The largest TV broadcaster in China is now also the country's first to use Lawo's flagship mc 96 Grand Production Console - part of China Central Television's (CCTV) swift and ambitious uptake of 4K/UHD and IP operation. The audio console has been installed in CCTV's No.8 Studio in Beijing by systems integrator, the NDT Group.
Begun in July 2018 with installation work starting in November, the project is now complete and marks the second of CCTV's studios to be upgraded to 4K/UHD with IP technology. The mc 96 and two further Lawo mc series consoles in No.8 Studio (aka the 800m studio) follows three prior AoIP projects for China's national state broadcaster undertaken by Lawo, perfectly demonstrating that the German technical pioneer's AoIP solutions are proven, safe and stable on the most high-profile of international broadcasters' stages.
The renovation of CCTV's 800m Studio audio system was handled by our long-term partner NDT, and finished mid-Jan 2019, says Lawo System Engineer Sam Zhang. As soon as it was finished, it was given a major mission - broadcasting the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, which is the largest live show on Chinese New Year's Eve, with 1.3 billion watching. The 800m Studio produced the 4K/UHD signal; the first time the Spring Festival Gala has been broadcast in 4K. The new system did the job perfectly.
The CCTV audio engineers chose AoIP without hesitation, since they believe IP is the future and they trust Lawo, adds System Engineer Bai Shi, of Lawo's Beijing Representative Office.
With many music shows and full bands recorded here, the new audio system for the 800m studio comprises three mc consoles - the 56-fader mc 96 for broadcasting, a 32-fader mc 56 for FOH, and a 40-fader mc 36 for monitors. The consoles share more than 300 analog and AES3 signal feeds, along with10 MADI feeds via two IP switches. Additionally, five Lawo Power Core remote production solutions and two A__madi4 units translate baseband signals into RAVENNA/AES67 streams and vice versa. Without AoIP, accommodating such a high signal count would be both difficult and costly.
CCTV places a very high value on operational reliability, with both the mc 96 and mc 56 consoles' HD Cores being fitted with redundant DSP and router cards. The mc 96 will also provide a backup FOH feed, while the mc 56 provides a corresponding live backup feed.
All of No.8 Studio's RAVENNA/AES67 streams are protected by Lawo's use of the SMPTE ST2022-7 hitless merge protocol, with two identical IP networks providing system redundancy. The Power Core also provides MADI I/O, used to connect the HD cores of the mc 96 and mc 56 consoles. In the unlikely event of these switches going down, both mixing consoles can still receive important I/O from the Power Cores via MADI at the press of a single button.
Two of No.8 Studio's five Power Core stageboxes - each with 32 mic inputs - are located inside the studio in flightcases, with all analog signals from inside the studio to the audio equipment room fed via fiber - as an alternative to copper multi-core cables, this ensures that there is no loss of sound quality on their 50-meter journey.
The remaining three Power Cores in the audio equipment room are used to provide analog and AES3 I/O for wireless mics, and EFX and VTR, EVS, EXT signals. Two Lawo A__madi4 units act as AoIP interfaces for the studio's two Avid Pro Tools HD2 workstations via an Avid HD-MADI audio interface.
Based on a SMPTE 2110-compliant IP audio backbone, the A_madi4 is part of Lawo's A__line of audio interfaces, providing connectivity in distributed locations and can be readily adapted to any change in CCTV's requirements as it can scale audio I/O capacity in a networked system, either temporarily or permanently. It also supports two MADI ports on SFP coaxial connections, and has two Dual Media RJ45/SFP 100/1000Base-T Ethernet ports for streaming and control.
The two A_madi4 units also work as the PTP (Precision Time Protocol) clocking master for the audio system, receiving word clock from the studio's video system and translating it into PTP for the AoIP network.
We found the A_madi4 is a great PTP grand master device, says Sam Zhang. It's not designed to do so, but during the completion of several AoIP projects, we have found it does work perfectly as PTP Grandmaster.
The studio is now taking care of normal daily work, mostly music shows with singers and bands, he reports. The CCTV audio engineers are happy with the new system; it's not only powerful and flexible, it also looks fantastic.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
05/03/2026
Quality control (QC) has long been a gatekeeper of technical fidelity. Editors and technicians have adhered to a simple, disciplined checklist: bitrate, resolut...
05/03/2026
Leading video software provider Synamedia today announced it has partnered with Swiss sports technology specialist, Asport to deliver global live streaming for ...
05/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced the promotion of Gretchen Taipale to Vic...
