BVS selects RTS Adam digital matrix for Irish national broadcaster RT

BVS selects RTS Adam digital matrix for Irish national broadcaster RT posted: 09/03/2017

Dual-frame, 480-port ADAM digital intercom matrix serves eight studios, News, VTIngest, and external Master Control Room

When Ireland's national broadcaster, Raidi Teilif s ireann (RT ), decided the time had come to replace the aging intercom structure at its Dublin broadcast center, they chose a tender from Broadcast Video Services (BVS) of Loughlinstown, County Dublin, which recommended the RTS system for the upgrade.

RTS ADAM system has been core to our communications for almost 20 years, notes Dave Matthews, Head of Engineering - Operations for RT . Following a procurement process involving all major system providers, the ability of RTS to transition to a new system while maintaining the communications on the old system was a key part of the decision.

Managing Partner Michael Joyce of BVS notes that the biggest difficulty was swapping out the old system for the new without disrupting service. Joyce used the RTS Trunkmaster system to address the situation by linking the new and legacy systems together.

The RTS Trunkmaster allows you to have intelligent path-finding between two matrix systems, says Joyce. If a panel from the old system needs to talk to one on the new system, it will automatically route across a tie line. It basically allows you to create one big intercom from two distinct intercom systems, adapting it as the installation progressed. It's also transparent to the users, which is a big benefit for the client.

Using the RTS Trunkmaster system, broadcast integration specialist Broadcast Video Services planned and managed a phased changeover with no downtime or interruption

The basis of the new system is a pair of RTS ADAM digital matrix frames connected to a wide range of keypanels throughout the facility, with 480 ports requiring over 10 kilometers of Cat 6, audio, and fiber cabling. A third-party audio router handles traffic to and from the ADAM system from sources outside the studios. BVS designed and programmed a custom interface to bridge the internal and external components into a comprehensive system, bridging communications both within and outside the broadcast complex.

The RTS system installed included two new full-size ADAM matrix intercom frames with fully redundant power supplies. The frames are outfitted with a mix of 27 AIO-16, two OMNEO 64, and one RVON-8 interface cards. The addition of OMNEO IP-technology via OMI card to the ADAM matrix allows distribution of multiple keypanels over a single fiber or IP connection, adding critical flexibility for special broadcast events. Seven GPI-16 interface boxes provide connectivity to the facility's digital mixing consoles.

In all, over 30 new KP-series keypanels from RTS were installed. The system supports both current and legacy RTS keypanels, allowing RT to save money by migrating approximately 100 legacy RTS keypanels to the new system. All microphones and headsets throughout the RT broadcast center are also from RTS.

RTS backwards compatibility enabled re-use of many legacy keypanels while adding the latest RTS OMNEO IP-technology

The new system expands on the existing installation very efficiently, notes Michael Joyce of BVS. Using 16-channel I/O cards instead of 8-channel units, the four ADAM frames in the original system became two frames in the new system. We also ended up with higher capacity due to OMNEO, with the ability to add additional IP connectivity in the future.

Left to right: Terry Clarke (Senior Project Manager, RTE Technology), Michael Joyce (Director, Broadcast Video Services Ltd.) and Ian Pike (Production Planning and Resource Manager, RTE)

RTS equipment:

2x ADAM digital matrix controller frame, 240x240

2x KP-12 keypanels

5x KP-32 keypanels

10x KP-5032 keypanels

9x KP-4016 keypanels

4x MKP-4 keypanels

6x DKP-8 keypanels

1x TM-10K Trunkmaster trunk router

27x AIO-16 analog interface cards

2x OMNEO 64 port cards

1x RVON interface card

7x GPIO-16 interface boxes

4x SSA-424 dual digital hybrid interface

8x BP-325 wired dual-channel beltpacks

LINK:	http://www.live-production.tv/news/products/bvs-selects-rts-adam-digit...
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