The studio looks like it’s from the future, broadcasting in an on-line non-stop mode, close contact with new media and getting news on the air much faster than others. Bold and innovative ideas brought to life with the help of modern TV technologies.
Work on the project started in early 2013. Even at the stage of the technical assignment, it became clear that the new TV channel was going to be the most unusual in the history of Ukrainian TV in terms of technical design – there were many differences from classic projects for standard TV channels. The integrator’s specialists once again had the opportunity to work on the realization of innovative TV ideas. Needless to say, they did a great job.
“112 Ukraine was conceived as a news channel with a large share of live broadcasts (10 to 16 hours a day). The premises planned for the studio were small, with a low ceiling, so the integrator was faced with the task of organizing dynamic multi-camera HD broadcasting in a minimal space.
A news channel requires that live broadcasts be supported by a large number of video and audio materials, texts, sound, and graphics. And all this should be done quickly, efficiently, dynamically, and with great interactivity.
“The integrator had to implement a format that had not yet been seen in Ukraine.”
Reliability and efficiency
The 112 Ukraine TV channel was built from scratch. From a technical point of view, the final project was significantly influenced by three main components: a balanced budget policy of a small but very ambitious TV channel, the use of advanced developments by leading global brands, and a powerful creative component that includes a large number of live broadcasts and extensive use of the Internet.
In addition to creating modern HD news and entertainment production and broadcasting, VisionHOUSE specialists had to think outside the box more than once to put the customer’s bold ideas into practice – traditionally based on equipment and solutions from world leaders.
- robotic shooting in a variety of locations with high-quality light
- maximum automation of news production
- integrated playout
- a powerful complex in terms of functionality on a small territory
The modern news complex was built on the basis of solutions from Avid Technology, the world’s leading manufacturer of news equipment. The project uses ISIS 5000 distributed access storage, Avid iNEWS newsroom system, news production stations based on Avid NewsCutter, the latest version of the Interplay media content management system, including the first installation of Interplay Sphere in Ukraine, which connects journalists’ workstations to the TV company’s production complex remotely via a web interface. Also, for the first time in our country, 112 Ukraine TV channel used a new solution for creating on-air graphics with 3D effects – Avid Motion Graphics (AMG). Sound editing is performed on Avid Pro Tools stations.
Thus, news production at 112 Ukraine is as automated as possible. When journalists prepare a story, any changes are automatically reflected in the playlist, which minimizes human error. The ability to manage graphics and video materials from a single workstation also makes work much easier.
On-air automation, ingest and playout are implemented on the basis of the popular TV channel in a box technology from Oasys. The uninterrupted operation of broadcasting is ensured by two servers – the main and the backup.
The video path is based on Imagine Communications solutions: SD/HD/3G Platinum 128×128 central video router with full redundancy and Predator II signal monitoring system. All cameras, video mixers and monitors are Sony equipment, including HD XDCAM EX3 TLC cameras. Clear-Com equipment, including the 36-port Eclipse Pico communication matrix, is used for service communications. The digital archive and traffic system are from the Ukrainian company In Media, which developed integration with the Avid news production system and the Oasys playout system.
“The task was to build a news channel. The main distinguishing feature is the high efficiency of news reporting. Thus, the integrator needed to implement a format that was not yet available in Ukraine,” said Yuriy Ivanov, CTO of 112 Ukraine.
“The concept of integrated playout was chosen deliberately and consciously because we are all moving in this direction. As a contractor, we chose VisionHOUSE because it offered one of the most optimal solutions on the market in terms of both news production and hardware and broadcasting. For a very reasonable price, we have access to the best solutions from world leaders: Sony, Avid Technology, Imagine Communications, Oasys, Clear-Com, Nevion. Competitors’ offers were significantly inferior.
Another big plus is the work of this company’s specialists. They do not just sell equipment, they delve very deeply into the process, they live the project. This approach was very appropriate, as there were a lot of unusual tasks during the installation that required a non-standard approach. And they are just very comfortable to work with. “
A gem of news production
The planning and installation of the studio complex in this project was the most challenging task. The task included a small studio size, low ceilings, a limited budget, and a plan for 10-16 hours of live broadcasting per day.
