features nine programmable buttons, four channel volume controls and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, making it well-suited to fast-paced broadcast environments, such as OB trucks, multi-studio facilities and large-scale live events, the company said.

The company will also feature Arcadia Central Station, its IP-based intercom platform for hybrid wired and wireless deployments. With the latest firmware, Arcadia supports up to 32 V-Series IrisX panels and offers dynamic I.V. Port resource allocation for greater system scalability and configuration flexibility, it said.

Enhancements for the company’s virtual intercom portfolio, including Gen-IC, Agent-IC mobile app and Station-IC virtual desktop client, will be on display. The products enable reliable communication for hybrid and remote production teams.

Clear-Com users who are employing Station-IC for production communications have additional third-party options for tactile control of the virtual intercom client. Remote API control can be used for integrations with Stream Deck directly or via an application like Bitfocus Companion, the company said.

See Clear-Com at ISE 2026 Stand 4P700.

More information is available on the company’s website.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has introduced its four-channel HelixNet beltpack, a next-generation advancement of its widely used two-channel model, and anticipates availability next year.

In addition to an expanded channel count, the new beltpack offers an improved user interface designed to meet the evolving demands of live productions and broadcast environments.

The four-channel HelixNet beltpack allows users to simultaneously communicate across four distinct channels, providing greater flexibility for multiteam coordination in complex production setups. While fully compatible with the recent updates to Clear-Com’s Arcadia Central Station, it maintains backwards compatible two-channel functionality on legacy HMS stations and earlier Arcadia versions, Clear-Com said.

The current HelixNet product family offers intuitive, networked party-line intercom solutions built on Clear-Com’s heritage of analog systems. HelixNet user stations, beltpacks, speaker stations, remote stations and central stations provide familiar workflows, effortless administration and scalable deployment without crosstalk or interference.

Powered by Clear-Com’s I.V.Core technology, the existing system dynamically manages audio mixing across up to 24 channels, making it well-suited for live performances, broadcast productions, theme parks and public-safety applications.

“Building on the legacy of the two-channel HelixNet beltpack, this new four-channel version empowers production teams with greater control, communication efficiency, and versatility,” Clear-Com product manager Frank Linton said. “It’s a sustaining project that not only improves our existing portfolio but also introduces a product that meets the real-world demands of our customers.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com says its communications gear was recently deployed for the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Race at Germany’s Nürburgring circuit, which set a record in June as the longest live TV sports broadcast at nearly 28 hours of continuous coverage.

Throughout the event, Clear-Com and its German distributor, Audio-Technica, provided direct technical support to ensure a reliable setup and operation. Using EHX configuration software and its comprehensive monitoring capabilities, operators maintained complete control of the communication network throughout the marathon broadcast.

A total of 21 FreeSpeak II IP transceivers, 20 FreeSpeak II beltpacks, and four of the new FreeSpeak Icon beltpacks were deployed across the site, ensuring reliable and crystal-clear communications throughout the race. Despite the extremely high density of DECT systems in use across the circuit, Clear-Com says it delivered flawless performance thanks to precise planning and sophisticated configuration.

Featuring 130 cars and 500 drivers, the 24-hour endurance race is among the most demanding in the world. The live broadcast, managed by TV Skyline, one of Europe’s largest mobile TV production companies, utilized three OB vans and more than 70 camera feeds, including helicopter footage, a 650-meter cable camera, elevated platforms, and onboard views.

HDwireless GmbH, a specialist in wireless HD and UHD camera systems, provided the helicopter and wireless camera systems as well as the Clear-Com intercom infrastructure for the pit lane, paddock, start/finish area, and helicopter. HDwireless relied on Clear-Com’s Eclipse HX-Delta matrix system, fitted with an E-IPA-HX card, to connect the FreeSpeak II IP transceivers and intercom panels across an extensive AES67 fiber network.

“At an event as technically demanding as the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Race, communication has to be absolutely reliable,” said Alex Hemme, Regional Sales Manager at Clear-Com. “Working closely with HDwireless and Audio-Technica, we ensured that every team, from the OB vans to the pit lane, had clear, stable communication throughout the entire broadcast.”

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com recently contributed its Gen-IC virtual intercom solution to power real-time communications for On-Air Student TV, a 24-hour global student broadcast organized by media leader Carrie Wootten under the banner of the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto.

The broadcast brought together 913 students, staff and industry volunteers across 17 locations on six continents with more than 10,000 YouTube viewers tuning in to watch the 24-hour live stream.

Gen-IC connected program directors at Ravensbourne University in London and participating universities from Brisbane, Australia, to Los Angeles, via São Paulo, Brazil, Mumbai, India and across Europe, all without the need for dedicated intercom hardware, Clear-Com said.

“Each participating university was provided with Clear-Com’s Station-IC virtual desktop client, allowing teams to easily coordinate their contributions,” John Sparrow, Clear-Com’s technical support engineer for the project, said.

“Once installed on a PC or Mac, all they needed was a headset to achieve perfect communications. Gen-IC reliably linked all Station-IC instances via the cloud, giving teams full real-time connectivity wherever they were.”

Some universities took integration a step further, linking Station-IC to their local wired intercom systems. Students at Mulberry University Technical College (UTC) in London, for example, worked with Rise Academy to integrate a Stream Deck controller using the latest Station-IC update, creating a physical interface for operating the comms, the company said.

“I stayed up for 36 hours straight to support the initiative, and it was very much worth it,” said Sparrow. “With contributions from 17 locations on six continents, the buzz in the temporary MCR was incredible.”

The broadcast also made history as the first live event to incorporate the Time Addressable Media Store (TAMS), an open-source API specification developed by BBC Research & Development. More than 30 industry partners including Sky, AWS, ITV Studios, SMPTE, Vizrt, Levira and Techex joined forces on the project, working under Wootten’s leadership to deliver a global, collaborative showcase of student talent and media innovation.

“Clear-Com’s Gen-IC unlocked a level of coordination and professionalism that elevated this project to new heights,” said Wootten, founder of the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto. “It’s beyond what I imagined we could achieve, and it demonstrates the power of industry and education coming together.”

More information is available on the Clear-Com website.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Northern Michigan broadcaster WWTV recently completed a major IP-based upgrade that connects its new Traverse City studio with its control room nearly fifty miles away in Cadillac.

Spearheaded by systems integrator Key Code Media, the ambitious project included the installation of a new Clear-Com Arcadia Central Station to enable fully distributed communications across the two sites.

WWTV has served the region as both a CBS and FOX affiliate since 1954. It moved into a new, compact Traverse City studio to consolidate operations and modernize its broadcast capabilities. The station faced a unique challenge: operating a live, on-air studio with no on-site engineers while keeping all technical staff based at its Cadillac control room.

To solve that problem, Key Code Media delivered an end-to-end IP infrastructure, integrating networked cameras, audio, video routing, and control systems between the two facilities. At the heart of the communications upgrade was the Clear-Com Arcadia Central Station, which replaced WWTV’s decades-old party-line system.

“The old building was too big, too costly, and no longer served our needs,” said Ben Scripps, assistant operations manager at WWTV. “Our team made the decision to consolidate and move our studio closer to our offices in Traverse City but we had to keep the Master Control in Cadillac. That’s 50 miles apart. How do you make that work?”

Arcadia’s scalability and Dante integration were instrumental in Key Code Media’s design, helping WWTV to route intercom audio alongside video and control signals with minimal latency. This modernized intercom backbone ensures that talent and production staff remain in sync across geographically separated facilities.

“The whole setup had to be intuitive. We don’t have engineers on site,” added Scripps. “Key Code made sure we could walk in, touch a screen, and the studio would be lit for our show.”

“Clear-Com’s Arcadia was a critical part of making this distributed IP workflow possible,” added Jon Rutherford, director of broadcast solutions at Key Code Media. “It provided the flexibility, reliability, and ease of integration we needed to unify communications for a team working across nearly 50 miles of distance.”

The project also included robotic Sony PTZ cameras, Autoscript prompters, Sennheiser wireless audio, Planar LED displays, and a Ross Ultrix router, all tied together through a robust IP network architecture.

With Arcadia at its core, WWTV now operates with streamlined communications, enhanced production efficiency, and the flexibility to scale for future needs, the station reported.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced that Nagoya Broadcasting Network (NBN, also known as Me-Tele) has adopted the FreeSpeak II Digital Wireless Intercom System for its Studio A facility, further expanding its investment in Clear-Com’s IP-based intercom solutions.

Studio A, a principal 320-square-meter production studio inside Nagoya Broadcasting Network’s modern headquarters, serves as a flexible space for mid- to large-scale programming, including news segments, variety shows, and other studio-recorded content.

Matsuda Trading Co. Ltd. (MTC), Clear-Com’s partner in Japan, provided design support, system integration, and pre-installation RF testing for the project.

NBN first standardized on Clear-Com’s Eclipse HX Digital Matrix system in 2019, incorporating E-IPA interface cards, Agent-IC® mobile apps across its broadcast operations. Building on the proven reliability of these solutions, the station later upgraded two OB vans with FreeSpeak II, where it received high marks from production teams for its outstanding audio quality and wide coverage range.

With the 2023 introduction of FreeSpeak II IP transceivers supporting Japan’s DECT specifications, NBN moved quickly to evaluate and adopt the system for its Studio A operations. By updating the firmware on the existing E-IPA card and distributing antennas over PoE, NBN was able to expand its wireless communications infrastructure without investing in new base stations, the company reported.

“FreeSpeak II has significantly improved our on-air communication reliability,” said Hideaki Inoue, operations management department at NBN. “The audio quality is excellent, the flexibility of antenna placement has expanded our coverage area, and the beltpack features, such as independent volume controls, have been well received by our users. The system has already proven itself as an essential tool for our daily live broadcasts.”

Looking ahead, NBN plans to expand its use of IP connectivity by integrating FreeSpeak II with Agent-IC and LQ Series interfaces to reduce reliance on temporary copper and legacy lines for remote production.

“NBN has been an early adopter of Clear-Com’s IP workflows, and their confidence in FreeSpeak II reflects the system’s ability to deliver mission-critical communications in both studio and OB environments,” said Clear-Com regional sales manager Brian Chow. “We are proud to work alongside our trusted partner MTC in supporting NBN’s continued innovation in broadcast communications.”

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com will show the FreeSpeak Icon beltpack, the latest addition to the FreeSpeak wireless family, its adaptable Arcadia Central Station and new enhancements for the company’s virtual intercom portfolio during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

The FreeSpeak Icon beltpack, released earlier this year, delivers robust wireless performance on the 1.9 GHz band for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT). With nine programmable buttons, four-channel volume controls and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, it supports broadcast environments where communication clarity is critical, Clear-Com said.

The beltpack integrates easily with both the Arcadia and Eclipse HX systems, enabling large production teams to communicate with clarity and efficiency. Its intuitive interface and design make it well-suited for everything from OB vans to multistudio operations, it said.

The Arcadia Central Station serves as Clear-Com’s IP-based intercom powerhouse for hybrid wired and wireless deployments across complex broadcast operations. With the latest firmware release, Arcadia supports up to 32 V-Series IrisX panels, giving production teams greater capacity and control. The system also allows for dynamic reallocation of I.V. Port resources, meaning users can flex Arcadia configuration to satisfy their needs for specific channel requirements and broader interconnectivity, it said.

Clear-Com will also feature its virtual intercom suite, including Gen-IC, Agent-IC and Station-IC, which empower hybrid and remote teams to collaborate without sacrificing audio quality or reliability. Gen-IC will be shown with new integration options and expanded functionality. The company will also show its EHX v14 software release, which simplifies configurations and enhances IP-based communication.

Clear-Com will present Mina Sabet, head of production at TED Conferences, who will appear as a featured speaker during the IABM GEP panel, “Business Transformation—The Mediatech Buyer Perspective,” Sept. 12 at 1:30 p.m., at the IABM Hub, Diamond Lounge.

See Clear-Com at IBC2025 Stand 10.D29.

More information is available on the company’s website.

EAST HARTFORD, Conn.—Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) has announced that it worked with the U.S. Soccer Federation during the recent U.S. Men’s National Team friendly against Turkey.

The match was held at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

“It was great collaborating with the U.S. Soccer Federation and Power Station Events for this match,” says Jim Van Winkle, general manager of Professional Wireless Systems. “Live sports always present unique challenges, and we take pride in delivering reliable wireless solutions that keep the entire production team connected from kickoff to final whistle.”

As the governing body for Major League Soccer and all U.S. soccer programs, the U.S. Soccer Federation brought together the production team for this high-profile event. For the match, PWS worked in close collaboration with the U.S. Soccer Event Production team and the technical director from Power Station Events to ensure seamless audio throughout the venue.

Broadcast live by TNT the match demanded top-tier coordination behind the scenes. The PWS on-site team, B2B and business development lead Joshua Lampf and operations coordinator Chris Budin, and a seasoned A1 engineer familiar with live sporting events, delivered reliable intercom and communication solutions tailored for the complex production space.

PWS deployed a strong and secure comms system featuring 15 Riedel Bolero beltpacks and eight antennas, including accessories along with Clear-Com headsets, ensuring crystal-clear communication across production zones.

For more information about Professional Wireless Systems, visit www.professionalwireless.com.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced new software updates to its Arcadia Central Station that enable connectivity across Clear-Com products as well as third-party Dante/AES67 devices.

