SYDNEY—RTS has announced that Channel 7 Sydney has deployed a new comms system from the intercom vendor as part of a larger ST-2110 upgrade.

When Channel 7 made its big move from Martin Place to Eveleigh, one of the most important equipment upgrades it had to make was transitioning its intercoms to full ST-2110. For that, the station turned to Magna Systems and a new RTS comms solution.

“Intercoms are one of the most critical parts of kit for a broadcaster as you really can’t produce content without it,” Channel 7 Broadcast Support Manager Chris Spalding said. “When we moved, we required all the new intercoms to be ST-2110 compliant and compatible. Our operators love RTS kit, its ease of use and how logical its keypanel functions are, so we asked Lucas Bohm at Magna Systems for a proposed solution.”

Along with ST-2110 compatibility the new upgrade came with RTS’ latest feature set including new color displays, a raft of new and improved features and an easy transition from Channel 7’s legacy system.

“The solution that Magna Systems proposed and that we installed gives us ultra-high-quality comms, the scale and functionality to produce any amount of content small or large and to manage the coordination of comms across our key programming including news and Sunrise,” Spalding said. “We were able to seamlessly trunk the new system with the old legacy system and ended up with an overall even more efficient and reliable solution.”

The new Channel 7 RTS system included multiple ODIN-64 matrices linked with full intelligent N+1 redundancy software, KP5032 2RU color LCD keypanels, KP4016 1RU color LCD keypanels, EKP4016 1RU universal color LCD expansion panels, DKP4016 desktop colour LCD panels, PAP5032 2RU color LCD program assignment panels, MCP90-12 mics and PH-88R single sided lightweight headsets.

“This new RTS kit and solution is state of the art and fulfills all of our requirements,” Spalding said. “The ODIN matrix is particularly flexible, enabling us to easily transition between analog, Omneo, RVON and 2110. It’s great for connecting between offices and the ST-2110 compatibility is far better than it was with older systems. This means it still does everything we used to do and more without issues. The quality and the reliability of the RTS system really stand out.”

Spalding said he sees comms as the heart of Channel 7’s operation, and every media, MCR and edit suite has RTS intercoms. “The RTS kit handles every aspect of comms at Channel 7, including in-studio and remote IFBs and all network crosses between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,” he added.

The ODIN Digital Intercom that Channel 7 has chosen is a highly scalable intercom system in a 1 rack-unit package. As the network’s capacity needs to evolve, a single ODIN can grow from 16 ports to a maximum of 128 ports. A maximum of eight ODIN units can be interconnected via an optical Inter-Frame Link creating a single matrix with up to 1024 ports.

“We have always had a good experience with RTS comms and that has definitely continued with this new ST-2110 compatible kit,” Spalding said. “ST-2110 gives us a real edge as it easily manages everything we did before but now also gives us more flexibility, via ease of configuration, to be agile when we have special requirements. It also integrates far more quickly with other systems. We wanted an industry standard and we got it with this new RTS solution. Whether we use it in a small OB truck or large TV station, it provides us with the same level of flexibility and functionality. I have to also make mention of RTS, Lucas Bohm and Magna Systems as their support and help with commissioning and integration has been excellent.”

STAMFORD, Conn.—NBC Olympics has chosen RTS to supply broadcast intercom systems and support for the production of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, July 23-Aug. 8, John Pastore, director of broadcast communications at NBC Sports Group and Denis Castanet director of global product management at RTS said in a joint announcement today.

“RTS has been NBC Olympics’ broadcast intercom partner of choice for over 25 years,” said Castanet. “We’re proud to continue playing a key role in their coverage of the Tokyo Olympics. We are equally honored to have supported the NBC Olympics production team on their transition from analog to IP, which has enabled all their local and global locations to act as a single virtual location, thanks to our unique RTS trunking solutions.

“The installation for NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Tokyo Olympics will be full IP, comprising over 600 ports and leveraging two singular and superior RTS technologies: Omneo high-quality audio for local communication and RVON for international comms.”

