TV Production Company Selects Eclipse Digital Matrix For New Command Centre
CAMBRIDGE, UK/MUNICH, GERMANY, NOVEMBER 24, 2008—Clear-Com® Communication Systems, a Vitec Group brand, is pleased to announce that Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion has chosen the Clear-Com Eclipse Digital Matrix intercom system as the centrepiece of its new command centre. The TV production company has installed five Eclipse matrices at its Munich facility, combining them with Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak® digital wireless intercom system to expand communications capabilities for employees. 
ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion had sought a new intercom to replace its legacy system and found the Clear-Com Eclipse a flexible, scalable intercom solution designed for point-to-point and group-based multi-connections, to be the perfect fit for its needs. The company was especially impressed with the Eclipse’s ease of integration with its existing FreeSpeak system. The combination of the Eclipse and FreeSpeak at ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion offers employees the reliability of wired intercom but with the freedom of wireless.
"We decided very quickly that Clear-Com was the right choice,” says Joachim Hentschel, senior system engineer, ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion. “The current system’s stability, support and compatibility with our existing FreeSpeak installation, along with some of our operator consoles, were all crucial factors in our decision. The Clear-Com system has offered us an excellent user experience and we’re very happy with its performance.”
ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion’s new system comprises five Eclipse matrices linked via fibre to form a “ring” of 464 non-blocking ports, 30 FreeSpeak communication terminals, distributed over two matrices and Clear-Com V-Series user panels for the Eclipse. The V-Series terminals have been outfitted with state-of-the-art chip sets, enabling eight shift levels and/or the connection of eight extension operator consoles. The FreeSpeak systems provide configurable point-to-point and point-to-multipoint communication paths.
“As a large production facility with many employees, ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion needed an intercom system that could readily expand to support more users,” says Max Below, head of purchase and product sales for Studio Hamburg MCI, the systems integrator on the project. “Because of its inherent flexibility, Clear-Com’s Eclipse Digital Matrix was the ideal intercom solution for the project. Its large number of ports and relative ease of connectivity with other systems enables it to offer truly limitless connectivity options.”
Clear-Com’s Eclipse Digital Matrix series of frames can support as few as 16 user connections on a single matrix frame or as many as 3,120 on a networked system platform. The V-Series display panels complement the Eclipse with cutting-edge Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology, which allows multiple audio signals to be mixed together and adapted. Each panel also includes “Listen Again” functionality that replays the last 30 seconds of an incoming call.
The Clear-Com FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom beltpacks combine DECT and wireless roaming technologies to allow the user to move freely without fading or losing the connection to the communications system. The FreeSpeak wireless beltpack can operate with the FreeSpeak standalone intercom base station or with FreeSpeak Integra, within the Clear-Com Eclipse Matrix System.
Note: FreeSpeak® and CellCom® are different brands representing the same digital wireless intercom system (with minor technical differences). Due to trademark limitations, CellCom and CellCom Integra (formerly CellCom50) are only available the USA and Canada; and FreeSpeak and FreeSpeak Integra (formerly FreeSpeak50) are available in all countries other than the USA and Canada.
ABOUT CLEAR-COM
Clear-Com®, a brand of The Vitec Group plc, is the global leader of professional communication solutions for broadcast, live performance, military, government and commercial markets. For more than 40 years, Clear-Com’s signature products such as Encore Party-line, Eclipse Digital Matrix, CellCom®/FreeSpeak® Digital Wireless and IP Communications systems have revolutionised broadcast stations, production trucks, houses of worship and performance venues. Recognising Clear-Com for its history of intercom innovation, production teams around the world achieve ubiquitous
communication with products to promote easy interoperability and global connectivity. More information can be found at www.clearcom.com.
ABOUT THE VITEC GROUP PLC
The Vitec Group plc is acknowledged as a global leader in the supply of equipment and services to the broadcasting, entertainment and photographic industries and has established a reputation for technical excellence and superior engineering along with an astute business strategy which has seen it grow by acquisition. Innovation is a cornerstone of the Group’s activities and the organisation is committed to a policy of continuous product development. With revenues (2007) of $546m (£274m) and over 2200 employees world-wide, its products are distributed in almost 100 countries, through a strong, fully-resourced distribution network or direct to the end user or corporate customer. More information can be found at www.vitecgroup.com.