Arcadia Central Station is a scalable, IP-based intercom that seamlessly integrates wired and wireless systems across digital, analog, Dante/AES67, and Clear-Com’s I.V. Direct, according to the company.

The latest enhancements include support for V-Series IrisX Panels and flexible port allocation. Users can now connect up to 32 V-Series IrisX panels directly to Arcadia, enabling high-density keypanel workflows traditionally reserved for expensive and complex matrix systems. Port allocation flexibility also lets operators balance HelixNet digital partyline and I.V. Direct connections as needed, for the flexibility to suit almost any workflow.

“With this release, Arcadia moves beyond party line communications into a true communications hub,” Clear-Com Vice President of Product Management Dave MacKinnon said. “It’s a complete communications solution that grows with customer needs, integrates easily into existing infrastructures, and supports everything from partyline to IP matrix keypanels, all in a 1RU device.”

Arcadia’s robust architecture supports nearly any operating environment, on analog XLR, IP networks or fiber, and accommodates wireless across 1.9-GHz, 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz spectrums. Many different industries including broadcast studios, houses of worship, live theaters and sports arena users can deploy sophisticated, multichannel communications without the need for traditional matrix frames. As with all of Clear-Com’s products, the company said.

A reliable intercom system is the glue that holds live production together. In our latest Guide to Intercoms, we take a look at the evolution of intercom systems and how they have adapted to the challenges of today's live production environment.

Download your free guide here

Missed any of our recent product news? Here is TV Tech's weekly wrap-up of new products, services and deployments we published in our newsletter between July 22 and July 26. The stories are listed from the newest on Friday July 26, day by day back to our stories from Monday July 22.

Telos Alliance Unveils StudioCore, StudioEdge

Telos Alliance has introduced StudioCore and StudioEdge—both members of the company’s Axia lineup of AoIP studio consoles and accessories.

Bitcentral Integrates Pixalate Analytics Into ViewNexa

Bitcentral has integrated Pixalate’s ad fraud protection, privacy and compliance analytics solution Post-Bid Analytics and Reporting into its ViewNexa streaming platform.

Anton/Bauer Unveils VCLX LI 1600 Power Supply for Cinematographers

Anton/Bauer has launched its VCLX LI 1600, the latest evolution in its VCLX range of block battery systems. The new battery delivers more power than ever from a lightweight and IP65-rated weatherproof unit, the company said.

Nielsen’s Gracenote Enters Contextual CTV Ad Business

Gracenote is now working with Peer39, Magnite, Cannella Media, Ocean Media, DirecTV Advertising, Tastemade, Xumo and others to improve contextual advertising.

What Role Does VVC Have in the Future of Over-the-Air TV?

Recent panel discussion explores ATSC's consideration of the VVC (Versatile Video Coding) candidate standard to include in 3.0. 

Dejero to Showcase its ‘Smart Blending Technology’ at 2024 IBC Show

The company will also mark the IBC debut of its new GateWay 3220 compact network aggregation device.

Alibaba Cloud, OBS Launch AI-Fueled OBS Cloud 3.0 for Paris Olympics

In a notable milestone in the use of cloud-based services at the Olympics, Alibaba Cloud and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), has today announced the launch of OBS Cloud 3.0 for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

FCC Launches New Mobile Speed Test App

The Federal Communications Commission has announced the launch of its new Mobile Speed Test app. The new app features an enhanced user interface that makes challenging the accuracy of the provider-reported mobile coverage data even easier.

LiveU Reports Vital Role in Covering UK Election

Company says 180 broadcasters and news agencies from 40 countries deployed its IP video gear.

Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle Launches

Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of their long-awaited premium streaming bundle for the United States. 

Scripps' Incident Management Planning Minimizes CrowdStrike Disruptions

While some news operations were affected, tech support prep and Macs limited the problems.

Astera to Showcase LunaBulb LED Light at 2024 IBC Show

Astera, a German-based developer of light solutions for film, event and TV markets, will showcase its range of LED-based lighting gear, including its new LunaBulb, at the 2024 IBC Show, Sept. 13-16 at the RAI Amsterdam.

Brazil’s SBTVD Forum Recommends ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer For Nation’s TV 3.0 OTA Service

The SBTVD Forum, the non-profit organization that advises the Brazilian government on digital television and policy matters, is recommending the selection of the ATSC 3.0 physical layer as the over-the-air transmission system for the nation’s TV 3.0 next-generation terrestrial broadcast service, ATSC said.

RAI Taps Clear-Com for New Intercom Setup

Clear-Com has announced that it worked with Video Progetti to deliver an advanced intercom solution for Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), Italy’s state broadcaster.

Sencore to Feature Latest Internet Distribution, Contribution Advancements at IBC Show

The company also will show its latest developments in encoding, decoding and monitoring.

NBC Sports Taps Comcast Technology Solutions for Olympics Coverage

NBC Sports has announced that it will be using Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) to provide multiscreen video management and delivery for its production of the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

QuickLink To Highlight StudioPro 4K Video Production Solution At IBC Show

QuickLink will show its QuickLink StudioPro 4K video production platform at IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

IBC 2024 Sees European Debut of Proton Cam, World’s Smallest Camera

Miniaturized camera specialist Proton Camera Innovations will be bringing Proton Cam, which the company bills as the world’s smallest broadcast camera, to the IBC Show, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

Gray Television To Enhance Paris Olympics NextGen TV Signal With HDR, Immersive Audio

The broadcast group will offer NextGen TV viewers in eight of its NBC markets the Paris Olympics in HDR when they open Wednesday, July 24. Viewers in three of those markets also will be able to listen to immersive audio of the games.

Lawo To Launch Home mc² DSP App Audio Engine At IBC Show

Lawo will make the official launch of HOME mc² DSP app, first announced at the NAB Show in April, at IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

DMC Productions Leverages GV AMPP-Based Workflow for Nordic Tennis Tournament

DMC Productions has deployed a remote production workflow that processes all signals on site as opposed to transporting them for off-site processing based on Grass Valley AMPP for the 2024 Nordea Open tennis tournament, July 8-21, the company said.

Amazon Prime Video Acquires Bray Film Studios in the U.K.

The studio has been the production home for the second season of the Prime Video series `The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ since 2022.

Paramount Advertising Brings AI-Generated Ads to Pluto TV, Paramount+

Powered by generative AI partner Waymark, Paramount's new Paramount Ads Manager creates CTV ads based on images, text, and videos derived from a business’s website.

Perifery Introduces AI+ 2.0 Suite of Tools

Perifery has launched AI+ 2.0, an AI-powered suite for media professionals to revitalize their existing content libraries with AI-generated metadata.

FOR-A to Spotlight Software-Defined IP Solutions At IBC Show

FOR-A will show spotlight software-defined IP solutions and hybrid production at the IBC Show, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced that it worked with Video Progetti to deliver an advanced intercom solution for Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), Italy’s state broadcaster. 

The innovative deployment was designed to enhance RAI’s production capabilities across its extensive network of production centers and regional stations, making it one of the most sophisticated intercom setups in Europe, the companies reported. 

RAI, the Italian state broadcaster, operates four major production centers in Milan, Naples, Rome, and Turin, along with 23 regional stations. As the fifth-largest media company in Europe, RAI manages 14 TV channels and 23 regional feeds, providing a comprehensive broadcasting service to the nation. 

RAI required an intercom solution that could handle the complexity of its productions, from major live events to small studios. The solution needed to provide a centralized management mechanism, integrating each sub-system into a single multi-studio environment. Additionally, the intercom terminals had to offer robust and reliable wireless operation, Clear-Com reported. 

Video Progetti proposed and deployed a full Clear-Com system based on the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix and FreeSpeak II wireless system. Each of the five galleries (control rooms) has its own Eclipse matrix, interconnected in a peer-to-peer fashion via IP using RAI’s standard IT network. This forms a seamless integrated system with a sixth matrix, referred to as "POOL," managing all shared resources like wireless beltpacks and studio panels independently from each gallery. These functionalities are embedded into the Eclipse matrix, eliminating the need for additional middleware or orchestration. The wireless FreeSpeak system can be shared across all galleries and studios as required, Clear-Com explained. 

"Clear-Com's solutions have proven to be transformative for the team’s production capabilities," said Francesco Struzzi, sales director Video Progetti. "The integration and flexibility of the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix and FreeSpeak II wireless system have significantly enhanced our ability to manage complex productions seamlessly across multiple locations." 

In addition, the use of the 1.9GHz frequency allows for a robust and interference-free radio system. Clear-Com's optimized DECT technology ensures interference-free wireless communication between transceivers and belt-packs. The ease of use of the solution is further enhanced through the HCI API, which allows for control from third-party automation systems, making system reconfiguration quick and easy. The Clear-Com solution includes configuration software (EHX) with a client-server topology, allowing multi-user access with varying levels of permissions. EHX also provides telemetry data on RF signal statuses, battery levels, and alerts to ensure maximum reliability, Clear-Com said. 

Dynam-ECTM software offers an additional operational management layer with a customizable graphical interface and drag-and-drop functionality. 

The deployment of Clear-Com’s products supports mid-large scale studio facilities, allowing for maximum scalability, flexibility, and coexistence of the same solution across different studios and galleries. For remote production of sports events and major OB productions, the compatibility of standardized radio frequencies abroad and the ability to interconnect with other systems showcase Clear-Com's long-standing tradition of openness and versatility, the companies reported. 

Broadcasting is all about communicating to and with the viewing audience. A big part of making this happen is the ability for production teams, technical crew and on-air talent to communicate with each other. Which is why intercom has always been a key technology, albeit one with fairly humble beginnings. But from relatively simple systems for studio communications, with facilities to talk to incoming sources, it has grown into both a continually developing technical area and a substantial business sector.

Part of this can be attributed to the expanding scale of TV production, not just bigger and more elaborate shows but also the ever growing use of remote access through IP networks and the cloud. This has seen REMI (REMote Integration) become a major consideration for intercom installations, although most manufacturers regard it as something that is already well-established in live production.

Smaller Crews
The difference today, says Dave MacKinnon, recently appointed vice president of product management at Clear-Com, is that whereas such a set-up would have been “very well planned out” 10 years ago, broadcasters are now working on a more “run and gun” basis.

“More productions are being done by either one person or a small production team,” explains MacKinnon, who came to Clear-Com after a career that began with the federal government and continued with 12 years at NBCUniversal. “And because of increased bandwidth and 5G, the production center doesn’t have to be in the city the show is coming out of. In the last few years the economics of broadcasting have changed dramatically, with many broadcasters wanting to spin up FAST channels to extend the value of what they are doing.”

As part of this, MacKinnon adds, “flexibility and interoperability” are the two main features broadcasters expect from modern intercom systems. Both these criteria are highlighted by John Hooper, president of Eartec, which produces a range of wireless headsets that can be connected to wired intercoms using the company’s digital interface module.

Eartec’s “plug and play solution includes software to balance the signals of the existing wired intercom and Eartec’s full duplex wireless transceivers to create a seamless audio link,” Hooper says. “We’re also seeing a growth in demand for long-range communication and offer [Eartec’s] Global Connect system for wireless communication over IP. This is linked to a computer or even a smartphone and allows mobile wireless users to communicate in full duplex through the internet.”

Eartec recently announced the availability of its new UltraLITE PRO16, a full duplex wireless headset aimed at larger crew sizes.

REMI Workflows
Rick Seegull, senior vice president of technology and business development at Riedel Communications, adds scalability and reliability to the list of requirements along with flexibility and interoperability. “Of course, there is a major IP component to provide for these features and most are converging to a SMPTE ST 2110-based system so they can easily share resources and sources—for everything, not just intercom—without creating technology islands,” he says.

REMI workflows have been at the forefront of broadcaster’s needs in live location work for several years, Seegull adds.

“This has escalated exponentially since 2020 and now become a standard component for live events, as is At-Home production allowing operators not only to be in the broadcast control room as opposed to on-site but now even being at home whenever the need arises,” he says. “Scalable intercom systems over WAN via VoIP [voice over IP] connectivity or even uncompressed, extreme low latency connections with panels linked anywhere in the world, which allows operators to use the same components they would in the broadcast truck at the venue only back at the main control room or even at home.”

Increasing Interest in Cloud Connectivity
As for the cloud, Seegull comments that it is “definitely being discussed” and used more when it comes to intercoms. This growing interest in virtualized and de-centralized hosting for intercom operations is confirmed by Martin Dyster, vice president of business development at Telos Alliance, which has been a leading proponent of cloud-based communications in recent years.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth and increased interest in this area,” he says. “It’s not necessarily because people are getting into cloud production per se or building entire systems around cloud-based audio and video technology, although those customers exist. People recognize the benefits of a virtualized comms system in being able to deploy an intercom panel at the drop of a hat to anybody anywhere in the world without the overhead of boxing up a piece of hardware, shipping it round it world and relying on someone to hook it up remotely.”

Telos has “worked closely” with the Media and Entertainment team at AWS to determine “best practices” for larger cloud workflows, according to Dyster. “We’ve also worked with technology partners to get over some of the hurdles of moving multicasts between elastic cloud computing instances [a virtual server or computing environment], which, up until now, has been very difficult to do. The partnership with AWS is very positive and they chose us as the comms partner for its delivery of the NAB Show LIVE broadcasts.”