05/03/2026
Clear-Com has provided Gen-IC virtual intercom, its cloud-based voice communications system for SaxaVord Spaceport, the first fully licensed vertical launch s...
05/03/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) concluded the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, convening more than 800 industry leaders, technologists, creatives and executi...
05/03/2026
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of electrical power control solutions for professional audio, video, and lighting systems, today announced that its new Dual DMX ...
05/03/2026
Snicket Labs is pleased to announce a new distribution partnership with ES Broadcast for its award winning solutions, Match and Enrich.
Under the agreement, ES...
05/03/2026
LiveU today announced the first large-scale deployment of its AI-driven LiveU IQ (LIQ ) technology at a global, multi-venue sporting event, setting a new benchm...
05/03/2026
March is in full bloom, and that means a fresh wave of games heading to the cloud. 15 new titles are joining the GeForce NOW library this month.
Leading the Ma...
04/03/2026
Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the governing body for Italy's premier basketball...
04/03/2026
Wrexham AFC co-chairmen Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds will host a first-of-its-kind ...
04/03/2026
The countdown is underway and with just 100 days to go until the world's greatest sporting event begins on Thurs., June 11, FOX Sports, America's Englis...
04/03/2026
No matter where they are in the world, service members and veterans can stream N...
04/03/2026
Telemundo officially releases Somos M s, the anthem for the network's cove...
04/03/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) concluded the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, convening more than 800 industry leaders, technologists, creatives, and execut...
04/03/2026
Smith Entertainment Group transformed how local sports are consumed by creating ...
04/03/2026
The production method, which spans a distance of 36.2 miles, was designed and im...
04/03/2026
Haivision, a global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and...
04/03/2026
When Hugues Meyrath came out of retirement to take the helm as CEO of Quantum, i...
04/03/2026
Last week's launch of Banana Ball Championship League has spurred a significant upgrade of production facilities
The Savannah Bananas, arguably the hottest...
04/03/2026
sldkfjsdlfkjsldkfjsldkjfslkdjfslkdjfsl
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus...
04/03/2026
For many fans, a song's backstory can be just as compelling as the final pro...
04/03/2026
In 2006, Spotify was founded on the belief that technology could bring artists a...
04/03/2026
Spotify is back on the ground for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and we&#...
04/03/2026
Spotify had an energizing week in Sydney, Australia, filled with powerful conver...
04/03/2026
Earlier this year, we launched Directed By, a documentary-style series that pull...
04/03/2026
100 Days to Go: SBS Unveils World Class Team for The Greatest Show on Earth -The...
04/03/2026
KT and Rohde & Schwarz to showcase AI-enhanced radio transmission performance In a joint 6G AI proof-of-concept demonstration, the CMX500 one-box tester from ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, 3 March 2026 - SES S.A. has today published its 2025 Annual Report, following the announcement of the company's full year financial results for ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, March 3, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, along with I...
04/03/2026
04 Mar 2026
VEON Partners with GSMA Innovation Fund to Accelerate Digital Innov...
04/03/2026
04 Mar 2026
VEON's Beeline Uzbekistan and Rakuten Symphony Partner for Open...
04/03/2026
Wednesday 4 March 2026
Sky Sports unveils plans for 2026 Formula 1 coverage
Sky Sports is preparing for one of the most highly anticipated F1 seasons in recen...
04/03/2026
Back to All News
Bloodhounds' Season 2 Gears Up for April 3 Premiere with ...
04/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Ads Suite Expands Capabilities
Business
04 March 2026
GlobalUnited States
Link copied to clipboard
After launching the Netflix Ad...
04/03/2026
Scripps Research welcomes healthcare innovator Joe Kiani to the Board of Directors Kiani brings decades of experience in patient safety and public service.
Mar...
04/03/2026
Nanoparticle vaccine approach takes on a new target: Hepatitis C virus Scripps Research scientists reengineer critical proteins on the surface of HCV, paving th...
03/03/2026
Beyond Sports, a Sony group company, and LIV Golf, the world's golf league, ...
03/03/2026
Ilitch Sports + Entertainment announces the launch of Detroit SportsNet (DSN), a year-round broadcast home for two of Detroit's franchises. With flexible op...
03/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media ...
03/03/2026
The PGA of America, NBC Sports and USA Sports extend their media rights agreemen...
The largest TV broadcaster in China is now also the country's first to use Lawo's flagship mc 96 Grand Production Console - part of China Central Television's (CCTV) swift and ambitious uptake of 4K/UHD and IP operation. The audio console has been installed in CCTV's No.8 Studio in Beijing by systems integrator, the NDT Group. 
