Largest Angola Broadcaster Installs Riedel Artist Intercom System

TPA, Angola’s largest TV broadcast network, recently upgraded its communications infrastructure with a large Riedel Artist intercom system. Riedel Communications delivered an extensive system including a large wired Riedel Artist matrix intercom installation along with a wireless Acrobat intercom solution. Responsible for the installation was Avantgarde, Riedel’s Portuguese partner and the Portuguese system integrator Ibertelco. The system is already installed and in operation.

TPA is the largest broadcast network in Angola and the host broadcaster of the Africa Cup 2010. The TPA studio complex includes four studios, two OB trucks, and a master control room. To expand TPA’s existing intercom installation, which previously only covered the master control room, it was necessary to integrate all four studios, the master control, and the two OB trucks into one single system.

At the heart of this communications infrastructure is a set of six Riedel Artist 32 mainframes. The frames expand the existing Artist system that was already installed at TPA. All mainframes feature redundant power supplies and CPU cards. In conjunction with Artist’s dual fiber ring, the installation is protected against system breakdowns in case of a hardware or connection failure between devices. Artist digital matrix intercom can be easily expanded further to a matrix size of up to 1,024×1,024 non-blocking ports, allowing for possible future upgrades.

The individual Artist frames are placed in the various TPA studios and two TPA OB trucks. To allow for the flexible use of the OB trucks, their Artist systems can be easily integrated via simple fiber links to any Artist installation, no matter if it is a broadcast studio, a stadium, or any other truck.

TPA uses a total of 23 Riedel Artist 2000 series control panels with LCD displays in the studios and the master control room. The panels provide individual volume control and a high-contrast 8-digit LCD display. Connected via AES, the panels feature digital broadcast quality audio and offer the ability to remotely control panels or audio routers.

While in the field, the control panels are integrated into the intercom installation via ISDN links. Two Connect DUO interfaces in the master control room provide the ISDN connections, while in the studio the trucks can easily be integrated via fiber cabling. In addition, the Connect DUO interfaces integrate regular ISDN telephone lines into the wired intercom installation.

“We were looking specifically for a system that gives us the flexibility to upgrade and add components easily,” says Paulo Ferreira at Avantgarde. “Artist is perfect in these terms. Plus it gives us the reliability we need in daily operations.”

To allow for a more flexible infrastructure, a Riedel Acrobat digital wireless intercom installation is used in the various TPA studios. Acrobat is a full-duplex communications solution. Utilizing DECT technology, Acrobat offers a license-free communications system with seamless hand-over between cells. Because of its DECT-technology, Acrobat does not interfere with wireless microphones, in ear monitoring or other wireless systems.

“Acrobat is just amazing,” says António Silva at Ibertelco. “The audio quality is excellent and far beyond any other wireless technology. Plus having the flexibility of wireless communication combined with regular intercom capability really helps us a lot in our daily workflow.”

A total of 16 wireless Acrobat beltpacks are used at three of the TPA studios. Eight cell-antennas provide the cell network. They are connected via CAT-5 to the Acrobat Base Station that is responsible for the integration of the Acrobat installation into the wired Artist intercom system. Calls between Artist ports and selected Acrobat beltpacks expand the flexibility of the communications infrastructure.

To make use of the already existing professional mobile radio network two Riedel RiFaces integrate the mobile radios into the wired intercom system.

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