As Michael Brown, business development manager at RTS, observes, one of the first questions asked when people discuss the cloud is: “Whose cloud?” The options are, he says, hardware on-premises or bringing in a third party to oversee the connections set-up. “Other questions that must be answered include “who is responsible for reliable connectivity and who is liable if there are missed commercial inserts when an automated update to another network occurs?’” he muses. “As well as answering these questions, the technology must be proven before a totally cloud-based comms systems is deployed on a high profile, high value production.”

Brown envisions a hybrid design, with a hardware backbone and cloud connectivity “as an adjunct and secondary usage for non-critical communications.”

Gary Rosen, vice president of global sales for wireless intercom developer Pliant Technologies, calls cloud-based intercom products “a great enhancement to an existing infrastructure” but is not convinced it will become the dominant technology for communications, at least in the short-term. “With so many factors needed to make cloud devices work external to the venue, and given the reliability of on-site systems, I don’t believe current systems will be replaced with cloud-based intercom in the near future.”

Options for cloud operations, Rosen adds, include dedicated and hosted servers, which are either in-house or provided by the likes of AWS and Google. AEQ has taken a different approach to most broadcast manufacturers by offering a dedicated cloud service that was created for the company’s systems.

“We manage it and is our own cloud, providing support to our intercom systems with full back-up and no other material on it,” explains sales director Gustavo Robles. “The cloud is very popular because it offers the possibility to interconnect remote locations in a very easy way. But there are still big projects for big customers that demand a traditional, robust, mega-redundant central matrix with dedicated hardware.”

Despite this, Robles acknowledges, requirements are changing, with users deploying what suits the productions, including utilizing smartphones or wearables as wireless beltpacks. The shifting nature of intercom is also shown by Riedel connecting analog microphones to a Bolero wireless intercom beltpack for interview work; and Telos’s prototype combined comms and commentary software panel, which can be controlled either by a touch screen or a hardware box such as the new Elgato Stream Deck Neo.

Which shows that in many ways broadcast intercom is the same as it has always been but is also evolving as new technologies appear to meet broadcaster’s needs.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has begun shipping its Gen-IC Virtual Intercom, a new system combining the benefits of cloud production with the system reliability for which the company is known.

The Gen-IC Virtual Intercom seamlessly integrates with existing hardware ecosystems and can function as a standalone software solution. Its scalability allows users to add virtual clients as needed. The virtual intercom can also integrate with Clear-Com's hardware infrastructure over LAN, WAN and the internet, the company said.

Addressing latency challenges inherent in virtual intercom systems, Gen-IC's application can be deployed on selectable regional targets, ensuring minimal latency and seamless communication for mission-critical productions. 

"We're excited to announce that Gen-IC Virtual Intercom is now shipping," said Kari Eythorsson, product manager at Clear-Com. "This solution offers unparalleled flexibility and reliability, empowering professionals across industries."

Gen-IC Virtual Intercom is user-friendly. It uses Clear-Com's virtual clients, such as the Agent-IC mobile app and Station-IC virtual desktop client. Integration with hardware ecosystems is seamless through Clear-Com's LQ Series of IP Interfaces, streamlining setup and eliminating the need for additional interfacing requirements, it said.

Gen-IC and the Station-IC and Agent-IC companion apps support AES-128 encryption to ensure reliable and secure communications between various endpoints, the company said.

Gen-IC Virtual Intercom is now available for purchase through Clear-Com's global network of resellers.

More information is available on the company’s website.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has unveiled updates for its Arcadia intercom platform to offer expanded connectivity and device support.

Arcadia now delivers a seamless, highly efficient communication experience and provides a variety of features, such as I.V. Direct Interfacing, which allows effortless interfacing with LQ, Eclipse E-IPA and other Arcadia systems over LAN, WAN or the Internet, the company said.

New HelixNet HXII-DPL Powerline device support expands intercom capabilities with enhanced support for HelixNet devices, allowing for greater flexibility and integration within communication infrastructure, it said.

The increased capacity for FreeSpeak II digital wireless system beltpacks and IP transceivers means that Arcadia now supports a significantly higher number of these devices, accommodating larger teams and more complex communication requirements. Arcadia now also doubles the number of supported HelixNet user stations, the company said.

"Our goal has always been to provide our users with the most advanced and reliable communication solutions. Arcadia represents a significant leap forward in terms of connectivity and capacity, empowering our customers to achieve even greater efficiency and performance in their operations," said Clear-Com president Bob Boster.

The latest release of Arcadia is now available.

More information is available on the company’s website.

 ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has released details about how it played a pivotal role in the seamless coverage of the recent solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 by NBC KXAS and Telemundo KXTX. 

During their coverage, both stations used Clear-Com’s Eclipse HX Digital Matrix intercom system and innovative Agent-IC mobile app software to deliver captivating live broadcasts from the heart of the action at Reunion Tower in Dallas, Texas.

Martin Dzurenko, Engineer at NBC KXAS and Telemundo KXTX praised the reliability and versatility of Clear-Com's solutions during the event.

"We utilized Clear-Com's Eclipse HX Digital Matrix intercom system and Agent-IC software to facilitate 28 live shots, seamlessly transmitting content back to our studios," he said. "The flexibility of Agent-IC running on iPads and cell phones allowed our producers to efficiently produce the shows while maintaining constant communication with the studio." 

Delaney Duffey, Engineer at NBCUniversal added that “Clear-Com's technology played a crucial role in ensuring seamless communication and coordination, allowing us to capture the magic of this celestial event and share it with audiences worldwide."

More specifically, Clear-Com's innovative communication solutions, including the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix intercom system and Agent-IC software, facilitated real-time coordination and communication among broadcasters, ensuring the smooth transmission of live broadcasts.  

The use of products during the eclipse also showcased Clear-Com's commitment to enabling broadcasters to excel in even the most demanding live production environments, the company said. 

Clear-Com's Agent-IC app, utilized by both station producers and on-the-ground anchors, provided real-time communication and monitoring capabilities, ensuring smooth coordination throughout the broadcast. 

"Our Agent-IC technology empowered broadcasters to stay connected and in control, whether on-site or remotely," said John Kruman, business development manager at Clear-Com, highlighting the significance of Agent-IC in enhancing the production workflow. "We are proud to have played a crucial role in enabling NBC KXAS and Telemundo KXTX to deliver exceptional coverage of this monumental event."

For more information about Clear-Com and its range of communication solutions, visit https://www.clearcom.com/. 

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced plans to highlight a range of cutting-edge products during the 2024 NAB Show at Booth C6007 that emphasize the company's commitment to advancing mission critical communication solutions for the evolving needs of the industry. 

The key highlights of Clear-Com's presence at the show, which will take place April 13 to 17 in Las Vegas, include Gen-IC Virtual Intercom,  Arcadia Central Station, the latest enhancements to Eclipse HX 13.1, and the EQUIP wireless intercom system. In addition, the company is excited to showcase the HXII-DPL Powerline Device, the latest advancement in intercom connectivity.  

“We are thrilled to showcase our latest innovations at NAB 2024,” Clear-Com vice president of product management Dave MacKinnon said. “With the introduction of Gen-IC this year, we're demonstrating Clear-Com's dedication to providing content creators with the most advanced tools at every level to drive their success in an ever-evolving industry." 

Gen-IC and EQUIP will be showcased prominently at the booth, offering attendees a chance to delve deeper into these products and experience firsthand Clear-Com's dedication to equipping broadcasters and media production professionals of all levels with state-of-the-art solutions. This demonstration underscores Clear-Com's ongoing commitment to enhancing workflow efficiency and optimizing overall performance in the industry, the company said. 

Gen-IC, Clear-Com’s virtual intercom service, stands ready to redefine the benchmark for intercom systems within the industry, the company reported. 

Available as monthly or yearly subscriptions, Gen-IC provides cloud powered intercom to content creators and productions with unmatched versatility and scalability. Gen-IC Essential supports Clear-Com’s intuitive and familiar virtual intercom clients, Agent-IC mobile app and Station-IC virtual desktop client provide dedicated talk listen and level controls per channel enabling fully virtual intercom deployments without dedicated hardware. Gen-IC Premium adds robust interfacing to any hardware intercom systems through Clear-Com’s tried and tested range of LQ Series IP Interfaces to 2-wire, 4-wire, GPIO and SIP, all configured by the CCM browser interface. 

Clear-Com also reported that its EQUIP wireless intercom system eases communication in industrial settings. With exceptional audio quality and hands-free operation, EQUIP ensures seamless connectivity for up to 40 headsets per system using up to 4 remote transceivers that can be placed for capacity and coverage. Its full-duplex communication capability allows simultaneous two-way conversations, enhancing productivity without interruption and delays. Simple NFC pairing and voice alerts make setup effortless, while a user-friendly touchscreen interface ensures easy monitoring and configuration. 

The HelixNet HXII-DPL Powerline Device, enables HelixNet to further adapt to existing cabling infrastructure. Serving as a pivotal update to HelixNet Intercom User Stations, this compact device seamlessly integrates with both Arcadia Central Station and legacy HMS-4X Main Station. By leveraging existing 3-pin XLR cabling, the HXII-DPL facilitates connectivity through passive cabling allowing multiple stations to operate on a single robust line with digital quality of service. This update ensures enhanced convenience, scalability, and reliability in intercom systems, making communication smoother than ever before. 

For more information about Clear-Com and its products, visit https://www.clearcom.com/.  

It will come as no surprise that artificial intelligence (AI), virtualization and the cloud will be the major trends dominating the agenda at this year’s NAB Show. This applies as much to audio as it does to the visually oriented contingent that will be at the exhibition but the sound side is seeing some very different or specific applications of these shared technologies.

When it comes to audio mixing consoles, virtualization and cloud processing are “weekly conversations,” according to Henry Goodman, director of product management at Calrec Audio. “The majority of people want to talk about what will happen in the future with those technologies and how they might benefit from those kinds of workflows,” he says.

Another hot topic, Goodman adds, is, almost inevitably, AI. “It’s an area we’re all  looking at with a great deal of interest,” he comments, “and we’re looking at it to see how it can provide benefits for us.

“On the console side, the area that would interest us is providing facilities that offer some kind of assistive mechanisms for the operators. It could be for balancing external feeds coming in or providing standardized EQ for certain types of microphones. It’s not something that is at the forefront of our development programme right now but we’re definitely keeping a close eye on it.”

AI and cloud processing were highlighted by other manufacturers in TV Tech’s focus on audio mixing consoles in the January edition of TV Tech ("Audio Mixing in the Age of Remote Production") As with many technologies, virtualized mixing and processing is not an entirely new technology; it is now being used increasingly in radio, with Telos Alliance company Axia supplying consoles for one of the first implementations, the BBC ViLOR project, completed in 2019.

‘Headless Mixing’
Martin Dyster, vice president of business development for TV at Telos Alliance, highlights another trend that, although it first appeared elsewhere in the world decades ago, is now gaining traction in the U.S.

 “Audio follow Video [AFV] is becoming increasingly prevalent, particularly in live news at local stations,” he says. (The AFV concept  involves automatically adjusting the timing of audio signals to match the timing of corresponding video signals.)

“In some instances the consoles aren’t even a surface, they’re completely under the automation control of the orchestration layer managing the show,” Dyster adds. “This kind of ‘headless’ mixing is not new but the U.S. has caught up with it and it’s becoming widespread there.”

Similarly, Dyster continues, Europe is ahead of the U.S. when it comes to immersive audio, although NBC has broadcast Olympics in some form of immersive audio for the past decades. 

Christian Struck, senior product manager for audio production at Lawo, comments that broadcasters are currently demanding “intuitive and comprehensive immersive audio features,” with the ability to mix over wide area networks plus support for decentralized mixing involving several consoles.

“Just when immersive audio looked all set to take the world by storm, it was put on the back burner by the pandemic,” Struck says. “But it is back in full force, thanks to the ready availability of playback devices, including smartphones and binaural headphones.”

The IP Network
The last few NAB Shows have seen the growth in products that conform to SMPTE ST 2110 for the transport of media streams over IP networks. But, as Phil Owens, senior sales engineer at Wheatstone, outlines, the cloud is the next challenge for the standard.

“We have seen the whole issue of 2110 environments, where a physical installation has two distinct networks, with audio and video on each,” he says. “The audio goes to both simultaneously, so if there is a drop-out on one, it picks up from the other instantly within a frame of audio. But there is now the issue of how a 2110 environment will work in the cloud, which is still in its early stages.”

Wheatstone is also devoting what Owens calls “a great deal of R&D” in its Layers cloud/server software platform for mixing, streaming and processing either at cloud data centers or local servers. However, he also sees more emphasis being put on voice processing, particularly for news and sports coverage.

“Broadcasters can get away with less acoustic treatment or design in the studio and report from environments that they might not have broadcast from in the past because the mic processor can cover a multitude of sins,” Owens said.

Larry Schindel, product manager at Telos Alliance, agrees that processing is “quickly moving” into the virtualized space. “Cloud processing is gaining in popularity as more workflows migrate to the cloud,” he says. “But there is still a large base of customers who prefer to keep everything ‘on prem’ or at least use a bit of a hybrid approach.