Pastore praised RTS for continuing “to innovate and adapt to meet the high technical demands of large-scale production,” such as the Olympics.

More information is available on the RTS website.  

BURNSVILLE, Minn.—RTS is rolling out the new DBP (Digital Beltpack), which is part of the company’s portfolio of OMNEO IP intercom systems. It is also included in the new RTS Digital Partyline family of products, along with the OMS (OMENO Main Station).

DBP is a four-channel/four-button wired beltpack that runs on Power over Ethernet 802.3af and 802.3at, and connects using OMNEO IP technology. It’s hybrid design can support both digital partyline and matrix keypanel nodes, automatically selecting the correct mode of operation when connected and switched on, per RTS.

In and out PoE ports allow up to six DBP devices to be daisy-chained together from the same PoE switch port when used in partyline mode. Up to 40 DBPs can be connected to an OMS, while up to 64 DBPs can be connected to an OMI card for ADAM matrices and up to 128 DBPs can be connected to one ODIN.

The DBP user experience features an icon-based menu navigation system presented via a full-color, sunlight-readable TFT display with anti-reflective lens. There is also TALK and LISTEN capability for up to four simultaneous active partylines, controlled on four backlit channel buttons, which can also be assigned for dedicated resources.

RTS says that DBP’s digital audio technology provides increased fidelity and a lower noise floor in comparison to analog. Both 3.5 mm TRRS and XLR connectors are provided for connecting headsets, with four-pin female, four-pin male and five-pin female options available.

There is also support for Bluetooth audio connectivity to a headset, mobile phone or streaming device.

For additional information, visit www.rtsintercoms.com.  

LONDON—Developers of professional intercom systems have made much of the fact that while modern technology has helped enable remote operations and working from home, much of that technology was already available prior to the pandemic.

Social distancing has forced broadcasters to accelerate their adoption of these technologies but with no indication as to how long the new ways of working will be in place, systems have been adapted and upgraded to offer features that were not immediately necessary a year ago.

Some companies have even developed brand new products during this time, although these are not all comms-oriented. Riedel Communications responded to the need for social distancing with its DisTag distance monitor. This alerts the person wearing or carrying it if someone gets too close through haptic (a two-stage vibration alarm), visual (a two-stage LED signal) or acoustic (a two-stage sound signal) methods.

In addition to DisTag, Riedel has “made a lot of improvements” to its core comms products according to Intercom Product Manager Felix Kolls. Some of these concern the user interface more than connectivity and are targeting non-technical, creative staff working from home. The 1200 Series SmartPanel now offers touchscreens that support icons and an eight-character main label plus 16-character sub-label per key, so that each function can be identified and explained.

VoIP (voice over IP) has come into its own and is being used in conjunction with Virtual Intercom Panels for working from home, Kolls said. “This allows a regular computer or mobile device to function as an intercom end-point,” he explains. “The integration of panels or audio into an intercom system via long-distance connections is key for today’s distributed productions.”

Catering to nontechnical users was also the impetus behind the design of Pliant Technologies’ new MicroCom full-duplex range, which allows multiple people to be on a system without the need for a technician onsite setting it up, configuring it or operating, according to Gary Rosen, vice president of global sales for Pliant.

In general, Rosen adds, having more wireless intercoms “can be extremely helpful,” not just through connecting people without physical constraints but also in maintaining social distancing. “Before COVID restrictions, you could walk up to someone and whisper to them,” he says. “Intercom enables you to stay 30-feet away and still whisper to them.”

THEY’RE ALSO MULTITASKERS

AEQ has combined several products from its different technology areas—intercom, communications and networking—to expand coverage over different platforms and connectivity formats. In addition to intercom systems, which are designed with KROMA Telecom, AEQ also develops codecs to provide connections over either ISDN, standard telephone lines (PSTN) or IP. It also produces call-in/conferencing management technology and from this range the Systel-IP platform is being integrated with the Conexia intercom to provide more options for broadcasters.

