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Providing integrated solutions |
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 In modern radio broadcast installations, numerous highly sophisticated systems are used to produce the final on-air signal. The more systems there are, the more important it becomes to have all of them working in concert. Studer offers a broad range of systems supporting this philosophy.
Integration is the key to success. The main advantage of an integrated studio installation is ease of operation and flexibility. Integration can affect capital expenditures in a positive way, since resources such as codecs can be shared instead of requiring a separate set for each studio.
For a manufacturer of radio broadcast devices, integration means providing interfaces which can be used to remotely control systems which are ready to receive commands by other systems.
To communicate with each other, devices need to be interconnected. This can be done with a peer-to-peer connection such as RS232. But in terms of integrating multiple systems, peer-to-peer connections are no longer suitable. Larger operations require a physical network.
In a broadcast facility, a LAN (Local Area Network) is the base for integrating systems with each other. IP-based data transport and various network topologies are needed to provide a secure exchange of information among networked devices.
Controlling devices via IP
 The ability to be controlled remotely requires a system to have an open interface. Two approaches are possible. One is to open up the internal command structure for third party implementation. The other is to adapt an existing open protocol into the system to be able to talk to as many others as possible.
The Studer OnAir 3000 and the Studer Route 6000 follow both of these strategies:
Studer systems come with DNET, a proprietary protocol which allows remote control of almost any parameter inside the system. This protocol is used to integrate with other Studer systems, and is also available for third party integration.
Studer OnAir systems are also able to communicate via a couple of other protocols which are open standards in the broadcast world. The Probel protocol is used to remotely control a device, to set cross points, to switch send sums, to set parameters, and to change signal labels in displays. Other protocols can be used to remotely control playout or automation systems. For example, the Monitora protocol allows a mixing console to remotely control a large number of existing playout systems in the market.
SW-ProBel02, SW-ProBel08, and the Monitora protocol are implemented in Studer’s OnAir systems. The transfer of commands is handled via IP on the network.
Other applications using the LAN
Another standard, used by digital telephony to distribute audio over a LAN infrastructure, is Voice over IP (VoIP). In a broadcasting center, a large number of telephone lines will be used for studio phone-in or for production purposes. This is where Studer’s CMS (Call Management System) comes into play.
CMS is an extremely powerful client-server software application which uses the standard IT infrastructure in combination with a central PBX to enable users from anywhere in the network to manage the complete telephony workflow.
CMS offers the full bandwidth of functionality needed in modern broadcast centers. Phone calls on defined numbers are collected centrally, waiting rooms are available to “park” callers before putting them on air, and voting options can be used to reduce the number of callers by the system automatically.
Any PC within the network which has been equipped with the client software and a headset can be used to initiate, receive, and manage telephone calls. Producers and journalists can support the show from their office desks. They can receive phone calls, pre-select the callers, and forward them to waiting rooms, if they wish.
Because CMS is fully integrated with Studer OnAir systems, a DJ connected to the same CMS server with his own CMS client running on the OnAir 3000 fader screens can pick the pre-selected callers without wasting time with pre-conferencing before going on air. Of course, pre-conferencing is still possible with CMS, but the system can speed up the workflow, since producers or engineers supporting a show can directly move a caller to a fader of a mixing console with a simple action in their CMS client. The channel label indicates the caller’s name, as the system collects it from the PBX or an external directory service.
Audio in networked environments
In a networked broadcast environment, audio signals need to be distributed, especially in medium to large broadcasting centers, where the number of shared or distributed audio signals is in the hundreds. Central playout systems, external sources arriving in the main control room, telephone lines with their returns, and others all need distributing. Consequently, a large number of channels must be available for production purposes, as well as for connected studios, which can be connected to mixing consoles anywhere on the network.
In order to share signals across connected systems, a centrally-located routing device can link all audio devices using bi-directional multi-channel connections, thus providing multi-channel handling, limiters, and other processing for main outputs – as well as a summing functionality
A “star” router can be regarded as the heart of an audio network, and provides important security features, as fail-safe operation of a central router is imperative for any broadcast environment.
In terms of control, a central router should provide a wide variety of options, including PC-based software solutions which are important for administration purposes, e.g. setting I/O labels or monitoring crosspoints.
Setting crosspoints must also be possible from a connected device such as a mixing console or a single producer panel in a control room. Finally, a router should offer an interface to interconnect third party devices using an open control protocol.
Studer’s Route 6000 offers all of these features:
• It is able to handle a large number of input and output signals, while supporting a variety of different signal formats on various types of I/O modules.
• Route 6000 can be equipped with optional DSP and power supply redundancy. For full redundancy, the system can even be doubled.
• It can be controlled by an intuitive, PC-based software application (Route 1000) as well as from the control surface of an OnAir 3000 using DNET. To integrate it with third party devices, Route 6000 complies with SW-ProBel02 and SW-ProBel08.
Overall control
The larger an installation is, the more complex the requirements. Being able to adapt individual operating philosophies is very important. In most cases, it is not the assembled hardware that reaches its physical limits, but the ability to attain maximized workflow.
Since no installation is the same as another, and operational requirements are always different, third party broadcast control systems are often the solution.
Customization and flexibility are essential. Such systems are designed to adapt individual operating concepts into Studer hardware. They offer features such as user management, event scheduling, and I/O matrix operation – in combination with a totally flexible programmable user interface of both hardware and software modules.
Broadcast integration is the key for broadcasters to enable staff to concentrate on their work and to keep control of complex systems. Studer’s OnAir systems are perfect for such integration. |
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