Providing content such as Champions League soccer coverage for German broadcasters including SAT.1, ProSieben and Kabel Eins, SES Astra’s HD+ platform are now produced in a new HD control room that handles HD production from the studio to final output.
Retiring its Standard Definition Control Room 6, the broadcaster initially established the HD control room in what is currently the central equipment room, allowing a seemless transition from SD to HD. Throughout the process, space was scarce, and the compact footprint of the Lawo mc²66 digital console selected for HD operation was highly advantageous.
‘As with previous projects, work with the main contractor and Lawo, ran extremely smoothly and without any complications at all,’ says Joachim Hentschel, Solutions Architect at Munich-based ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion, who names ease-of-use, transparent design and features that support a smooth workflow as definitive advantages of the system.
The mc²66 in the new room features 40 faders (16+8+16), 192 full DSP channels and a routing capacity of 8,000 x 8,000 crosspoints. The distribution of audio signals is performed via an embedded audio infrastructure, so no dedicated audio routers are required. The video router, meanwhile, distributes audio signals throughout the entire production complex. This procedure has already proven its worth in postproduction, when ProSiebenSat.1 previously used embedded audio.
‘As a live-ready console, stability and reliability were naturally extremely important to us,’ says Karl Steinbauer, Director of Video and Sound Engineering. 'Beyond that, we were looking for intuitive controls and the best possible audio quality, as the main criteria during our search. So far, the console has proven its worth during daily productions, and matches all our requirements.’
More: www.lawo.de