“Some of the more common types of processing in use today are loudness control and upmixing but processes like Object-based Audio with Serial ADM [a metadata format for use with Dolby Atmos] and automatic voice-over mixing are also starting to emerge in the marketplace,” Schindel adds.

Software-Driven Processing
Loudness will again be a focus for NUGEN Audio during the NAB Show, with previews of the latest version of its VisLM3 metering plug-in. New features include user-defined program segments, which can be used where multiple integrated measurements are required, such as between ad breaks; support for up to 22.2 audio channels; stem monitoring; and loudness measuring for individual deliverables.

Professional audio is definitely seeing a “shift towards software-driven processing,” according to Will Waters, principal product manager at Audinate. This, he says, “underlines the industry’s commitment to leveraging advanced technology” to meet the evolving demands of broadcast production.

Waters also sees software processors having an increasing role on the intercom side of broadcast production. “This offers broadcasters even more versatility and efficiency in managing their intercom solutions,” he explains. “The evolution of broadcast technology, especially with digital and IP-based systems, has significantly impacted intercom.

“We’re now seeing Dante as part of intercom communications by being integrated into the networked audio infrastructure, enabling any number of audio mixes or routes to exist from the production equipment,” Waters added.

Staying Connected
IP-based intercoms are now well established but, as Martin Dyster at Telos observes, the sector continues to evolve.

“We’ve found an increasing number of customers moving towards either full Live Cloud Production (LCP) or a hybrid of on prem and cloud,” Dyster said. “From the finance angle, and perhaps surprisingly, we’ve witnessed most of our customers adopt the Infinity VIP system via a one-time buyout capital purchase route. But we have also seen increasing interest in subscription models, especially where the intercom is associated with a cloud-driven video production system like Grass Valley AMPP or Viz.”

Some intercom manufacturers were quicker to offer IP systems than others but now all the major brands have at least one system based on the technology.

“I think IP is now firmly in place,” comments Marco Lopez, vice president of engineering at Clear-Com. “There was a natural progression of first standardizing the way we were distributing audio signals across the various infrastructures and now those are being used for digital audio that could be wired but is also a means of achieving wireless audio connectivity where, typically, you would have had to build a network of antennas, especially for very large scale events with many users connecting to that environment.

“From a technology point of view it’s all about the standards now, ensuring we have good connectivity and integration using ST 2110, along with NMOS support. as well as AES67 and Dante,” Lopez added.

With such a variety of technologies and applications to investigate and discuss, it could be that audio is something of a trendsetter in Las Vegas this year (again). 

Register for the 2024 NAB Show, April 14-17 in Las Vegas at https://nabshow.com/2024/

ALAMEDA, Calif.—As part of its strategic move towards virtual technology, Clear-Com has introduced the Gen-IC Cloud Intercom system, a secure and flexible virtual intercom solution that allows users to easily integrate on-premise hardware with virtual intercom clients. 

Designed for scalability, Gen-IC Cloud Intercom will allow end-users to quickly ramp up multiple virtual clients as needed, with the unique capability of integrating with Clear-Com’s extensive hardware infrastructure over LAN, WAN, and the Internet.

Given the importance of low latency in audio comms, Clear-Com has developed a unique virtual intercom application that can be deployed on selectable regional targets. This minimizes the latency inherent when going virtual by giving administrators the ability to easily deploy Gen-IC Cloud Intercom closest to where teams are doing work. Moreover, Gen-IC Cloud Intercom instances from around the world can be linked, producing the ultimate communication and collaboration tool for mission-critical productions.

Product Manager Kari Eythorsson shared that “Gen-IC Cloud Intercom and SkyPort are the result of extensive development by our engineering teams and customer testing,” explained product manager Kari Eythorsson. “Virtual intercom systems offer unique challenges, and we know our customers expect a reliable and well-designed solution from us. We are proud to bring this Partner-serviced solution to market and are excited by the possibilities of what we can do in the virtual space moving forward.”

Clear-Com also reported that during extensive field trials, users reported excellent results, even in the most challenging situations. Antonio Barbosa, an engineer at TV Globo and his team tested the product and stated that “TV Globo's test experience with Gen-IC Cloud Intercom was extraordinary. The system showcased seamless communication and exceptional audio quality, even in high data traffic event scenarios."

The system is designed for ease of use and utilizes Clear-Com’s award-winning virtual clients, Agent-IC mobile app and Station-IC virtual desktop client, eliminating the need for additional user training. Connections from the virtual clients to hardware ecosystems is achieved through the existing range of Clear-Com LQ Series of IP Interfaces, with no dedicated interfacing requirements.  

The Clear-Com SkyPort provides Workspace Management for Partners, making it easy to manage many different customer sites and events in one online application. Through SkyPort, Partners are empowered to authorize local administrators to manage events and put the control in the users’ hands, while still benefiting from Clear-Com’s impressive support capabilities provided via their Partner network.

Gen-IC Cloud Intercom and SkyPort will make their debut at the ISE 2024 show at the Clear-Com Stand #5H620.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced that it played a crucial role in the comprehensive upgrade of Tulip Television Co. Ltd.’s intercom system for its new office building in Toyama City, Japan. 

An affiliate of Japan News Network (JNN), the construction of Tulip TV’s new office building in Toyama City required a comprehensive update for the Japanese broadcaster’s intercom system.  

The system was provided by Matsuda Trading (MTC), Clear-Com’s distributor in Japan. The new system included a Clear-Com Eclipse(r) HX digital matrix system with FreeSpeak Edge digital wireless and leverages Clear-Com’s highly flexible mobile smartphone app, Agent-IC, and provides a cutting-edge solution for simplifying and streamlining comms for Tulip TV.  

The system utilizes an Eclipse HX-Delta as a central matrix, which is equipped with an E-IPA card for IP connectivity to connect V-Series Iris Panels, FreeSpeak Edge transceivers, and Agent-IC between different rooms and other locations, with Iris panels located at remote master/news desks. All wireless transceivers are driven through the IP network. Additionally, Tulip has adopted a 5 GHz FreeSpeak Edge system, providing wireless coverage for the beltpacks in their ground floor studio.  

“All endpoints are connected as a single communication system. Numerous Clear-Com Iris key panels are deployed in each sub-table location, with further interoperability includes cameras, radios, announcer talkbacks, and phone lines,” the technical team of  Tulip TV explained.  

In addition to meeting requirements for cost and scale, the system designed for the new space provided Tulip TV with an advanced communication environment that takes full advantage of the Clear-Com system’s high-level functionality. 

In a statement, team at Tulip stated that “Clear-Com’s EHX management software is easy to use” and that they are “satisfied with the ability to create a diverse communication environment."  

The improved ease of use and overall reliability also enhance Tulip TV’s operation experience. The deployment of Agent-IC, which has become a standard for Japanese broadcasters, further optimizes their communication with relay destinations.

Beyond that, the use of Agent-IC and the possibility to license additional capability for the Clear-Com E-IPA card will ensure the system can be expanded should Tulip TV need to scale the system up to connect fluently and reliably with other studios and individuals in the future, the companies said. 

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has released the EHX version 13.1, the latest version of configuration software for the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix.

EHX v13.1 offers role management advancements for a streamlined configuration process and improved user experience, making it easier for users to stay connected, the company said.

This update also offers important compatibility with the NMOS4 and NMOS5 standards, ensuring interoperability and discovery across networks, as well as support for Clear-Com’s 2X10 Touch desktop panel, it said.

“Clear-Com understands that users are constantly looking for improvements to usability and interoperability of their intercom system,” said Simon Browne, vice president of product management at Clear-Com.

“With EHX 13.1 we’re offering a truly game-changing feature with role-based workflows along with support for current NMOS standards and the 2X10 Touch desktop panel. We’re thrilled to continue to support our Eclipse-based systems with these ongoing innovations.”

In EHX 13.1 Clear-Com offers role-based logins, streamlining configuration and allowing users to move quickly from device to device. System administrators can set a single key to contact a user regardless of the device where they are logged on. This saves the effort of having to configure several keys when a user moves between several devices during a production, the company said.

The user experience is greatly improved with a simplified login to whichever endpoint device is closest at hand with keys that autofill their specific configuration allowing a “follow-me” operation, it said.

Clear-Com continues development around the ST2110-30 standard as NMOS (Networked Media Open Specification) IS-04 and IS-05 are being added to EHX 13.1. IS-04 relates to the discovery and registration of devices on a network, and IS-05 handles the device connection and management, the company said.

The addition of these specifications will make it simpler and much faster when setting up an audio network of IP capable devices, it said. 

EHX 13.1 also supports the new 2X10 Touch desktop panel, a 20-key, IP-based panel that provides a compact, intuitive desktop option for users of Eclipse HX.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Since broadcasters moved to the cloud and IP, intercoms have followed suit, and with these transitions, communications technology has become more reliable, flexible and user friendly. Advances in wireless technologies from Wi-Fi to 5G have helped improve coverage range, bringing wireless comms capabilities into areas where they were previously unavailable. Digital technology has also brought enhanced security and audio quality as well a large increase in channel capacity.

Communication is critical when it comes to live production and reliability tops the list of requirements. Getting your message from here to there in the shortest amount of time with clarity and security are vital and in our latest Guide to Intercoms, we look at how vendors are continuously coming up with more innovative ways to accomplish this.

Download your free ebook here. 

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com appointed Terence Chan its newest product manager. He will oversee the company’s matrix intercom systems, which includes the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix.

In a press statement, Vice President of Product Management Simon Browne said he was, “delighted that Terence brings to the position a wealth of product management knowledge, and his design experience with advanced devices and their user interfaces will allow him to drive innovation and user experience for the Clear-Com products to come.”

Chan brings more than 15 years of experience working in product management for high-tech industries with clients that included Google, Philips and other FinTech ventures, and has a special interest in sustainable tech. He is especially interested in the variety of markets the company supports.

Chan said he looks forward to meeting with Clear-Com customers to learn more about their use cases, workflows and relationship with their existing systems.

 Chan holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) from the University of Leicester. He will be based out of the Cambridge, U.K. office.

CINCINNATI—From the very beginning of my tenure at the Playhouse (a large, regional, nonprofit theater in its own right) it was clear that there were frequent aspirations for transitioning shows to Broadway. We’re a regional Tony Award winner and have also won a Tony for shows we’ve transferred to New York. So, we have a profile in the region and we’re beholden to our patrons to provide the best possible experience with cutting-edge technology and by dedicating resources to our shows so that they’re great, not just on a local scale, but on a national, global scale.

Recently, the Playhouse had a huge capital campaign and opened a new building in March 2023. The theater we were in had been in place since the 1960s, so, this was a total campus renovation that required a big investment, not only for the build but also the technology needed to make it functional.

New Build, New Clear-Com Tech
We’ve been devoted Clear-Com acolytes for years. Previously, we’d been using CELLCOM, but coming up to this build, we decided to upgrade to an Arcadia Base Station, FreeSpeak Edge, and FreeSpeak II. Arcadia handles comms for the entire campus, which has two spaces: the 537-seat Moe and Jack’s Place—Rouse Theatre and the 172-seat Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre.

The Shelterhouse is our original theater. It’s literally a historic park department stone-walled shelter house with unique comm needs because it wasn’t built as a theater. Using FreeSpeak II there—with one antenna that covers the entire space even through the stone walls—along with FreeSpeak Edge, works well for our bigger space.

Getting shows up and running requires a lot of personnel who require constant, detailed communication. So we needed an intercom system that could handle a variety of needs for productions ranging from dramas and jukebox musicals to farces and Broadway shows with a large cast and orchestra. That’s where Clear-Com comes into the picture—their technology is so flexible, modular, and scalable; and with Arcadia and FreeSpeak II we’re discovering features we didn’t even realize we wanted.

Digital Comms with Arcadia
Now we’re running digital wired comms, FreeSpeak Edge, FreeSpeak II, and an old analog 4-channel wired system simultaneously through Arcadia. It’s pushing the whole system. We can communicate between digital and analog, wired and wireless, digital and digital comms. No matter what we need, we’re able to facilitate it, which I don’t think any of us in our wildest dreams expected we’d be able to do with one base station—especially for multiple spaces.

We can also create custom groups/channels that we can change depending on where we are in production. In tech rehearsals vs. previews vs. production, our needs are distinct, so being able to quickly and efficiently switch between those stages of production serves us very well. 

Even though we had minimal training on the system, on the first try, it all worked, which is rare. We just opened the web browser, set it up the way we wanted, tested it, and it worked immediately. Right off the bat, the cross-platform functionality—using all these different Clear-Com technologies together and being able to communicate between them—was tremendous.

But to me, the primary function of comms is safety. This new theater has many moving parts overhead we didn’t have before: set pieces flying in and out, automated scenery, trap doors, and all manner of motorized, moving objects that can be dangerous if you don’t have constant, vigilant communication. The fact that people can communicate with whoever they need to efficiently and quickly is very important.

Clear-Com’s audio quality also plays into that—noise, interference, ringing, buzzing, or just being unable to hear what people are saying. Eliminating that helps us focus and communicate more clearly. 

More information is available at www.clearcom.com

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced major new features for Arcadia Central Station with the addition of I.V. Direct, an IP interfacing feature that connects Arcadia and the LQ Series of IP Interfaces, Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System (via E-IPA card), and other Arcadia systems over LAN, WAN, or Internet. 

