System integrator VisionHOUSE has completed a multi-stage project of a turnkey technological complex for ZIK TV channel (2015-2017). A state-of-the-art complex designed to produce and broadcast news, programs, and other media products was installed in a historic building in Kyiv, and remote locations were integrated.
VisionHOUSE provided project development, equipment supply, commissioning, staff training and commissioning of the entire technological complex.
ZIK TV channel first went on the air in 2010 with in-house projects, and in 2014 began its transition to the national level, expanding the range of author’s projects to twenty, most of which are in the genre of investigative journalism. The channel’s projects are produced by ZIK-Lviv and ZIK-Kyiv studios, which were opened in May 2014. In early October 2016, ZIK’s new central studio was officially unveiled in the capital’s Zhovtnevy Palats International Center for Culture and Arts.
“ZIK media complex works as a single unit, the entire workflow is organized by modern IP solutions”
ZIK TV channel first went on the air in 2010 with in-house projects, and in 2014 began its transition to the national level, expanding the range of author’s projects to twenty, most of which are in the genre of investigative journalism. The channel’s projects are produced by ZIK-Lviv and ZIK-Kyiv studios, which were opened in May 2014. In early October 2016, ZIK’s new central studio was officially unveiled in the capital’s Zhovtnevy Palats International Center for Culture and Arts.
Issues.
“Working with a historical architectural monument proved to be a serious challenge, once again requiring us to come up with a non-standard solution,” said Yuriy Brushko, Head of Design at VisionHOUSE. – “In the Zhovtnevy Palace, the placement of technological hardware complexes in existing premises with certain requirements means that it is impossible to change the design of walls, partitions, ceilings and implement optimal cable channels. It was necessary to fulfill more than difficult conditions for preserving the unchanged appearance of the building, main structures, communications, etc.”
Also, at all levels of media production, it was necessary to integrate the work of studios and ASBs in different cities.
Solutions
“We are satisfied with the result: ZIK media complex works as a single unit, the entire workflow is organized by modern IP solutions. The remote locations (in Kyiv and Lviv) are closely interconnected in production, and direct interaction between all points of the channel’s presence has been implemented. The technological complex brings the channel to a new level of modern television production. The newsroom from the world leader provides new capacities for news production,” said Vadym Zak, Deputy CEO of ZIK media holding.
Project features:
- Working in a historic building
- Integration of remote locations
- IP systems
- cellular bonding for live broadcasts
- modern newsroom
- centralized management
- integrated playout
- LED lighting in the studio
- robotic cameras
Technical details
“Creating news channels is one of the key competencies of VisionHOUSE,” said Mykola Zaluzhnyi, director of VisionHOUSE. – We have extensive experience in designing and implementing technological infrastructures for news television, for example, a news production complex for the National Television Company of Ukraine, Ukraina TV channel, 112 Ukraine, NewsONE, Zaporizhzhia TV channel TV5, etc.
We implement the principles of centralized management and tight integration of all components to accelerate the production and broadcasting of information products. Each project is a unique complex created as a result of synergistic work between the customer and the integrator.
We are grateful to ZIK TV channel for the cooperation and joint engineering work.”
Out-of-studio shooting
No TV channel today can do without flying assistants, and ZIK is no exception. For aerial photography, ZIK uses a professional DJI Phantom Inspire quadcopter. The television journalism kits for field shooting include Sony PXW-X160 cameras, Comer reporter lighting and all the necessary accessories.
Modern studio and ASB
The studio operates in conjunction with other ASB, PTS, mobile TV sets and TV studios of the facilities, taking into account all the necessary communications via signals, intercom, alarm, control and local networks
SONY studio HD cameras with Fujinon optics and professional Tiffen filters are mounted on Miller tripods and Varizoom crane. Also, SONY and Lumens PTZ cameras are used in studio production with the ability to quickly move between the studio and the newsroom: switching boxes with all the necessary connection interfaces – video, control, and alarm signals – are provided.
For the first time in Ukraine, studio lighting was implemented on the basis of LED solutions from Comer with remote control. The 100-square-meter studio pavilion is fully equipped with studio infrastructure solutions – backdrop roads, a suspended rail system, pantographs, etc.
At the heart of the studio hardware unit (SHU) is the Ross Video Carbonite Black video mixer, the world leader in the mid-priced segment of high-end director’s consoles. The Soundcraft digital audio mixing console, the only one in its class, allows two engineers to work simultaneously. Studio graphics are based on the leading Ross Video XPression graphics system, controlled from Video Mixers via IP: after pressing the Video Mixers button on the title station, a playlist of prepared graphics (video with sound) is launched. Studio playout – Avid AirSpeed.
The service communication system is organized on the basis of intercom solutions from Clear-Com: the Eclipse HX-Delta matrix is equipped with 48 interface ports, two two-line telephone hybrids, and a two-channel analog interface (partyline). To communicate with remote locations, IP interfaces are used, which are also integrated with Eclipse HX-Delta. Service communication between the locations in Kyiv (Zhovtnevyi Palats and Berkovetska Street), the Central Administrative Department and Lviv was implemented.
At the moment, the installation of the next stage of the project has been completed: Studio-2 and ASB-2, built on similar systems for seamless integration.
“The work of both studios and the ASC can be organized in teleconference mode and independently of each other,” comments Maxim Kostennikov, Head of the VisionHOUSE Systems Integration Department. – “It is possible to use studio cameras together with the organization of light alarm signals. The audio interfaces of hardware studios can be combined with flexible and efficient control of audio stage boxes. The coverage and operation of radio microphones is integrated with the entire ZIK complex: Studio-1, Studio-2, corridors, newsroom, etc. Service communication with all remote locations between different cities has been introduced.”
Ingest – recording of media files and external feeds – in the central hardware room is performed on Quadrus systems integrated with Avid post-production systems. The current installation includes another Quadrus-2 system.
The world standard of newsroom
The editing rooms are equipped with Avid Media Composer video editing and Avid ProTools audio editing stations, which are integrated with a newsroom based on the leading Avid MediaCentral platform.
The Avid MediaCentral platform is the industry standard in the post-production world thanks to its powerful, feature-rich tools, creating a single, centrally managed system with a scalable architecture that allows you to increase the number of workstations, non-linear editing stations, storage capacity, and the number of upload/downstream channels without interrupting the production process.
The archive system is based on InTV NEWS software with computer workstations for archivists. The InMedia traffic system provides centralized product management, weekly planning, interaction with advertising agencies, playback and segmentation of materials, creation of broadcast schedules, etc.
The Imagine Communications Platinum VX 144X144 center matrix with a robust, fault-tolerant architecture ensures reliable operation with all types of video signals. The Platinum VX router incorporates the latest in frequency response correction and clock recovery technologies to ensure the best possible signal quality at all times.
The integrated playout with redundancy from BroadStream Oasys, which has proven itself in numerous VisionHOUSE installations, is responsible for playback, broadcasting and on-air design.
The connection to the studio on Berkovetskaya is realized through direct optical communication using Norwia technologies: HD-SDI, IP and service communication signals are transmitted in both directions. The same optical line connects ZIK with the TV tower: the signal is broadcast and received from external lines. The connection to Lviv is carried out using LiveU equipment (portable devices for transmitting signals via cellular communication channels) and Haivision Makito systems (streaming signals via IP).
“Despite the difficulties with equipment placement, manufacturing of technological furniture individually for all workplaces and their relative positioning, we have successfully completed the task set by the customer,” summarizes Yuriy Brushko. – “All the equipment of the complex is located ergonomically for the preparation, creation and broadcasting of a television product.
2017