AEQ Sales Director Gustavo Robles explains that integration can be through SIP (session initiation protocol) or the Phoenix codec. “We can also offer Dante, RAVENNA and AES67 for audio over IP,” he said. “Also included are SMPTE ST 2110 interfaces, while our remote links can run over standard Ethernet or VPNs [virtual private networks] with intercom panels in different locations.”

John Kowalski, director of broadcast and network sales at Clear-Com, agrees that SIP enhances connectivity, particularly for field reporters or for those working from home. “SIP and VoIP are technologies we were supporting in 2019 and which increased in business applications, including being used to come in and out of intercoms, during 2020,” he says. “IP connectivity to mobile devices as well between studios is something else we are seeing.”

Kowalski added that the need to improve connectivity for remote production existed prior to 2020 and was addressed by ClearCom through its LQ Series of AoIP interfaces. These have been adopted for working from home and also work with the Agent-IC mobile app, which allows iOS and Android devices such as smartphones and tablets to become mobile user panels.

IP IS CRUCIAL

IP functionality has been able to adapt to the needs of working from home natively, said Martin Dyster, vice president of business development at Telos Alliance, but it needs to be more user friendly for less technically inclined staff.

“We realized at the outset of the pandemic that the configuration was not going to be simple for all users, so we made some fundamental changes that made the Infinity IP intercom as close to ‘plug and play’ as possible,” he said.

A more general trend brought about by the pandemic, Dyster notes, is the acceleration of TV studios migrating to cloud-based workflows. This is, in turn, pushing intercoms towards having some of its core functions located in third-party facilities.

“This new way of working in TV has taught us that the need for scalable, reliable and secure off-premises products and services will continue to grow, with broadcasters becoming increasingly adept at these workflows,” he says. “We have accelerated our own transition to cloud-based products based on this demand and also adapted some of our hardware technology to facilitate work-from-home or remote use.”

RTS has provided new features for its VLink software-based intercom that include cloud service redundancy, recording, encryption, video capture/streaming, enhanced control panels and standalone capabilities.

“We have also improved our long-distance studio interconnection technology—RTS Trunking—which is now able to support volume control,” says Angelo Piga, global product manager for RTS Partyline. “This is a real game-changer because it allows users to adjust listen volumes for remote point-to-point and partyline assignments as if they were local assignments.”

Away from technology, hygiene and cleanliness continue to be serious considerations in controlling the spread of the virus. Piga agrees that sharing equipment, particularly headsets and microphones, is still a concern for customers.

“We have helped by giving instructions on how to keep things like that clean,” he says. “We’ve also seen a significant increase in headsets and microphone orders.” Rosen adds that sales of replacement foam mic covers and ear pads have increased, while noting that the days of having a “bin of headsets” and “just grabbing one are behind us.”

Whether workflows and working practices will go back to anything approaching how they were pre-pandemic is still uncertain. As John Kowalski of Clear-Com says, any changes going through 2021 and into 2022 are likely to be “more subtle than abrupt.” The only constant will be the continuing need for communications and connectivity.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—With ESPN’s 2019 launch of the ACC Network—covering all Atlantic Coast Conference college sports—ACC schools needed to step up their production game. In order to fulfill the needs of both live national broadcasts and online, we at the University of North Carolina and its GoHeels Productions operation within the athletics department, needed significant upgrades to our infrastructure.

This was a major undertaking for two reasons: We needed to provide the hardware and personnel that previously would have been done by a broadcast truck; plus we cover a lot more events now. It was the perfect opportunity to build a new facility from the ground up, implementing the latest technologies. The RTS intercom system was a part of that.

STOCKING UP ON RTS

UNC’s new Athletics Media & Communications Center (MCC) is a twostory building housing three control rooms, a podcast radio room for live shows and a remote-controlled Bureau Cam Room for live coach interviews on ESPN. The previous facility relied on hiring remote trucks for national broadcasts, but the new MCC is fully self-contained. Our four-channel analog partyline intercom system has been replaced by a full RTS ADAM matrix frame, which is outfitted with 48 analog channels and 128 channels of Dante OMNEO digital.