The update will also provide a substantial increase in capacity for FreeSpeak beltpacks, transceivers, and HelixNet endpoints, making Arcadia the most powerful 1RU intercom device on the market with support for 285 input/output connections on a single system, the company reported. 

These new features will be available for Arcadia starting in Q4 2023.

“More than ever our users require distributed workflows and this integration with LQ and Eclipse opens a world of possibilities, allowing Arcadia users to scale their existing systems appropriately and collaborate on large, multifaceted productions – even from opposites sides of the world,” explained Simon Browne, vice president of product management. “This update showcases the potential of this platform and positions Arcadia as the most powerful and flexible intercom system available in such a compact form factor.”

The I.V. Direct connections will allow intercom audio, logic controls, and call signals to be passed between separately managed Clear-Com systems and assigned to channels, groups, and keys in the individual systems. Notably, this can be done with easy setup for various levels of network quality of service and internet-friendly security features, Clear-Com said. 

Interfacing with LQ will allow Arcadia users to expand their analog connections using 2-wire, 4-wire and GPIO ports and support Clear-Com’s Agent-IC and Station-IC virtual clients, two-way radios, and SIP telephony, without the need for multiple audio and control cables allowing for full integration of all team members who need to communicate.

In addition to local Dante-based connection capabilities, I.V. Direct connections will allow Arcadia’s network interfacing to extend globally, making it ideal for large, multi-site live events, remote broadcasting, or even multi-country productions where professionals are concurrently operating multiple systems and requiring audio communication over large distances. Arcadia will support up to 16 I.V. Direct connections.

The capabilities of the Arcadia platform have been steadily expanding since its launch, and this latest update delivers a notable increase in capacity, with support for up to 32 IP transceivers, 64 wireless FreeSpeak beltpacks, and 128 HelixNet endpoints. By offering users the ability to connect a staggering 192 digital beltpacks in a 1RU package, Arcadia is breaking the boundaries of what users can expect from modern-day intercom systems, the company reported. 

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced that it will showcase the latest advances in IP-based intercom for a wide variety of applications during the IBC2023 Show in Amsterdam this September 15-18 at its stand 10.D29. 

Those advances include demos of Clear-Com’s flagship Eclipse HX Digital Matrix Intercom System, Dynam-EC real-time production software, industry-leading role-based workflows, and the new 2X10 Touch desktop touchscreen panel.

In addition the company will be showing its IP-based Arcadia Central Station, including the HXII-DPL Powerline device, an IP interface that delivers power and digital audio from Arcadia to HelixNet Digital Network systems. Additional new features will be unveiled at the show.

“We continue to see an accelerated adoption of hybrid and remote workflows as well as advancements in IP infrastructure,” said Chris Willis, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Clear-Com. “We look forward to connecting with the broadcast industry in the region, to share our solutions and learn more from those who are implementing these new ways of working and communicating.”

As broadcasters look for solutions to improve efficiency and flexibility for remote production, on-rem, and virtual production workflows, Clear-Com stressed that it will demonstrate a broad range of solutions to meet these needs. 

These products include Dynam-EC, a powerful and intuitive software tool that allows operators to quickly switch all audio input and outputs, audio mapping, IFBs and partylines at the touch of a button, the company said. 

In addition, the company will show new features for EHX 13.1, including the implementation of role-based workflows and support for NMOS 4 and 5 that can facilitate many of the needs of broadcast applications for large-scale events such as the World Cup or other global sporting events, the company said. 

A popular choice for flypacks and OB vans, Arcadia Central Station brings together HelixNet, FreeSpeak, Clear-Com Encore, other 2W/4W endpoints, and third-party Dante devices in a single, integrated system, the company said. 

Arcadia offers licensed-based scalability that allows it to meet numerous production needs, with support for over 100 beltpacks and up to 128 IP ports, with additional upgrades available in the future. The new HXII-DPL Powerline Device connects to any existing Arcadia system via its own network port to provide Powerline connectivity via 3-pin XLR anywhere on the network, opening a world of digital audio connectivity to HelixNet users, the company said. 

Visitors can use promo code IBC1148 and register for a free exhibit pass to the show here. 

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced the new HXII-DPL Powerline Device, an IP interface that delivers power and digital audio to HelixNet beltpacks, speaker and remote stations from an Arcadia Central Station System (or the legacy HMS-4X Main Station).

The company is offering live demos of the product at InfoComm 2023. 

“Our customers spoke, and we listened,” says Simon Browne, vice president of product management. “This compact powerline device is an eloquent solution to bridge the gap for so many Arcadia users who rely on XLR audio cabling for their intercom. We’re excited to offer this additional solution to our user base.”

In making the announcement the company explained that Arcadia-based systems open a world of digital audio connectivity for HelixNet users, including IP transceivers, third-party devices via Dante, and support for the full range of FreeSpeak Digital Wireless Systems.

The HXII-DPL Powerline Device is designed as a simple “plug-and-play” interface, connecting to any existing Arcadia system or XLR cabling infrastructure via its own network port to provide Powerline connectivity via 3-pin XLR anywhere on the network. Multiple HXII-DPL Powerline Devices can be added to increase HelixNet User Station capacity and allow for greater user density per system, Clear-Com reported. 

With support for up to seven HelixNet beltpacks on a single line containing all available HelixNet channels and program audio, the Powerline device can use passively split audio cabling similar to traditional analog partyline systems without any undesirable humming or buzzing of analog communication. Furthermore, the system features visual indicators to resolve any up-and-downstream cabling and overload issues.  This unique architectural option, rooted in HelixNet’s history as the first digital partyline system to leverage traditional analog cabling structures, remains a highly useful option for selected applications and further empowers Arcadia users to solve specialized communication problems in their operations, the company said. 

Designed with ease of use in mind, the device includes mounting accessories to facilitate easy deployment in various environments: from standalone use as a “throwdown” device in temporary deployments to part of a rack mount or flypack installation or on a cable tray in an electrical cabinet, the silent, fan-free device is well-suited for any installation in a wide variety of market applications.

The HXII-DPL Powerline is scheduled to begin shipping in Fall 2023.

Communications systems have always been a necessity in broadcasting but, often, they were something that was almost taken for granted. But this year’s NAB Show gave a major platform to new intercom technologies and products.

Many of the big technological trends and fashions in broadcasting do not always cover all the technical aspects of acquisition and production. The spotlight at most NAB Shows over the last decade has been firmly on 4K, HDR and location to post-production workflows. 

With the possible exception of the last of those, that focus has excluded intercom but this always important, sometimes overlooked area is now fully on trend thanks to the high profile of the cloud, virtualization and remote operations at the major broadcast technology exhibitions of the last few years.

That was certainly the case at this year’s Vegas gathering, where Remote Integration (REMI) based on IP—and increasingly involving the cloud and virtualized systems—was addressed by the main intercom manufacturers.

Bridging Old with the New
“People continue to look for new ways to communicate,” said Kris Koch, business development director for Broadcast Network and Media Production at Clear-Com. “In particular, REMI workflows were a common topic at NAB. Our customers require us to be flexible in supporting their workflow, whatever that may be. Often we need to bridge older technologies with new IP based workflows, so while AoIP [audio over IP] has become something of a standard in new designs, most customers need to transition into IP workflows.”

Clear-Com’s Arcadia Central Station received particular attention this year—the IP-based communications platform is scalable and can integrate components from the company’s HelixNet, FreeSpeak and Encore ranges, as well as third party Dante AoIP devices, to provide communications for fly-away systems and OB trucks. Also on show were new features for the Eclipse HX digital matrix, including Dynam-EC real time production software and V-Series Iris IP-based user panels.

Telos Alliance made the brave—or foolhardy—decision to give live demonstrations of its Infinity Virtual Intercom Platform (VIP), linked together with other AoIP products from the company’s portfolio, plus telephony devices, on what Martin Dyster, vice president of business development, described as “one big LAN”.

He acknowledges that it was a “bit of a leap of faith” to stage such a demo at a trade show but that the company wanted to illustrate how a hardware system could be virtualised in software and deployed on a computer or mobile phone with built-in audio, including a USB microphone and loudspeaker.

Telos VIP is now featured as part of other companies’ cloud infrastructures, including Grass Valley AMPP (Agile Media Processing Platform), Vizrt’s Viz Now and the Panasonic KAIROS IT/IP system.

“It has found favor from some big hitters that have built end-to-end virtual platforms using a SaaS [software as a service] model,” explains Dyster. “VIP doesn’t need a lot of bandwith, it can work as a four-wire intercom for both on-prem and cloud with about 32 Kbps in each direction.” He adds that the audio quality produced has now led to customers wanting to use the system for both contribution links and voice-overs.

Matrix Advances
Intracom Systems’ VCOM virtual matrix is another software-based communications platform aimed at both on-premises and in-cloud implementation. During the NAB Show, the company highlighted v7 of the system, which included new features for selecting talk and listen keys, which can now also be activated using Elgato’s Stream Deck control interface, and managing user access using Single Sign On (SSO). 

Intracom chief executive Stephen Brand observes that in the current “crowded intercom field,” broadcast customers are looking for features, functions and overall technologies that will “save them money, simplify workflows and keep them ahead of the curve in a highly competitive environment where pristine communications are critical.”

AEQ has taken a matrix-less approach with its Xpeak system. This cloud-based intercom is particularly aimed at live and remote production applications, with Sales Director Gustavo Robles adding that REMI is now a “major trend in the market.” New from AEQ this year was the TP9116 rack-mounted intercom panel, featuring 16 four-way lever keys, with two functions on each lever, and IP connectivity over either Dante or AES67. Robles said a desktop version could be available by IBC.

Riedel Communications launched its Audio Monitoring App (AMA) for the 1200 SmartPanels range at the show. Product Manager Kristina Uhlitz comments that this is capable of running “several apps simultaneously” and attracted interest from many of the visitors to the company’s booth. 

Also introduced were the Dante UIC card for the Artist system and new firmware for Bolero and its integrated charging station. “It provides visual data of registration and charging status and lets you upgrade all devices in the charger at once,” she added.

RTS introduced the DSPK-4 digital speaker station, part of the RTS Digital Partyline intercom range. Offering hybrid functionality in desktop, flush-mount and wall-mounted versions, it can operate in party line mode with the OMS (OMNEO Main Station) or as a portable key panel in conjunction with a RTS matrix, either ODIN or ADAM.

Competitor Compatibility
Many intercom manufacturers now offer compatibility with competitors’ systems. Studio Technologies’ new Model 545DC is compatible with Clear-Com party line products, while the Model 545DR, launched alongside it, offers a single two-channel interface for the RTS TW two-channel analog intercom circuit series.

Both can connect to Dante-equipped matrix intercoms, digital audio processors and mixing consoles and can work with Studio Technologies’ Dante-enabled belt packs, intercom stations and audio engines. Also new was the Model 342 intercom station, which can be used in multiple modes with a Dante audio matrix or as a point-to-point system involving two units.

Pliant Technologies continued to fly the flag for wireless-based intercom and debuted a new IP-rated radio transceiver for its CrewCom range. Available in both 900MHz and 2.4GHz versions, these are aimed at live broadcast and events where outdoor placement of transceivers is necessary. 

Also on the booth was the new CCU-08 CrewCom control unit, which allows operators to use up to eight four-wire ports and provides the same features as the existing CCU-22 and CCU-44. Gary Rosen, vice president of global sales said there was still interest in wireless communications and while the cloud and AoIP have found favor for remote production, when it came to on-site installations “a dedicated and reliable intercom system remains key for most users.”

Whatever the connectivity medium, intercoms certainly showed significant advances at the 2023 NAB Show. 

OKLAHOMA CITY—After more than 60 years, Oklahoma City CBS affiliate KWTV and parent company Griffin Media decided it was time to move to a new home with more capabilities. To manage the move to downtown Oklahoma City, they called on design-build systems integrator BeckTV.

“Working with BeckTV was a natural choice,” said Jack Mills, director of engineer for KWTV. “We’ve worked with them since the 1990s on multiple projects through the years. I appreciate working with them because of the quality of their work and expertise, from changing out a switcher to now having a new building."

Discussions about moving to a new building started almost three years ago, with KWTV engineering and design work by BeckTV starting in 2021. “There are a million things going on when building a new TV station, so the relationship needs to be efficient and productive,” said Brenden Cline, senior engineer and director of engineering for BeckTV. “We have meetings with Jack on design, technical requirements, space planning, and workflow. Giving us that information up front means we get that efficiency with Jack and with the manufacturers we’re dealing with. Seeing eye-to-eye on the technology and agreeing on how things should operate—that was exciting and the kind of projects that you want to do.”

What Do We Take?
Working with the architect and general contractor, BeckTV could verify the space fit and furniture design, pathways for cabling and AC, and low voltage requirements, while simultaneously building the equipment list and specifying equipment a year ahead of time. FX Design Group was responsible for set and lighting design, while Digital Video Group handled the monitor layout and set technology. Onsite integration work began in June 2022; after five months, one month was dedicated to rehearsals, commissioning, and shadowing master control leading up to the cutover day. 

Some of the decisions to be made were focused on what equipment to bring over from the existing facility, what would be purchased, and what might need to be borrowed during the transition. “We brought over our recent purchases, items that haven’t been depreciated yet,” said Mills. 

