dB Broadcast Creates New Signing Studios

CAMBRIDGESHIRE, ENGLAND — dB Broadcast has completed the commissioning of two new automated signing studios for a broadcast media-management service company. The facility provides in-vision sign language captioning for hearing impaired viewers for both live and pre-recorded programs. The signers, who communicate using a combination of mouth, hand and finger movements, have become familiar figures to their audiences.

The two one-camera studios with blue, green and black Chroma-key screens each allow a single non-technical deaf signer to prepare their studio for operation without local assistance. This requirement was essential because the two studio floors were located in one building, with the control rooms and technical staff situated five miles away. This innovative approach provides greater flexibility, lower operational costs and enhanced operational efficiency

The new studios are joined to the control rooms with remote control connectivity and video feeds, and the signer can access monitoring and on-air tally information in live or recorded mode through the supplied reverse picture feeds.

All technical aspects of the studio had to be remotely controlled by the technical operators from two new control areas, but for efficient running the design had to allow for single person operation across both studios.

The studios were fitted with Arri L7-T low energy LED lighting, Sony PMW-EX3 camera, Autoscript prompter and Telemetrics robotics pedestals, and the control rooms were equipped with a Sony MVS-7000X mixer and Miranda Kaleido multiviewer.

dB Broadcast used an IP-based display and control system for communication between areas. The system was essential because of the varied hearing abilities of the signers.