The MCC features a total of 53 keypanel stations for communication, three of which are DKP-3016 portable desktop models that video board operators at the sports venues use to communicate with the control room. Mobile phones are easily ported into the system via eight TIF-2000A interfaces, also by RTS.

Another key component in seamlessly connecting the various sports venues is RTS ROAMEO, a wireless intercom system that essentially puts a full keypanel on the user’s hip, connecting into the ADAM system via wireless access points that are strategically located across the campus. A total of 15 AP-1800 access points provide coverage for men’s football and basketball—as well as the stadiums for field hockey, baseball, softball, soccer/lacrosse and women’s basketball—along with the Media Communications Center.

BIG TECH ON CAMPUS

With ROAMEO networked into the ADAM matrix, crew members can move between stadiums without changing wireless channels, enabling them to dial into the intercom matrix as if they were in the control room. ROAMEO has made things incredibly simple; when ESPN needs to communicate with people beyond our usual direct-to-web set-up, it’s no problem—we just grab a couple wireless beltpacks, program them in AZ Edit and it’s done.

Between the ACC Network and its online platform, UNC’s GoHeels Productions broadcasts about 75% of all athletic events on campus, including about 200 live telecasts throughout the school year. Depending on the event, the facilities draw from a diverse mix of full-time staff, freelancers and students from the university’s media and journalism programs, including all-student crews for some productions.

We chose RTS because we wanted the best and latest technologies, and we had no doubts that it would make everyone’s life easier—from the ESPN folks doing national broadcasts to our own employees and students who want to work in live sports as a career. We had already decided to go with IP-based audio, and RTS is an industry standard known for their reliability that plays nice with everything else that’s out there. It was an easy decision for us, and we’re very happy with the results.

Kevin Tucker is the chief broadcast engineer for UNC Athletics. He can be contacted at ktucker@unc.edu.

For more information, visit www.rtsintercoms.com.

BURNSVILLE, Minn.—With the launch of ESPN’s ACC Network, all participating schools were required to upgrade their production capabilities for live national broadcasts and the online platform. As part of the University of North Carolina’s upgrades, it turned to RTS for help with its intercom system.

UNC built the Athletics Media & Communications Center (MCC) for its GoHeels production team, housing three control rooms, a podcast radio room and a remote-controlled Bureau Cam Room. The MCC is fully self-contained, including the use of the RTS Adam matrix frame for its four-channel analog partyline intercom system. The RTS Adam features 48 analog channels and 128 channels of Dante OMNEO digital.

The MCC has 53 keypanel stations, three of which are DKP-3016 portable desktop models that are used to communicate between control rooms. Mobile phones can also be ported in the system with eight TIF-2000A interfaces from RTS.

UNC also uses RTS ROAMEO, a wireless intercom system that can connect into the ADAM system via wireless access points that are located across the school’s campus for coverage between stadiums without changing wireless channels.Coverage for men’s football and basketball—as well as in the stadiums for field hockey, baseball, softball, soccer/lacrosse and women’s basketball—is provided by 15 AP-1800 access points, in addition to the MCC.

UNC says that the RTS tools are easy to use for both ESPN employees for national broadcasts, and its crew of students for other broadcasts.

SEATTLE—NAB 2018 was a watershed year for IP technology introductions in the intercom space, with a bevy of new products showcased from various vendors. As these products have begun delivering, customers are learning the advantages of IP-based facility communications.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SCALABILITY

For Guy Low, content and creative manager at RTS/Bosch, the company’s introduction of its ODIN OMNEO digital intercom matrix at the show marked a significant milestone in the company’s product line. “For our existing RTS matrix customers in the broadcast field, this is an active way to incorporate a new, more compact, more energy-efficient system, with all the technology required, into their existing infrastructure,” he said. “Energy efficiency is a key component. Scalability is very important. So there’s a lot going on inside this rack unit format here.”

