The Australia Day 2018 celebrations staged recently at Sydney Harbour saw The PA People extend their extensive networking capability to include HD-SDI video and Madi-over-IP in conjunction with Barrett Evolution.

For the first time in a live production application, The PA People used Lawo’s V_remote4 IP-based interfaces to transport broadcast video cameras and LED screen feeds in real time over a dedicated 10G network. For the event, The PA People provided HD-SDI and Madi audio transport using four Lawo V__remote4 IP video processors and an extensive 10G Brocade IP network to distribute pictures and audio between Event Vision control, the broadcast facility at the Sydney Opera House, and cameras and LED screens around Circular Quay.

Singers on a floating barge 120m from the shore performed to music generated by an on-stage orchestra, and then pictures were relayed back to the shore for broadcast. The only link to the barge was the weighted fibre cable that carried the video and audio signals between the broadcast van near the Sydney Opera House, the IMAG switching location and the barge.

The Lawo units were connected to a temporary 10G network backbone based on The PA People inventory of Ruckus (formerly Brocade) network switches, dedicated single and multimode fibre and a number of wireless links.

‘The network and the Lawo product performed flawlessly,’ reports Paul Barrett, principal of Barrett Evolution and Technical Director for the project. ‘Being IP based, the system provided by The PA People was able to allow creative freedom that would not have been possible with any other system. Both the Broadcast and the IMAG directors were very pleased with the result.’

‘We have a long-term and unique relationship with a number of our key suppliers including ClearCom and Motorola,’ adds The PA People MD, Chris Dodds. ‘We are excited to add Lawo to our roster of trusted suppliers and to be able to extend our commitment to IP as the transport of choice for all our Communications Systems with the V_remote4.’