For example, KWTV has three Grass Valley LDX 90 Worldcams still on the books. Those were brought to the new facility’s news set, with Mills getting loaner cameras for the original building’s news set during the transition. Also moved were KWTV’s Dejero bonded cellular field systems, Vizrt system, master control servers, and 800 kW diesel generator.

While some equipment made the trip, KWTV did replace a lot of gear, Mills explained, because it was time to do so, anyway. 

New equipment included:

• Evertz routing with an integrated enterprise multiviewer and TDM audio router with integrated de-embedding
• Evertz master control switcher and airpath
• Clear-Com intercom with SIP for phone lines over IP 
• G&D KVM 
• Avid video production servers 
• Imagine Communications master control playout and automation systems 
• Three Ross XY camera robotics 
• Two Ross ACIDCams for the newsroom and greenscreen
• Two smaller Ross PTZ cameras for studio ceiling beauty shots 
• Image Video tally system 
• Sony XVS-7000 3 M/E production switcher and ELC automation systems 
• Calrec audio console
• Custom BeckTV consoles

The design of the news set, which is the same size as the set in the older facility, and the two-story open ceiling newsroom include a lot of LED screens. The newsroom features a large Daktronics LED screen that rotates art images and photos. The news studio has Philips LEDs on the anchor desk, LG LEDs behind the anchor desk, and Neoti LED panels for the wraparound weather desk. 

IP plays an important role by interconnecting the two facilities, which are 10 miles apart. “We kept a portion of the old building,” Mills explained. “We were able to keep those IP addresses, which was very helpful, with four dark fibers between the buildings, one for satellite, one for STL, and two for a 10-gig IP pipe.”

Strategic Communications
One of the keys to a successful live cutover is communications involving hours of strategic planning, coordination, installation, testing, training, and rehearsals. To ensure a smooth transition, BeckTV maintained a crew of two engineers and six technicians at the new site to install, commission, and support all new and repurposed systems. 

The project team, led by project engineer Abel Sassehagen, systems engineer Christian Ramirez, and lead technician Travis Peterson, with management assistance from TJ Beardsmore, met with Griffin Media and KWTV on a weekly basis to review and discuss the project schedule, focusing on BeckTV and KWTV deliverables and goals. “We were using so much gear from the old facility that we had to move,” Cline said. “We had to deal with loaners, new equipment with the scheduling of manufacturers’ commissioning, how and when to transition. But with great communication, everyone knew the status of the station.”

A simple homeowner moving task would become invaluable for the transition: tagging the status of the original equipment. “We had separate giant lists for master control and production control equipment," Cline explained, "with each piece and any dongles tagged as to when it would be removed from the rack and transported to the new building—specifically by week, day, hour, at cutover or after cutover.”

When the equipment arrived at the new building, the crew knew exactly where to start to stand up the gear. “Of course, getting integrated into the new system sometimes meant bypassing with barrels,” noted Cline. “Master control was first, with GPIs triggering all sort of secondary events so that it could mirror the original master control. Then we would focus on production control. Once stood up, production control gets fairly vetted with all the rehearsals.”

Cutover in 3, 2, 1...
During the transition period on Nov. 12-13, KOTV, KWTV's sister station in Tulsa, handled the Saturday night and Sunday morning newscasts. This gave Cline and his crew the opportunity to transport almost all of the rest of the gear, a big part of which was the weather system with its independent audio and storm trackers. Cutover was scheduled for the Sunday 10 p.m. newscast.

“We did it during the day and on-air, and it was really just switching a switch,” said Cline. “Since we were running in parallel and then switched to the new building, it was seamless to KWTV’s viewers—but we could also fall back if we needed to. That takes a lot of planning.” Additionally, KWTV’s new master control system is designed to be a master control hub to include KOTV in Tulsa.

“This was a fun project,” said Mills. “Of course, there were little fires, but all in all, a very enjoyable experience with BeckTV and all the other groups. It was interesting keeping everything running with all the contractors involved in the new building.”

Cline added that it’s “a little bit rare to work with people you worked with in the past and understand the process. Our product is delivering a good experience for the customer—typically the biggest project in their careers. We want them to feel comfortable and appreciate our people. But this one was special. I had a good time doing it.” 

This article originally appeared in TV Tech sister publication SCN.

The events of the past two and a half years have demonstrated the importance of reliable and flexible communications among media production professionals. And like the television industry, the world of professional intercoms is advancing forward with IP and now, the cloud, and with it the promise of a robust and expanding environment for remote production. In this month’s ebook, TV Tech looks at the evolution of media comms and what we can expect to see in the future as media companies adapt to changing requirements.

Download this free ebook here. 

The earliest intercom uses date back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when concerts became too loud to allow for waving pieces of paper or shouting from the stage to the back of the hall.

The brilliant idea that Charlie Butten came up with was to use the mic cables that went from the mixer at the back of the hall to the stage, and then layer an intercom system on top of those mic cables. It was early duplex communications. Butten went on to start Clear-Com and is still involved in the company’s development and engineering work to this day.

That workflow he developed became the de facto means of communications for live events. Soon, other industries began to take notice, especially broadcast TV, which was struggling with efficient communications among multiple people across a studio or newsroom. It was a matter of seeing a workflow in one environment and spinning it toward a new direction.

Since these first early uses, intercoms have become common in broadcast, education, corporate, healthcare, aerospace, defense, and any number of commercial applications requiring concise, controlled communications among multiple parties. From the original concept of solving a communications need has sprung analog, digital, and newer IP systems in a range of configurations: partyline systems, wired and wireless, matrix, beltpacks, headsets, and mobile app-based intercom options.

An Analog Foundation

The technologies Butten and others developed laid the foundations for the early analog partyline systems. Users each had a beltpack at one end, a wall box at the other end, and a power supply on the system, allowing everybody to communicate in a partyline operation.

We still see modern analog partylines around the world in small theaters and music event venues that may not have the resources or the inclination to move away from plug-and-play wired partyline systems with a two-way radio interface. It remains the mainstay of most live performance venues around the world, and many newer systems are backward compatible. You could likely buy a current analog beltpack to put on a power supply that's 50 years old, plug it in, and it would work just fine as part of a current and still relevant intercom system.

However, as live events grew more complicated with multiple stages and more complex production elements, a greater number of large teams needed to communicate with each other and with talent. This is where a partyline system begins to fall short, because it can't really handle more than four to six channels. In the early days, large, elaborate shows tried using analog partyline and had tremendous difficulty trying to do as much as they wanted to do. That started the migration to matrix and then to digital partylines.

Enter the Matrix

The first matrix-based systems were a hybrid solution acting as a central switch allowing crews to connect and manage different partylines, while also coordinating point-to-point with people in fixed positions on panels to bridge the communications between partylines. This provided a two-to-four-wire interface, so the system could be managed more carefully and with the flexibility needed by the multiple teams requiring communications.

Instead of a partyline, which is a large loop of audio that everybody bridges, matrix intercom was more like a crosspoint routing switcher, and early on there were several people designing similar foundational ideas. Clear-Com's efforts were derived from a Canadian manufacturer, McCurdy, as well as U.K.-based Drake Electronics, with its broadcast four-wire matrix solutions. The Telex RTS version of the matrix intercom in the United States and by Riedel in Germany also contributed to matrix technology, increasingly being recognized as an appropriate solution for broadcast operations (and eventually other applications).

The advent of the digital matrix in the late 1990s made it much easier for people to employ a smaller rack-mounted kit connected in a more intelligent way to allow for the much larger productions, which were becoming the norm. The next big step addressed the need for more mobility, since teams were no longer only sitting in front of an audio mixer or video switcher. Some people wanted to be on the studio floor or be able to move between sites. Analog wireless gave them that mobility with duplex connectivity.

Companies like Vega and HME must be recognized among the developers of the early wireless intercom systems. Their idea was to take a partyline system—four or six beltpacks—and put them on either a one or a two-channel system so they could “talk” to each other. That ended up being an important direction that subsequently led to the development of other downstream intercom wireless innovations—and eventually to the wireless systems of today. From their efforts, others also got into wireless intercom, leading to the “classic” UHF-based wireless intercoms.

Digital Partylines

Of course, analog wireless was and always will be subject to interference. Early systems needed to be managed using the bands of frequencies allowable for use, and it required full-time teams of people on site to coordinate all the wireless feeds and make sure licenses were all secured, since analog wireless in the VHF and UHF band was subject to those kinds of restrictions.

Around the year 2000, digital wireless added the ability to use license-free bands, such as Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) bands in Europe and equivalent bands in the United States. DECT auto band selection eliminated the need for such high levels of frequency coordination. The systems were automated and moved dynamically between the beltpack user and the receiver to mitigate any interference.

Today, interference may still be an issue in high-capacity areas where you need every drop of bandwidth, but it's not an issue for somebody to manually manage. It's simply a matter of co-sharing the available band.

Then there’s the development of wireless systems with zoned intercoms based on point-to-point capability. These initially were attached to matrix intercoms and then subsequently became their own systems operated individually. That move toward digital wireless intercom paved the way forward for what are now digital wired solutions, like Clear-Com’s HelixNet system, which basically takes the idea of a partyline and moves it to a digital platform.

The individual cables that defined each analog partyline caried just one channel. Digital partyline can put many channels into one cable by digitizing and serializing the audio into duplex streams. Digital partylines also carry metadata that identifies each channel and allows for elaborate signaling.

New Intercom Applications

Intercom systems often are the management and interface point for the person talking to somebody on an IFB, whether that’s talent or a director. For example, the director is in front of an intercom panel with individual talk paths usually controlled by a single button that go to all the different people on IFB. And in some instances, maybe everyone on an IFB group channel as well, so the director can talk to many people at once. Usually in talking to them, the director either cuts the audio or ducks it going into their ear, so they can talk over whatever else the talent is hearing.

Especially since the pandemic, we are seeing new uses for intercom, mostly in instances where group discussions or close collaboration are no longer permitted.  For example, in courthouses where they can’t have people whispering closely in each other's ears, people are using discreet, wired, and wireless communications with headsets, particularly attorneys and their clients.

Other examples include testing aircraft designs, where people may not be able to see each other, but still need to communicate, flick the right switches, and test the right lines. In nuclear power plant decommissioning, people are working in large bodysuits, and they need a push-to-talk method for communicating with each other. Healthcare professionals often deploy wireless intercom for hands-free operations, including in teaching applications. There are also a myriad of other potential applications, from aerospace to corporate communications to transportation and manufacturing and more.

The Next Level

The current evolution that we're in now has moved intercom to IP, as digital platforms evolved into sending signals over standard networks, which would first be a local area network and then a wide area network—and then over the public internet.

With the development of new IP audio interface boxes, users can connect older analog systems over IP networks, effectively upgrading existing analog partyline systems that may have been in a theater for 20 years. Maybe they’ve identified a need to be able to connect to a rehearsal space in another building, and the only feasible way to get a signal there is over the internet.

There are so many more potential uses for intercom development as users continually discover new requirements for enhancing voice communications. One interesting topic is the cloud. Intercom companies at this point typically don't have a significant cloud presence, since low-latency duplex audio mixing and routing across many channels in a virtual system is quite a new technology.

There are other issues surrounding latency or scalability, but those will be addressed and resolved over time, and intercom surely will be cloud-based. Moving to the cloud will also help usher in the era of “intercom-as-a-service,” giving users the ability to “spin up or spin down” the capacity and capabilities needed for a specific time frame.

Ultimately, there's no one answer to the question, “Which intercom is right for me?” That’s been the one constant since those early days of communicating at a rock concert or in a TV studio. Many customers commonly use more than one type of system on a production or event, combining digital and analog, as well as wired and wireless workflows, with solutions from the various eras. A 50-year-old partyline beltpack will be sitting on an IP-based or cloud virtual intercom in the near future.

Clear-Com has appointed Marco Lopez as the company’s vice president of engineering. Lopez is the former president of Grass Valley and was also CEO of ChyronHego (now Chyron). 

Lopez brings more than 30 years of experience in the broadcast market to his role at Clear-Com, where he will spearhead innovation across key strategic areas related to product development, including strengthening the company’s leadership in wireless technology and advancing its IP-based intercom solutions, the company said.

In the mid-2000s, Lopez played a key role in the transformation of analog to digital signals with Miranda Technologies and helped develop the Active Format Description (AFD) standard that defined aspect ratio control between standard and high-definition broadcasting. The project won an Emmy Award in 2011 and was adopted and standardized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). Later, he helped bring IP standards to the broadcast world through his work with the AIMS (Alliance for IP Media Solutions) nonprofit initiative, laying the groundwork for what is today SMPTE 2110. After Miranda Technologies was acquired by Belden, Lopez was appointed president and tasked with leading the acquisition of Grass Valley, where he eventually managed the company’s Live Production business unit.

“We are excited to have Marco on board,” said Mitzi Dominguez, CEO of Clear-Com. “He brings a wealth of technical expertise as well as an intrinsic understanding of the needs of our Broadcast users from his years in the industry, a unique and valuable combination for the business.  He shares our enthusiasm for customer service and the drive for innovation leading our next generation of products.”