Doug Heinzen, North American marketing manager for the company, noted ODIN’s “Swiss Army Knife” characteristics.

“You think of all of the cards and boards that we used to have to put into the Atom, or the Atom M chassis, are now actually all integrated on an FPGA and they’re done in software,” he said. “So you never have to open the chassis to have an additional functionality.”

Customers can start off with an initial 16 ports on the box, but through software upgrades or licensing, the number of ports can be increased up to 128 ports in a single chassis, according to Heinzen.

HIGHEST DENSITY

Clear-Com has rolled out its E-IPA high-density audio-and-intercom-over-IP connection card for the Eclipse HX digital matrix intercom family, which it claims “offers the highest density for IP connectivity for any of the major intercom manufacturers at 64 ports in a single card,” according to the Bob Boster, president of Alameda, Calif.-based company. “We actually license it at different number of ports, so you don’t necessarily have to buy it with the full 64, but 64 ports is far in excess of our competitors who are at lesser numbers than that.” Boster added that there are a number of advantages to the new product, though not all of them will all be relevant to every customer.

“For some customers, there is a simplicity in wiring infrastructure,” he said. “There’s a management advantage in terms of routing and moving around and dynamically modifying their system elements very simply. There’s a standardization advantage to being able to put in a platform where everything is all on the IP platform, and it allows them to have a sort of standardization of infrastructure, that otherwise would have been some mixture of fiber and copper, a variety of different connection types, so there’s kind of an advantage there.”

A WHOLE NEW SET OF SKILLS

Riedel has been leveraging IP for its Artist digital matrix intercom ecosystem for several years, offering integrated support for AVB, AES67, Dante, and VoIP, according to Rick Seegull, systems consulting manager for the German-based company.

“Our Bolero wireless intercom system uses antennas that are distributed over AES67 networks that can be layered atop existing IP infrastructures,” he said. “Our SmartPanels link to the Artist matrix using AES67.“Because of lower bandwidth requirements, audio is simply easier to move,” Seegull added. “And for customers that aren’t quite ready to change their entire workflows over to IP, audio is a great way to ease into the world of IP while learning new skills.”

He pointed out that the challenge of managing and maintaining IP networks requires a whole new set of skills for technicians and new levels of cooperation between technicians and their IT departments.

“IT networks are collaborative in nature, so it will be up to everyone—manufacturers, operators, engineers, and IT professionals—to work together on delivering the best results for the technical infrastructures of the future.”

IP BRINGS SCALABILITY

John Schur, president of TV Solutions Group at Telos Alliance, emphasized the importance of a simplified infrastructure with IP.

“Where traditional intercoms have used a matrix, where you have point-to-point cabling from the matrix to each individual device in the system, there are tremendous savings in an IP-based system because, just like a computer network, you run Ethernet cabling from routers and switchers,” he said. “Almost an infinite number of devices can be attached to the network without having to run additional cabling.”

Schur says the Telos’ Infinity system is scalable for similar reasons.

“For the IP infrastructure, you’re able to plug in almost any number of belt packs and panels to your network,” he said. “In our case, we’re supporting open standards, so an IP-based intercom can use AES67. That allows the intercom to seamlessly interface with other devices.

“We make a VX telephony system and so you can interface your telephone system to your intercom system with no additional hardware,” Schur added. “Everything’s on the network, and it’s a matter of making those connections in software.”

INCREASED FLEXIBILITY

Gordon Kapes, president of Studio Technologies said that its platform offers the benefits of using the Dante protocol over standard Ethernet networks.

