FreeSpeak II Wireless Intercom and IP-based Eclipse Matrix Frame Drive Hybrid Production for Virtual Shopping Event.
Black Friday shopping is a unique cultural event. Recreating the excitement of that experience online is no small challenge, but Zest4.TV pulled it off for fashion and beauty retailer, PrettyLittleThing. Zest4.TV was engaged by event streaming specialists Groovy Gekko to stage and host an alternatively themed Black Friday 2020 shopping day, they called Pink Friday, consisting of live competitions, flash sales and models showcasing the brand's favorite styles. As with many events today, public health guidelines limited the number of technical engineers allowed on-site, so Zest4.TV relied on Clear-Com's FreeSpeak II Digital Wireless Intercom System and Eclipse HX Digital Matrix.
Pretty Little Thing wanted to create a live shopping channel experience, mimicking the style of live shopping network TV. It incorporated engaging graphic overlays, live feeds mixed with pre-recorded content, and high-quality production to showcase their stylist-picked looks that would be played out live on Black Friday. The interactive live stream produced fantastic results, with over 14,800 people tuning in and high interactivity with over 13,500 comments posted in the YouTube chat from the audience.
The Zest4.TV team split the technical and engineering duties: Managing Director Simon Roe serving as the on-site technical lead in Manchester, and Technical Project Manager Tom Herrington working remotely with a sound engineer in West London to push the final program feed to the Groovy Gecko team in North London (who then distributed it to various streaming platforms for online viewing).
It was very much a decentralized production, Roe said. This type of hybrid production combined with the live, no-second-take-allowed environment of a live event stream, required an intercom communications system with the right level of flexibility, reliability, voice quality and customization. Zest4.TV chose FreeSpeak II for its 4-wire interface capabilities, creating separate paths for talk and listen.
The FreeSpeak II system can operate in 1.9 GHz, 2.4 GHz, or a mix of both on the same system. The base station offers 12 wireless partyline channels, with the base including four 2-wire analog partyline ports with call signal and four 4-wire audio ports with call signal. The system can be configured in several ways with varying numbers of beltpacks, allowing controlled and efficient communications among directors, crews and talent.
The Zest4.TV team used Intinor video transport technology to deliver the camera feeds over 200 miles from the event site to its offices via the public internet. The Intinor solution also provided 4-wire audio circuits to connect the FreeSpeak II to an Eclipse Delta frame.
The ease-of-use and quality of our comms were critical elements to making this event the success it was, Herrington said. By having the Eclipse Delta Frame interface with the video transport system over 4-wire, Herrington and Roe remained in close communication, as if each were on-site together.
I was able to talk to Tom over that 4-wire channel on a wireless pack while I was walking around the studio, Roe said. At one point, I even had to run off into the event offices about 100 meters away, but I was still able to maintain solid communications. We could feed Tom's voice into the FreeSpeak II base stations, and then route it to the presenter earpiece. Because we could create different channels with FreeSpeak II, I was able to talk quietly into the talent's earpiece with just the press of a button.
The FreeSpeak II system also allowed the team to create separate channels for side conversations. The remote director was able to speak directly to the presenter on set, and separate lines were also created for the engineering, camera and audio teams. There were several ways to create the different audio links over the internet into FreeSpeak II to anybody who was roaming around, Roe said. More than just the system's brilliant clarity, there was never any latency in the chats. The system gave us the creative freedom to do our jobs efficiently without being tethered and cabled.
The FreeSpeak II base station's rear panel has two LAN connections, which the team found helpful during the event as well. Simon was able to connect to one LAN, and I could connect on the other, Herrington said. We could both control the GUI to see what was happening over comms. If someone had technical issues, I could just log in from my remote location and figure out why someone couldn't hear. Oh, hes got the channel turned down.' It's simple as that.
Roe added, Other systems often need to re-establish contact when moving between antennae. That creates a break in transmission as youre walking around, which is obviously a bit of a nightmare on a live event.
FreeSpeak II is now the Zest4.TV team's comms system of choice, mainly for its plug-and-play simplicity, solid coverage and ability to scale up or down for any event. The team has replicated the FreeSpeak II system model used for PrettyLittleThing for many of its other events.
