This article appeared in the June 2020 edition of TVBEurope. Philip Stevens looks at the completion of a ten-year project.
Based in Moscow, Vserossiyskaya gosudarstvennaya televizionnaya iradioveshchatelnaya kompaniya (VGTRK, for short), the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company operates five national television stations, two international networks, five radio stations, and over 80 regional TV and radio networks in 53 of Russia's languages. It offers channels for entertainment, news, sport, children, culture, and documentaries.
Last year it completed a massive upgrade to HD for 30 studios across its 83 regional television stations.
Mix and Match
According to Ilya Lebedev, Chief of Regional TV Systems Department at VGTRK, the upgrade covered a whole raft of equipment. When it came to cameras, we opted for three makes: Ikegami, Grass Valley and Sony.
In the galleries, there is a combination of Guramex, Ross Video and Grass Valley switchers.
He goes on to say that this selection of a mixture of equipment continues in other areas of the stations' operations. For graphics, we decided to install Bram Technologies TitleStation, Dalet Cube and Ross Video Xpression. These suited our needs when we were looking at the various - and different - requirements across the network.
Bram Technologies is also the choice when it comes to playout. VGTRK selected the Autoplay systems with Azimuth servers. Around 100 Azimuth video servers were installed over the period of the upgrade programme. That relationship with the company continues with the installation in the newsrooms of Bram Technologies NewsHouse system. In addition, Dalet has provided other newsroom systems for the broadcaster.
For editing, Adobe on PC is the choice. Evertz and Profitt have been selected for the supply of Master Control systems, Sync Pulse Generators (SPG) and Glue. Intercom systems come from RTS and Tract, while gallery Multiviewers comprise models from Evertz, Decimator and Teletor.
Sound Investment
A recent completion of the upgrade involved the installation of Calrec Brio36 Audio Consoles. Each of the 30 regional studios is installing a Brio36 as the main console and a Br.IO Stagebox to expand the I/O capacity, along with an Allen & Heath ZED16 as the backup console. The Br.IO Stageboxes are being used for wired and wireless microphones, speakers, and wireless monitoring transmitters.
The challenge was that we needed an audio console that would work seamlessly across different stations with varying needs over a wide territory, states Lebedev. Of course, we'd known of Calrec's good reputation, and our integration partner, OKNO-TV, suggested using the Brio console for our studio upgrades. The Brio is a vast improvement over what we were previously using in these studios, with superb sound quality. In combination with Calrec's Br.IO Stageboxes, this expands our capabilities and gives us the flexibility and sound quality that we need across various production formats.
Lebedev continues, The functional characteristics and possibilities of the combination of Brio36 and Allen & Heath ZED16 corresponded to the range of our tasks and provided a space for development. As a result, we decided this was the best choice for our use.
Many Features
Mike Reddick, International Sales Manager at Calrec provides some further details. The benefit of the Brio36 is that it is a small form factor broadcast audio console, which offers an immense amount of power in a compact footprint. It is a broadcast specific console, complete with all the features found on Calrec's larger format consoles. It crams 64 input channels - although this is upgradable to 96, and 36 dual layer faders into less than a metre squared.
Reddick believes that Brio36 is in a class of its own. Many of its competitors are multi-purpose consoles, which can be used for live or theatre applications, too, and may not offer the full complement of features demanded by broadcast applications. Brio36 excels as it's the most powerful broadcast console of its size at this price point.
He states that Brio36 is suitable for all broadcast applications. It is as at-home in a studio environment as much as it is in an OB truck. It has been tried and tested for many applications including sports, news, flypacks, esports, education facilities and it is also very popular with broadcast rental companies. It is an immensely flexible tool that has proven to be the go-to solution for many in this industry sector.
Good Combination
Earlier, Lebedev mentioned the benefits of the combination of Brio36 and Allen & Heath ZED16. How do these advantages play out? Allen & Heath and Calrec are sister companies and together with DiGiCo and SSL form the Audiotonix group, says Reddick. All the companies in the group are leaders in their fields, and high-quality products are key to its success. The Allen & Heath ZED16 was the obvious choice for this install as it fulfilled all the requirements and it was guaranteed to have the same meticulous build quality and reliability that Calrec's consoles are renowned for. It was great to be able to offer a complete Audiotonix solution for the main and backup consoles.
Reddick concludes, All the VGTRK regions are configured and monitored by a central team of specialists based in Moscow. This presents a challenge due to the sheer distances involved. For example, the region of Anadyr is over 6000km from Moscow and nine-time zones apart. Within Russia, this upgrade is seen as one of the most
significant long-term projects.
Lebedev adds, It was a challenge to work to a single, overall technological ideology, along with common installation processes, across such a vast area and so many companies. This unity of purpose also had to be maintained across this entire 10-year project. But the resu
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
This article appeared in the June 2020 edition of TVBEurope. Philip Stevens looks at the completion of a ten-year project.