This Dante Audio-over-Ethernet Technology “is a major strength, eliminating the need for a separate proprietary wiring scheme,” Kapes said. “This can save cost on the initial implementation, adding yet another application to the Ethernet network resources that are now so ubiquitous to all facilities. Long-term benefits of utilizing Dante is that it allows for simple moving, adding, or rearranging of the physical intercom resources. “For users, I think the biggest benefit is flexibility and having the ability to utilize products from a variety of vendors to achieve the desired system performance,” he added. “It’s quite simple: Let’s say that the core of the intercom system is provided by one vendor. This would be good as there would be consistent user interfaces, control, etc.; but then functions such as interconnecting the usual signal sources, and sending signals to other normal destinations, would be trivial.”

WIRELESS WORKAROUND

In addition to the IP revolution, wireless intercom vendors in particular, are dealing with changes in RF spectrum availability.

“The biggest challenge for wireless users is realizing how quickly the 600 MHz auction is impacting business,” said James Stoffo, CTO of Radio Active Designs in East Rutherford, N.J. “T-Mobile is rapidly deploying the channels they purchased. They are not only staying on schedule but are ahead in some areas. Many industry professionals have already opted out of operating in the 600MHz band, just to avoid any possible pitfalls.”

RAD manufactures the UV- 1G wireless intercom system that features the company’s proprietary Enhanced Narrow Band technology, according to Stoffo.

“UV-1G is a unique modulation scheme that is 10 times more spectrally efficient than the current FM technology on the market,” he said. “This proprietary approach is a form of Amplitude Modulation, and it makes the transmitter’s occupied bandwidth—a critical figure in wireless frequency coordination—more predictable. RAD made sure that setup was quick and intuitive, he added.

[Read: TV Technology's 2018 Guide to Intercoms]

“One person can set up a pair of antennas for a limitless number of belt-packs in no time,” he said. “The hardware interface and software app are simple to use, making it a breeze to change parameters of the pack including radio frequencies, assignments and audio routing. Users can move from studio to studio and quickly change parameters to fit their needs.”

PLUG AND PLAY

Eartec makes wireless headset systems that originally were developed for high school football coaching, markets that have guided the company’s product development, according to company President John Hooper.

“These people, whatever they get, it has to come out of a box and work,” he said. “They’re not going to read instructions, they’ve got to be able to put the batteries in and turn the thing on, and it better work.” For the full duplex communication industry, we’re supplying a set that’s very simple to use and therefore very cost effective,” Hooper added. “We’re just getting ready to introduce a set where you can get eight people all talking, without a base station. This set is designed to work in theaters and TV studios.”

There will be lots to watch in the next few years for intercom systems as IP standards firm up.

It’s often been said that producing live television can be among the most complex of technical operations. The margin of error is small and the consequences of a lost audio or video signal or missed cue can have a significant impact on a station or production company’s bottom line—and its reputation. 

Perhaps that’s why intercoms have taken on an ever more important role in television production, especially live events. Intercoms create the integral links between production crews and directors and the technology to maintain those links is evolving rapidly.

In our 2018 Guide to Intercoms, we focus on the latest trends in intercoms for broadcast and the new systems vendors are offering to the industry

BURNSVILLE, MINN.—RTS is getting in on the Olympic action, as the company has announced that it has been tapped by NBC Olympics to provide broadcast intercom systems for the production of the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

RTS, according to its press release, has supplied NBC Olympics with its OMENO, RVON, IP Trunking, ADAM intercom matrices and intercom panels, with the task of providing communications efficiency and flexibility in studio and on site.

The 2018 Winter Olympics began Feb. 8 and will continue through Feb. 25.

For all our Olympics coverage, visit here.

STRAUBING, GERMANY & BURNSVILLE, MINN.—The 31st Olympiads is just four months away and NBC Olympics is continuing to put its production tools together. In doing so it has announced that RTS will provide broadcast intercom systems and support.

RTS will supply NBC Olympics, a division of NBC Sports Group, its OMNEO, RVON, IP trunking ADAM intercom matrix and intercom panels. These systems will aim to expand intercom communications during the coverage.

The Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro from Aug. 5-21.

Read more about how broadcasters are covering the Rio Games at our Live@TheRioOlympics social media hub.