Now, our priority for any event is always to get comms established first, Roe said. Then we know everything else will go smoothly. FreeSpeak II has become a standard piece of our event kit. We know it will get you out of jail on every job.
North America Stories
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
27/01/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low latency media transport, will show the pro AV community its end-to-end solution for high quality content distribution and ...
27/01/2026
Hiltron will highlight the fruits of its 45-plus years of experience in satellite communications system integration and product development at the annual GovSat...
27/01/2026
Klvr will demonstrate how its Charger Pro solution is delivering cost reduction and performance benefits for live entertainment and pro AV markets at ISE 2026 (...
27/01/2026
Amino, a global media technology leader in enterprise video and digital signage, today announced that its Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 booth (4N700) wil...
27/01/2026
ANI, India's leading news agency and a major content provider across the Asia Pacific region, today announced a significant expansion of its long standing p...
27/01/2026
Independent analysis confirms faster encoding, lower CPU usage, and improved perceptual quality compared to CBR and CRF
VisualOn, a leader in multimedia playba...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
When It Feels Real, Is It Still a Lie? The Art of Sarah' ...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
That Night premiering on Netflix March 13
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DOWNLOAD THE KEY ART
DOWNLO...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Revealed the Future of Mexican Stories Coming in 2026
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalMexico
Link copied to clipboard
Among t...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Four New Japan Titles Announced for 2026: Viral Hit', On...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
What's Next on Netflix from Japan: Expanding the Possibili...
27/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) today announced an exclusive partnership with Nu Studio, the company behind the first modular, portable studio designed for immersi...
26/01/2026
OpenDrives, the leader in high-end video data management and workflow solutions, today announced an add-on investment to its previous funding rounds, led by IAG...
26/01/2026
SmallHD today announced a major update to its award-winning PageOS software, introducing Fleet Control, Portrait Mode, expanded Camera Control features, and Dow...
26/01/2026
Whether rigging a PTZ on a truss, sliding a Blackmagic camera across a mezzanine railing, or capturing the mayhem from inside a drum, Filipic delivers visuals t...
26/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils Official Trailer for Salvador
Entertainment
26 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DISCOVER THE TRAILER
DO...
26/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Presents Our 2026 Series and Films and Announces New Projects
Entertainment
26 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
...
26/01/2026
Back to All News
Made in Louisiana: People We Meet on Vacation' Lights Up New Orleans
Emily Bader and Tom Blyth film on Royal Street in New Orleans' ...
26/01/2026
LinkedIn Gives Professionals the Edge with Verified Skills and Tools to Navigate the Job Search Show Proficiency of AI Tools such as Descript, Lovable, Relay.ap...
26/01/2026
Alfalite, Brainstorm, Dejero, Domo Broadcast Systems, FOR-A, KitPlus, Ontario So...
26/01/2026
Tyngsboro, Mass. - January 26, 2026 - Broadcast Pix is excited to exhibit at the Alliance for Community Media West Region Conference and Trade Show, taking plac...
25/01/2026
Back to All News
Sins of Kujo' Premieres April 2: Teaser Trailer, Art and ...
24/01/2026
Masami Kawai Selected as the 2026 Merata Mita Fellow; Isabella Madrigal and Tsanavi Spoonhunter Named 2026 Graton Fellows During Native Forum Celebration in Par...
24/01/2026
The MC-55A Peregrine aircraft will give the Royal Australian Air Force information superiority and serve as strategic assets for future Australian Defence Force...
24/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
24/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
24/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
23/01/2026
WWE's Virtual Production Playbook: How the Professional Wrestling Super Powe...
23/01/2026
Tight set up: Squeezing the PSA's Tournament of Champions into Grand Central...
23/01/2026
Evolving production: The PSA on bringing squash to more viewers at the Tournamen...
23/01/2026
AFC Championship Preview: Behind the Scenes With NFL on CBS' Producer Jim R...
23/01/2026
NFC Championship Preview: FOX Sports Director Rich Russo Talks Technology, Story...
FreeSpeak II Wireless Intercom and IP-based Eclipse Matrix Frame Drive Hybrid Production for Virtual Shopping Event.