Already during his first few months, Lopez has identified opportunities for Clear-Com to cement its competitive advantage by streamlining the user experience, furthering the adoption of IP standards, and reinforcing its already industry-leading wireless capabilities, the company said.

“Clear-Com offers me an incredible opportunity to learn about the audio side of the business, from a team of some of the most experienced engineers in the intercom field,” Marco said. “I am honored to be able to contribute to the company’s heritage of innovation and eager to bring my experience in virtualization of the Broadcast workflow to the team’s deep expertise in voice communications.”

Lopez holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Engineering from Concordia University and is based out of the Clear-Com Engineering office in Montreal, Canada.

Unexpected communication disruptions are an unwelcome, but alas a familiar reality for live broadcast and media production teams. Known for their meticulous planning, these teams often build in a “Plan B” for any situation, including intercom redundancy. 

But what happens when the back-up needs a back-up plan? That’s “Plan C.”

Intercom technology has advanced to the level of essential technology in live broadcast and production environments, as communications have progressed from simple walkie-talkie use to full-duplex wireless and wired intercom systems. 

If something goes wrong during an event, you lose the ability to communicate mission-critical or safety messages, making it extremely difficult to call a show or resolve any serious difficulties. The importance of intercoms is heightened by modern productions having so many more moving parts than in previous years with more elaborate production assets to track and monitor.

No one plans to fail, they fail to plan
When designing an intercom system for a broadcast facility, “Plan A” can be defined as the ideal primary solution, a thoughtfully designed configuration that does everything needed to ensure smooth operations and a high-quality production.

In most broadcast studios and media production facilities, the primary communications solution is typically an IP-based matrix and/or a digital wireless system serving as the comms backbone. Everything connected to that matrix frame or wireless network—stations, beltpacks, mixing consoles, camera control units, connections between the studio and OB trucks in the field—are dependent on the success of that IP or wireless connection. 

Plan B
Plan B is the primary alternate, for introducing redundancy into a comms system, and that redundancy can take many forms. It most often is a separate network for IP traffic in case the main network is compromised through user error, an intrusion attempt, or damage caused by natural disasters like flooding, hurricanes, or earthquakes.

Plan B can enable an authorized user to revert to an intercom client on their smartphone or allow somebody within a role-based system to re-login to another virtual port from a different connected device if the primary device fails. Plan B also can include a checklist covering internal matrix IP card redundancy, uninterruptable power supplies (UPS), multiple controller cards, multiple cross-points for carrying an output to a destination and redundant trunk lines. 

Think of it as everything needed to carry out a broadcast or media production with the full functionality of your original system.

To recap so far: Plan A, the ideal system. Plan B, back-up and redundancy.

Plan C
Plan C is all about just getting it done.

The need for Plan C arises when a team is unable to use the original main system at all—the IP connections or wireless networks are disrupted or inaccessible. That means all communications need to come across a completely different system. 

This concept is becoming more relevant in the wake of the pandemic, and  which crystallized in people's minds about the mission-critical need for alternate planning, especially with more hybrid and remote workflows in place. Remote teams need the ability to communicate with the main on-site production environment to keep operations running smoothly. 

The goal of Plan C is to provide a simple, but vital element to a redundancy scheme. For an IP-based matrix system, an analog partyline can serve as an effective Plan C. It is a separate system and not dependent on the network, but still provides sufficient communications for key personnel whether they are on-site or virtual.

The architecture of this type of battery-backed system is well suited to emergency operations. One mic cable contains both the audio and the necessary voltage for the system to operate, and the power requirements are small enough for UPS operation. These systems are also able to communicate with two-way radio systems, or walkie-talkies, which are commonly one of the last systems still running in emergency situations. 

For a wireless system, a mobile intercom app or virtual desktop client running on public data networks—in other words, non-facility-based—can also be considered. An emerging trend we’re seen is organizations falling back on virtual intercom clients (like Clear-Com’s Agent-IC or Station-IC) as an alternate back-up.

The baseline criteria for a Plan C system is that it must be based on different technology from the primary intercom infrastructure. It should not be reliant on the same infrastructure used by Plan A or B systems, on IP or the station’s power operations.

Scaling to the event
For any type of production, Plan C redundancy is important, but different organizations may approach it differently. For example, an in-house adjacent Plan C will provide cover for a news system. However, OB trucks are more susceptible to disruption (power or internet connectivity). As a result, in a live sports environment, where the production is using on-site communications to connect back to a central switch, it would be more complicated to configure alternative analog systems for anything other than local communications. In this case, simple back-up audio or dial-up connections to the central production would work.

Communications between a central production and a production truck are easier with IP and that cannot easily be replicated through a Plan C based on an analog partyline. This would be one of the few areas where it would be the hardest to achieve but PL to interfaces with local connections to mobile phones may help here.

Each tier of a comms plan should always scale according to the size and scope of the production, and Plan C is no exception. Large broadcast operations can separate studio sites into their own emergency plan C, while smaller systems may have one Plan C system that covers different buildings. 

While the reasons for activating a Plan C are never known until they happen, the reasons for having one are clear. 

More organizations are migrating their systems to IP-based operation. There are more elaborate and complex production values for broadcast and live events with increasing costs—and consequences—for down-time. The use of remote and hybrid workflows demands alternative solutions with both wired and virtual intercom capabilities.

There are myriad other reasons for having a Plan C drawn up and ready to go. Those reasons aren’t known yet—until they happen, and if they do, they will be prepared and safe. 

Broadcasting is still behind IT when it comes to cloud adoption but there are parts of media and entertainment—playout and post-production in particular—that have embraced the virtual platform as a way of decentralizing and streamlining operations. The same, however, cannot be said for intercoms, an area that still has high demands in terms of real-time connectivity and is mostly holding on to its established hardware-based methods.

As with so many things in life and work, the pandemic changed the view of many on this point. Among them were several broadcast organizations, says Martin Dyster, vice president of business development for TV at Telos Alliance. "During the last 18 months or so we've found that broadcasters are increasingly looking at cloud and virtual intercom solutions in order to provide an effective means to communicate as they develop new broadcast production workflows," he says.

A 'Waiting Market'
To meet this emerging requirement, Telos introduced the Infinity Virtual Intercom Platform (VIP) in 2020, which, Dyster says, found a "waiting market." VIP can work entirely in the cloud when fully deployed on a VPC (virtual private cloud) platform. This has proved to be a major turnabout for the intercom market, which, despite wireless connections and mobile apps, continues to rely on hardware infrastructures. Because of this, Dyster feels there will continue to be resistance from other manufacturers because working in the cloud does not align with their core businesses.

"You can see a similar reaction within the audio mixing console market where the brands that have led the field in large, medium and small format mixers for decades have not embraced virtualization," he says. "In both the intercom and mixing technology sectors, it seems the door has been left wide open for more agile and forward-thinking companies to bring new products to market that fulfill the needs of broadcasters who are embracing cloud production. I cannot believe it will be long before at least one of the hardware brand leaders in each sector breaks rank and shows their hand."

Telos' Infinity and the Unity system—which is set up online through a web portal and supports a single group of users sharing six party-line channels—are the main intercoms to be fully hosted in the cloud. Among those still adhering to established hardware methodologies for intercom is Pliant Technologies. "Intercom has always been a communications technology for collaborative working group in real time," says vice president of global sales Gary Rosen. "The cloud is really best used [for] non-real time storage and retrieval. It's not really suited for this application."

Live Production Demands
The main objection to using the cloud from traditional, hardware-oriented intercom developers is the potential for a complete loss of communications if something does not work properly.

"When everything is down, the intercom still needs to work," comments Nico Lewis, senior sales manager for EMEA at RTS Intercoms. "Consider a live television show: A camera fails or a microphone fails and the audio operator can't hear the guest. ‘No problem, we'll just tell the technical director to take another camera and the audio operator will ask the stage manager to get a spare microphone to the talent.’ 

“But—'What do you mean, no one can communicate these simple instructions?'” Lewis asks rhetorically. “Intercom is the critical component and therefore we wait [in using the] cloud till the last moment. Or maybe do not do it and keep it connected in our established way using OMNEO [RTS' media networking system]."

Lewis does concede that "the future will tell," about cloud adoption for comms, however Clear-Com sees the eventual move to cloud as unavoidable.

"We have been watching the deployment of new cloud-based production tools with interest and feel that adding comms to these workflows is inevitable," says Kris Koch, business development director for broadcast networks and media production for the company. "The urgent nature of comms, [however], and the need for it to be always available, especially when nothing else is, creates a challenge. It becomes critical to not only deliver the features our customers need through the cloud but also to provide reliability and redundancy so broadcasters can operate independently in times of emergency or technical problems."

At Riedel UK, sales manager Nacho Lee observes that the cloud will "probably" become part of intercom but not yet. "There are still concerns [over] reliability and security," he says. "Most of our clients in education, theater and even broadcast still tend to have an isolated intercom island, separate to their IT network, [which is] mainly for independent control as well as safety reasons."

Gustavo Robles, sales director at AEQ, agrees that there is a lot of talk in the comms market about cloud, saying it is "the future," with the company already working on new units and systems. "Until now we [have been using] VPN [virtual private network] and a dedicated hardware central matrix but the idea is to move far from this and offer the same specifications but totally virtual," he explains.

All or Nothing
In terms of reliability in the cloud, Dyster acknowledges that losing connection to a virtual platform would "leave you without intercom," but adds that if a production was using a wider cloud system, its problems would be bigger than just communications.

"Equally, if you are using remote intercom panels with a matrix-based system and relying on the internet to connect them, losing that connection would also take your comms out," he adds. "AWS provides redundant solutions that safeguard against the former event but, like anything, there could be exceptions where you are vulnerable and AWS has certainly had the odd 'blip.'"

The answer to whether or not the cloud does become part of intercom systems—or the entire infrastructure—could lie in recent history. There was some resistance to audio over IP (AoIP) as the basis for comms but now that is well established. Matrices and traditional party lines have not gone away yet but AoIP, particularly in uncompressed form, is being widely used for intercom, with Dante, AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110-30 providing the backbone for many installations. If the cloud follows a similar route, then its wider-scale adoption seems more likely.

TV TECH: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2022 NAB Show?

BOB BOSTER: It is likely that the continuing trend towards IP-based operations, as well as cloud and hybrid models for media production will continue to be a driver in new technological developments.  What we have seen happen to the market during COVID-19 will be top of mind—remote production, hybrid workflows and the like. That being said, I think people are also going to simply be thinking about how to get projects completed given the ongoing challenges caused by the global supply chain issues. In that context there will be a lot of thought around how to achieve a necessary workflow by reconfiguring existing infrastructures, with minimal additions and costs.

TVT: What will be your most important product news?

BOSTER: We’re most excited about bringing our new Arcadia Central Station to the show, so people have the chance to demo it in person.

Arcadia is a scalable IP intercom platform that integrates wired and digital wireless partyline systems along with third-party Dante devices in a single rack unit. The system scales to meet varying production needs, offering a base level of 32 IP ports, which can be expanded to up to 96 IP ports (and beyond in future releases).

Customers have been eager for a version of Arcadia with HelixNet integration, and at the NAB Show, this will be available for demonstration.

TVT: How is your new product different from what’s available on the market?

BOSTER: Arcadia really offers a unique combination of market-leading solutions all in a single unit, and it’s applicable to a number of key workflows including smaller-scale broadcasting, media production, corporate video production and live event, broadcast and streaming hybrid productions.  No other product on the market offers the same range of capabilities.

TVT: How has the pandemic affected your company's business over the past two years and how will it impact how you exhibit at this year's show?

BOSTER: We have been fortunate enough to remain fully operational during these last couple of years. COVID-19 increased demand for some of our products that enable remote production workflows, which were already being used at many broadcast facilities, but were needed in higher quantities. We saw many of our live events partners convert from live event production to virtual event and hybrid event production—in many cases, they were able to supplement their existing Clear-Com products with an LQ IP Interface, Agent-IC Mobile Intercom App or Station-IC Virtual Desktop Client.  

Of course, some of the secondary COVID-19 effects, like the global supply chain crisis and labor shortages have been impacting us, our partners, our suppliers and our end users in complex, unpredicted ways. At this point, I think we are all figuring out how to move forward through these challenges and come out stronger. We look forward to sharing with all those groups in person in Las Vegas after what feels like a VERY long time apart.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com will demonstrate IP-based remote and on-prem intercom solutions at the NAB Show, April 23-27, in Las Vegas.

The company will demo its Arcadia Central Station, FreeSpeak Edge Base Station, Station-IC virtual desktop client and a new version of EHX with important updates to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix platform. It also will feature an update to the Trilogy Mentor SPG with other Clear-Com solutions, such as FreeSpeak II, LQ Series of IP interfaces and Agent-IC mobile app, the company said.

“NAB is at the heart of our industry, and we are thrilled to be back, reconnecting with our community. The opportunity to provide live, hands-on demonstrations is especially important to us, given our new innovations, and we’re looking forward to meeting with people face-to-face once again,” said Clear-Com President Bob Boster.

“Clear-Com products and support have been critical to the success of the remote production workflows that have resulted from the changes of the last couple of years, and we are thrilled to be showing these new solutions in action to NAB attendees.”