To realize the entire project and the studio in particular, we found many solutions unique to our country. For example, cameras. A total of 17 of them were installed. Typically, news studios are equipped with 3-5 cameras, while the largest studios in our country have 6-8 cameras. There are 17 of them in the studio, newsroom, and meeting rooms at once, and each of them can go live at any time. In terms of implementation, this is quite difficult.
At this TV channel, the studio is not the only place for filming. The implemented concept includes many unusual locations – for news, reception, thematic programs and newsrooms. All this implies a continuous, seamless transition from one location to another. In other words, live broadcasts and various inclusions of journalists from the street and the studio should instantly replace each other. Therefore, the classical approach to building studios with large studio cameras and operators in this case faces a number of serious problems. And there was no room for bulky cameras and operators at all.
The studio of 112 Ukraine uses Sony BRC-H900 and BRC-Z330 dome robotic cameras with all the necessary additional equipment, such as prompter and lights. Typically, dome cameras are installed permanently and have rather limited view and focus characteristics. Some of the cameras in the studio are mounted on tripods, while others are mounted on special suspensions that allow them to be fixed in several positions. In addition, the cameras are suspended on special rails, and the wiring is designed in such a way that the cameras can move around the room. Only in meeting rooms are dome cameras used in the project, installed in their natural position – rigidly fixed to the ceiling. Any concerns about whether budget robotic cameras would be able to cope with high TV standards, especially HD broadcasting, were allayed during the first tests. And the high quality of the picture shot in the studio was recognized by the entire Ukrainian TV community. Moreover, Sony specialists were pleasantly surprised by the unusual nature of the task for which the cameras of this model range were used.
“They don’t just sell equipment, they go very deep into the process, they live the project .
The robotic cameras were also used to implement an unusual task for the Ukrainian TV market: broadcasting numerous live stories directly from two newsrooms. At 20 of the 30 journalist seats, the company organized the ability to broadcast live pictures and sound of an Internet story or video chat with interactive studio guests, as well as to overlay a journalist’s voice commentary. Again, the cameras in the newsroom allow the journalist to be filmed. Matrox equipment is used to display Internet video, which allows recording video from a journalist’s PC screen in real time and broadcasting it.
The organization of high-quality lighting at journalists’ workplaces, which are not usually used for filming, is another successfully completed task, the level of which can be assessed by the picture of the 112 Ukraine TV channel. We mainly used lighting equipment from Lowel and Dexel Lighting.
Another nuance: in the design of the studio, a lot of attention was paid to the video wall and broadcasting content on them. Thus, more creativity is introduced into the picture in the studio with guests in the meeting rooms. Panels connected by a thin “seam” form video walls of various shapes and sizes. Moreover, different video walls can broadcast different content. For this purpose, Dexon video processors are used to generate the signal to these video walls. They allow you to generate a video signal, as well as receive and transmit an external signal to the panel, add effects, etc. All content on the video walls is managed from a single computer, which greatly facilitates the work. Thus, not only the material to be broadcasted is generated in the ASB, but also the video presentation of the entire studio is created.
“This is definitely a very interesting project not only in our country but also in the world practice – a lot of filming locations, robotic cameras with a complete absence of classic cameras with operators. In fact, a studio and a newsroom are organized on a very small territory, and all of these are compact and stylish elements of the scenery,” comments Alexander Selyaninov, commercial director of VisionHOUSE. “The installation of 17 robotic cameras, their control system and switching was probably the most difficult thing for us in this project. The unusual nature of the task required a lot of interesting non-trivial solutions from our team.
We also tinkered a lot with the lighting, because the room was low. Therefore, it was a challenge to place the light so that it would move, take up little space, and fully meet the requirements of HD broadcasting.
The result is a powerful complex in terms of functionality on a small territory. Everything is compact and well thought out. We can say that 112 TV channel has the most modern news production in Ukraine today in terms of technical equipment.”
2013
