Fourth Annual Excellence Awards New studio technology - Network nominee
Dec 1, 2004 8:00 AM
CNBC’s all-digital workflow model
CNBC began full operations in late 2003, following 12 months of planning and integration by The Systems Group (TSG) along with a seamless migration from their former facility. With a focus on streamlining workflow, CNBC took advantage of an all-digital workflow model in a tapeless environment, custom-designed for the network’s rapid-fire broadcasting style. A hierarchical media asset management system keeps materials available as long as needed, while archiving CNBC’s valuable productions. The system handles multiple signal streams for increased throughput. Incoming material is instantly available at numerous workstations. As material arrives, it is immediately recorded in multiple levels of resolution in order to avoid repetitive operations. Producers view the material in real time at their desktops, while editors simultaneously begin cutting the breaking news story.
TSG placed nearly 4,000,000ft of cable throughout this highly networked facility. Using a workgroup strategy, the integrator delivered a facility where signals course through 100 analog audio and 250 coax jackfields (digital video with embedded audio) in 350 racks that deliver sounds and images from four studios, as well as locations around the world. The facility features 60 camera drops at 39 broadcast service panels, four production control rooms, 20 nonlinear edit rooms, 24 graphics workstations and 80 Leitch NEO frame syncs. The Satellite Operations Center uses four 67in projection screen monitors that are viewed from five user operating stations capable of handling all inbound and outbound transmissions. Each station is equipped with a Miranda K2 monitor wall processor and a 642 Quintech L-band router, which routes feeds from 70 remote sources via DS3 fiber connection. CNBC communicates from 250 intercom panels over a 544x544 intercom.
The facility also hosts 10 Thomson Grass Valley Vibrant editing systems and 10 Avid rooms.
Design Team
CNBC:
Steve Fastook, VP, technical and commerical operations
Peter Smith, VP, advanced tech.
Jim Starzinski, project eng.
The Systems Group:
John Meusel and Joseph Policastro, project mgrs.
John Zulick, John Holt, Christian Dam and Andrew Morris, sr. systems engs.
Larry DeFazio, Mike Ferentinos and DJ Rice, installation supervisors
Hemant Ganesh and Jose Morales, lead technicians
Equipment List
Miranda Kaleido K2 multi-imagers
Avid iNEWS Newsroom system
Leitch NEO frame synchronizer
Thomson Grass Valley: Profile servers, ContentShare, NewsBrowse, NewsQ Pro, NewsEdit workstations, Trinix router
Sony: MVS-8000 production switchers, BVP-950 studio cameras, DVE systems and CRT monitors
Calrec: Sigma 100 digital audio consoles,
Hydra networking system
Clarity digital projectors
Pinnacle Systems FXDeko
Systems Wireless 48-channel mics
Enco central file server with DADPro32 workstations
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