Clear-Com’s Arcadia Central Station is a scalable IP intercom platform that integrates wired and digital wireless partyline systems along with third-party Dante devices in a single rack unit. It scales to meet varying production needs, offering a base-level of 32 IP ports that can be expanded to up to 96 IP ports (and beyond in future releases) as needed. Arcadia integration with HelixNet Digital Partyline will be demonstrated and the update anticipated for release in Q2 2022, it said.

The company’s FreeSpeak Edge Base Station is an IP base station that supports the full range of FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom solutions encompassing multiple wireless frequency bands (1.9 GHz, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), as well as third-party Dante devices.

Its Trilogy Mentor system is recently updated with dual gigabit network ports for improved network connectivity. The system generates test signals for video and audio and network timing signals for broadcast and other mission-critical system purposed to an extremely accurate time signature, it said.

See Clear-Com at NAB Show booth C6908. The company is making appointments online.

Registering as a Clear-Com guest with code LV6295 is available online. The code expires April 8. 

OMAHA, Neb.—Digital news startup Straight Arrow News recently launched operations with the help of Clear-Com IP solutions, including the company’s Eclipse HX digital matrix system, LQ series of IP interfaces and the Agent-IC mobile app.

The Straight Arrow News production team initially focused on pre-recorded segments, such as studio shoots with its anchors and morning news updates produced through its main facility and control room in Omaha. As the year progresses, the news organization looks to expand with new live shows, remote production and streaming to Facebook Live and other platforms, Clear-Com said. 

“We’re not building for now, we’re building for the future,” said Chris Childs, director of technical operations at Straight Arrow News. “What we have right now is more than we need, but we wanted something that could scale with us as we grow. We’ve invested a lot to get this site off the ground, so the last thing we want is to go back to management in two years and say we need to upgrade our equipment. Eclipse HX is highly scalable, and it will easily accommodate our communications needs as they grow in complexity.”

The news organization has installed a Clear-Com Eclipse HX system, which offers the ability to interface with any 2- or 4-wire device as well as with IP (Dante, AES67, native) and wireless communications devices. The installation included an LQ device to enable future expansion and enhanced communications with SIP telephony and mobile apps, like Agent-IC.

Currently, the Eclipse HX system is mainly used for in-studio productions, handling the communications among the control room and three camera positions within the Omaha location. The team also uses the system for mix-minus feeds to and from its news bureaus in New York and Washington, D.C., where the morning show interviews are recorded.

“They [Clear-Com] are a huge help in making sure everything is in place during rehearsals and script read-throughs,” said Rusty Havener, senior production specialist. “We can talk to everyone at once or easily set up private channels for side conversations.”

The next phase of Straight Arrow’s growth includes more live programming, which will give the team an opportunity to put the Agent-IC mobile app to use. Agent-IC allows the core intercom system—in this case Eclipse HX—to be accessible from anywhere on a user’s smart device over 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE or Wi-Fi, the company said.

Childs and Havener are targeting mid-2022 as the critical months for Straight Arrow’s expansion, including regular Facebook Live shows, live in-studio content, pre-recorded segments from their satellite news bureaus and original programming such as panel-type talk shows with a rotating guest line-up, it said.

More information is available on the Clear-Com website. 

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has promoted Kris Koch to Business Development Director, Broadcast Network & Media Production for Clear-Com. In this new role, Kris will be the acting sales lead for major U.S. broadcast networks, as well as the main point of contact for national U.S. broadcast systems integrators.

 “Our broadcast sales have always been a huge part of our business, and now media production in TV and Film has grown considerably in the last couple of years,” commented Chris Willis, Clear-Com’s VP of Sales. “Kris’ knowledge and career experience in both these fields will lend itself greatly to these linked areas of focus.”

Koch started at Clear-Com in May of 2018 as a Regional Sales Manager for the Southwest U.S., achieving great success in growing sales and building Partner relationships in the region.

Koch has held several senior sales and engineering positions within the broadcast and live events sector. Prior to joining Clear-Com he was Director of Engineering at MediaOne, where he designed and built a new facility with two studios, and managed broadcast operations for AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. His experience includes time at Key Code Media, where he worked with content producers to develop state-of-the-art production workflows, and in his previous role at Sonic Solutions he helped his customers deliver content on Blue-Ray, HD-DVD and DVD.  

“In my time here at Clear-Com I have had the opportunity to work with great partners and amazing customers. Clear-Com has a rich history of success with our broadcast partners and I’m excited to carry on that tradition,” said Kris.  “I believe my experience in sports and news broadcasting as well as my time working with top system integrators will be helpful as I continue to grow and learn. Our industry is always changing and adapting, it’s my job to stay ahead of those changes as best I can to support our partners.”

Koch will continue to be based out of Clear-Com's Alameda, Calif. office.

BERLIN—WELT, a German news channel, has launched broadcasts from its new Axel Springer Building in a new broadcast studio that features innovative workflows and IP-based production.

WELT News Channel provides at least 14 hours per day of live breaking news coverage from all over the world.

As part of its IP production orientation, WELT has deployed a communications system based on the Clear-Com Eclipse HX digital matrix, FreeSpeak II digital wireless intercom and V-Series Iris panels. Clear-Com’s Germany-based partner MCI designed and supplied the communications solution as part of the elaborate studio design.

With planning beginning three years ago, the goal was to enable as much flexibility as possible to accommodate everchanging broadcast requirements. To ensure smooth communications for the complex functions of the new 1,900-square-foot studio, an Eclipse Median Frame with integrated FreeSpeak II and V-Series Iris panels was installed, the company said.

“With the broadcast industry trending toward AoIP, it was very important for the new studio to be outfitted for AES67 workflows,” said Martin Koops, senior project engineer at MCI. “The studio’s Clear-Com Eclipse Median frame can scale up to 448 ports, is equipped with Dante ports, AES67 ports and can connect to other devices over IP.” 

WELT’s FreeSpeak II wireless system is connected to Eclipse via E-IPA cards, and V-Series Iris user panels with built-in IP connectivity to Eclipse are placed around the studio.

With Dynam-EC, Eclipse HX’s management software, the station can see a live view of its intercom routing and role assignments, providing the agility needed for a news station reporting in real time, the company said. 

Dynam-EC can be used to manage N-1s, IFBs for cueing, conferences and to switch SIP ports online in real time. SIP management is an important aspect of Dynam-EC’s capabilities with the ability to dial and set up external lines via the SIP ports and to switch them dynamically to the Clear-Com Iris panels according to production requirements, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced that its DX210 Digital Wireless Intercom was used by Kenya-based CATS Ltd. to help wildlife photographer Jeffrey Wu produce a first-of-its-kind live stream production of The Great Migration in Africa. 

Jeffrey Wu was commissioned by video sharing social networking platforms TikTok and Douyin to curate the content of the live stream, allowing a global community of viewers to watch the spectacular display of wildlife that takes place during the Great Migration, when millions of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles and more to migrate from Tanzania’s Serengeti to the more fertile grasslands in Kenya’s Maasai Mara.

CATS, which works as a distributor, integrator, technical support crew and rental partner for local broadcast needs, decided that Clear-Com’s DX210 Digital Wireless Intercom would be the perfect standalone solution.

The project required continuous communications between two tour vehicles, each outfitted with three cameras, a vision mix, audio mix and streaming equipment, powered by onboard inverters and solar generators during the many hours of operation in the field. The DX210 main station was in one vehicle, with the antennas oriented outside the vehicle and a BP210 2-channel 2.4 GHz wireless beltpack deployed in the second vehicle. This configuration provided the channel to coordinate vehicle movements, technical troubleshooting and any other inter-vehicle communication.

In the open plains, the production team was able to easily achieve 100-150 meters of wireless intercom range which allowed enough distance between vehicles for the two hosts who were narrating the content—one speaking Mandarin and the other speaking English—to not interfere with one another, while still allowing Ayaz and Irfan to communicate over the comms.

TikTok and Douyin also partnered with the Kenya Tourism Board, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Conservation International in this event aimed to promote the importance of biodiversity and to inspire wildlife protection around the world.

“I am honored to be a part of such a noble cause,” said Ayaz Rajput, founder of CATS. “It’s crazy to think that such a small team, with the help of a single DX210 system, could bring this message onto a global platform. After nine years of service in the industry here in Nairobi, clients and crew have become accustomed to our Clear-Com system which is synonymous with the high quality of service that CATS Limited is known to provide.” 

TORONTO, Canada—As an A1 and Sound Guarantor for Dome Productions, I’ve worked on some major shows as an audio mixer, comms person, and guarantor. Dome Productions is one of North America’s leading production facilities providers, offering mobile production facilities, transmission services, studio facilities and full turnkey host broadcast services. Traditionally, most of our work has come from live sporting events, for which I’ve used a variety of audio consoles over the years, including most of Calrec’s consoles. 

Calrec consoles make large scale audio routing and mixing easy, specifically the Artemis and Apollo, which was especially important with the COVID lockdowns.

HOCKEY IN A BUBBLE

Because of COVID, the world of live television broadcast has seen a decrease in live events, but the impact of the virus has also forced the industry to adapt to a new way of making television. We witnessed this last summer with the NHL Stanley Cup playoff “bubble” in Canada, and it continued into this past regular season of NHL hockey. No longer do we have two or three mobile television trucks with their own crews, microphones, and cameras, but rather one truck providing a “host broadcast” style show. 

In Canada, CBC and Sportsnet made the decision to produce all regular season games and playoffs in discrete 5.1 audio. That itself is a large undertaking, but we were also tasked with producing clean feeds and mixes for other broadcasters to use. In total, for a regular season hockey game, our transmission audio went from around eight to 62 total channels. 

The broadcast truck provided roughly nine different video feeds, each having between six and eight channels of audio. We had some overlap of course, so not every channel was unique, but in a routing sense this was a large organizational endeavor. The cherry on top of this workflow was that depending on the other broadcasters involved, that channel mapping could change from game to game. The tools that made this job easier above all others were the Calrec Apollo and Artemis consoles. 

SIMPLE `TONE’ BUTTONS

These consoles give me layers and layers of channels, which is comforting during large shows. When lining up the broadcast, playing test tones out our transmission path went from being a 3-minute job to sometimes taking 30 minutes or more. It might seem like a simple tool, but audio engineers know that toning out a show on other consoles can be unnecessarily complicated. 

Calrec has simple “tone” buttons on all of the main outputs and a menu that allows you to mute and identify separate legs or stems of every output. Are you lining up with someone who requests a sweep, or a left/right identify? It just takes the push of one button, no issues. 

Calrec consoles are also versatile. I can send any audio source anywhere I need either internally or externally, downmixed, delayed, digital, or analog—you name it. 

Beyond this, muscle memory is important when working in a fast-paced environment. Whether I’m used to reaching out with my left hand or my right hand to quickly grab the gain of an audio source, the console lets me build my layout however I want. It’s nice not being locked into a specific layout, which is just one of the numerous benefits I get working with Calrec consoles. 

For more information contact Calrec at https://calrec.com/ 

TORONTO—As a cinematographer and filmmaker, Clear-Com’s Agent-IC has been a total game changer for the way my teams and I communicate on and off set. I’ve been looking for a solution like this for a long time, and now that I’ve used it for several of my film and TV projects, I can’t imagine working without it, especially during COVID. 

Agent-IC is a mobile intercom app that operates over 3G, 4G, LTE and Wi-Fi networks to connect to the main intercom system and permits the same communications access whether you’re on-set or on the other side of the world. 

COMS FOR COVID COMFORT

Because it’s also Bluetooth compatible, I can just use my AirPods. I’m always wearing them anyway to take calls, so being able to do that and stay connected to the production is amazing, and it eliminates the need for belt packs and switching between headsets to talk with different departments

On set, we wear face shields and masks, so right now it’s even more difficult to wear multiple devices. Being able to use the phones everyone has in their pockets already is helpful, and by reducing the amount of high-touch, shared and wearable equipment, it adds a level of comfort for crew members in today’s circumstances. 

Off set, executives and clients who can’t come in but who are core contributors and shot callers for activities occurring on set, can download Agent-IC and be connected to our system and have real-time communications with everyone here. 

Aside from Agent-IC’s contributions to keeping TV and film operational right now, it’s provided countless other benefits that guarantee I’ll continue using it long after these restrictions subside. 

I shoot a lot of car commercials, for example, where we’re often separated by quite a distance and sometimes lose communications. With this system, the director can be anywhere instead of driving around with us, and I can be talking to the chase vehicle and the vehicle that we’re shooting wherever they are. It’s a fantastic solution.

Another huge benefit is how easily configurable it is, so those with no intercom experience can learn it in no time, and I can set it up so I can speak to each of the departments I need to, but each of them can be on their own party line so they can stay on their channel and talk without disrupting other departments. 

AGENT OF EFFICIENCY

Agent-IC breaks down communications barriers, which allows us to work more efficiently and be more agile when adapting to evolving needs on set, whether it’s switching out equipment on a shoot, pre-rigging far-flung locations, or making immediate changes to how a scene is shot. This saves us not only time, but money. 

Ultimately, using Agent-IC has saved us time and money, reduced the overall equipment infrastructure, allowed for remote workflows, guaranteed social distancing and safety of onset team members, and has greatly contributed to my ability to keep working despite COVID restrictions. 

Needless to say, I do not see a future without Agent-IC.

For more information on Clear-Com, call 972-393-3244 or visit www.clearcom.com.