Germany’s Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da) has abandoned its on-campus welcome event for first-year students with a live broadcast to observe social distancing. The event was powered by Riedel signal transport and communications technologies.
Broadcast students at h_da used a MediorNet real-time network, Artist digital matrix intercom system, and Bolero wireless intercom to produce the multi-location programme to professional standards. ‘For the past ten years, it has been our tradition to welcome new students with a big live event at the Staatstheater Darmstadt,’ explains h_da Media Relations Officer, Martin Wünderlich-Dubsky. ‘This is not just about conveying information, but about forging an emotional bond and showcasing the size and diversity of the university.
‘With this year’s special programme, we were able to achieve all this – and more – in a safe and physically distanced manner. As a bonus, the high production value of the programme meant we were able to reach a significantly larger audience.’
The coronavirus pandemic gave the university a unique opportunity to give broadcast students a hands-on opportunity to produce a live television programme using advanced remote broadcasting techniques. Enabled by distributed and fully digital workflows and home studio-based technologies, students were able to produce video and sound from multiple distributed locations. The final programme called on an interdisciplinary crew of more than 60 student video specialists.
The Riedel MediorNet infrastructure comprised six MetroN decentralised routers, four MediorNet Compact stageboxes, and two MicroN high-density signal interface configured with the MicroN MultiViewer app. For team communications, an Artist-64 digital matrix intercom mainframe equipped with AES67 cards supported up to 20 Bolero wireless beltpacks. An RSP-2318 SmartPanel leveraged the MediorNet Control App to provide agile routing and control of audio and video signals transported across the MediorNet network.
This configuration enabled the production to go live from five main locations – the main set in a café, an outdoor set, the president’s address from an office via IT network (using the Bolero intercom in standalone mode), a set in the Staatstheater Darmstadt, and a Zoom interview with the mayor of Dieburg.
‘With its decentralised approach, MediorNet is ideally suited to remote productions that can enable teams to work safely while also maintaining world-class production standards,’ says Riedel Account Manager, Andreas Mohnke. ‘We are very happy to be able to support the next generation of broadcasters and help enable students to gain experience in a highly professional environment. It was great to see how our products’ intuitive interfaces and ease of use enabled newcomers to perform highly challenging tasks, such as changing the configuration of the intercom matrix on the fly and during operation.’
‘This was a real television programme, and our student team mastered all of the challenges with extreme professionalism,’ adds h_da, Professor of Broadcast Production & System Design, Felix Krückels. ‘Hopefully, the reason for this remote production, the pandemic, won’t happen again, but at the same time, it opened up lots of new possibilities to expand our students’ real-world broadcast experience. It was great to see all the motivation and enthusiasm, and we’re all really proud of the results.’
More: www.riedel.net
