CES 2012 Exhibitors, Keynotes Rely on PESA Routers

At CES earlier this month, PESA routers played a significant role behind the scenes for several exhibitors and the keynote presentations from Ericsson, Intel, Microsoft, and Qualcomm.

Staging Techniques, an event staging company with offices in California, New York, Atlanta, and Seattle, was contracted to provide video support for the keynotes in cooperation with the overall event management firm, The Production Network (TPN). “The CES Keynotes are an average sized show for us, with an audience size of approximately 2,000,” explained Bryce Will, general manager of Staging Techniques. “Where it does get fairly involved is with the technical complexity. Four different clients – all high technology companies – make for a pretty demanding environment. Lots of different sources, many different signal formats, and the quick changeovers required between the rehearsals and shows keep things exciting.”

The keynotes were streamed live and archived for on-demand viewing by the Consumer Electronics Association, Staging Techniques’ primary client, as well as the individual keynote companies. Two PESA Cheetah 64NE HD-SDI routers were used to feed video switchers for live HD cameras and other sources during each of the presentations. Will said the PESA routers are permanently installed in the company’s HD flypacks.

“Company-wide, we use almost exclusively PESA signal routing systems,” Will added. “They are just that reliable. We have been a PESA customer since 1996, and the vast majority of our production systems are based around PESA technology.”

With its universal device control (UDC) software and other technology, Clarkston, Michigan-based High Resolution Systems (HRS) provided support during the keynotes for Staging Techniques. HRS also provided rental and staging services for a major CES exhibitor, and used a PESA Ocelot 16×16 HD routing switcher to manage signals for a large video wall display in its booth. “Out of all of our HD-SDI routers, the PESA router has proven to be the most reliable,” said Drew Taylor, HRS applications engineer.

NEP Broadcasting, a Pittsburgh-based company that provides teleproduction services for live sports and entertainment events, supported another major CES exhibitor with one of its 3D-dedicated mobile production units, SS31, which features a PESA Cheetah 144×256 HD video router.

“SS31 produced a 3D broadcast for the 3D network,” said George Hoover, chief technology officer. “The Cheetah is at the core of the production, handling signal distribution and routing for the entire show.”

“It was an honor to be part of such an important production initiative supporting the keynote addresses at CES,” said Chuck Tillett, president and COO of PESA. “We understand the critical level of support our customers must provide in live venue presentations, and are pleased to be recognized for our long-standing reputation of quality products, service and support.”