BBC builds intercom with DELEC oratis

Stagetec’s DELEC intercom brand, through its UK distributor, Aspen Media, is set to undertake the second phase of a BBC contract for the provision of a DELEC oratis digital intercom system in the rebuilt Broadcasting House, in London. The system was installed during Phase 1 of the Corporation’s W1 Project, which was to completely refurbish the original 1930s art-deco building, located in Portland Place W1. Phase 2 involves building one of the world’s largest TV, radio and online newsrooms. When complete, the development will be the home of the broadcaster’s audio and music division, BBC News and the World Service.

This second phase of the contract for BBC W1, awarded to DELEC in 2004 following an EU competitive tender, will widen the current Phase 1 system from 2552 to 4992 bidirectional ports. As a consequence, the expanded system will incorporate a 3072 x 3072 central router that can accommodate further expansion to 4096 x 4096 system if required in the future. The router connects to a number of intercom frames via standard Ethernet links, which also allow the seamless connection of remote sites to the Broadcasting House intercom, with access to the full facilities and quality of the host system.

The occupation of the Broadcasting House extension will be a staged process, so the DELEC intercom’s ability to operate multiple operational areas as autonomous islands is essential. With this capability, each area can be installed, tested and connected to the routers without disturbing the operation of any other part of the system. These operational islands permit each area’s talkback and intercom to be managed locally, allowing more efficient use of valuable central router capacity.

The new system includes more than 300 desktop and rack-mount panels, all offering 18-character labeling that is the standard in DELEC intercom. The digital audio system, which operates via GigE networking, will operate at 24-bit, 48kHz.

Part of the Salzbrenner Stagetec Mediagroup, DELEC has been designing and manufacturing high-quality digital intercom and communication systems for more than 20 years, serving major broadcasters and large venues globally.