The CRT displays that once dominated the TV control rooms at Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg are about to make way for a wall of plasma monitors, as the German public broadcaster takes the next step towards its full conversion to HD operation in 2014. New editing systems and a new newsroom computer system will radically update the production facilities in the Potsdam facility.

After a Europe-wide open tender, the RBB chose sono Studiotechnik as its general contractor – a company that specialises in system design and integration – and has centered the audio system on two Lawo mc²56 mixing consoles. ‘There are already Lawo systems in house, with which the RBB had very positive experiences,’ explains FlyingEye Project Manager, Stoffer Geiling. ‘And the two systems having identical system cores is also a benefit.’

The main control room has been equipped with mc²56 console with 32 faders (16-16C) to support both manual and partly automated production operations – the Aveco automation system controlling all relevant equipment, including the consoles, the audio and video routers, video mixer, studio lighting systems, playout server and the font generator.

The ancillary control room, meanwhile, has been equipped with a Lawo mc²56 with 16 faders (16C) and is been designed for operation with a small staff handling smaller news elements and pre-recorded broadcasts. The cores of the main and the ancillary control room consoles are essentially identical; the only difference is the number of faders on each control surface. Each console can be used in place of its counterpart in case of failure.

‘The programming of the control room automation is much easier with only one type of console, Geiling says. ‘And also the operating staff are pleased when identical systems are used in both control rooms.’

The project required many changes to be made concurrently – especially regarding workflows. As these are to be placed under the control of an automation system, extensive planning was necessary and the staff had to be trained to accommodate the changes.

‘A control room is not an enclosed entity – it is very important how things come into it, and how things get out,’ explains Geiling. ‘And when there are so many changes happening simultaneously, it is very important to coordinate and harmonise the steps with each other.’

The goal was to ensure that all employees were satisfied with the new workflows before the changeover: ‘The investment we made in the extensive testing period was absolutely worth it,’ Geiling comments. ‘The more relaxed you can be when going on-air, and the more experienced the staff are with the new workflows, the better. In this case, three months turned out to be perfect.’

The trial operation took place in three stages. Called the Blue, Yellow and Red Phase, each of these was a month long. To begin, all equipment and interfaces were installed and made fully functional. In the Blue Phase, technical adaptations were made and the control room automation was optimised, allowing the directors to familirise themselves with the new setup. New workflows for the interplay of the newsroom computer system Open Media and the surrounding equipment were devised and optimised. In the Yellow Phase, elements of forthcoming shows were tested: different scenes, transitions and the integration of the monitors in the studio.

In the Red Phase, the new system was run in parallel with the old on a show called zibb – Zuhause in Berlin und Brandenburg (At home in Berlin and Brandenburg). ‘In this show we jump between pre-recorded elements and live-action in the studio all the time,’ Geiling says. ‘The video inserts are automated and everything that is happening in the studio is done completely live by the staff in the control room.’

In the final week of Red Phase testing, zibb was run on both old and new system in parallel. ‘The show that actually went on-air came from the old studio, and the trial production came from the new, but rather than put it on-air, we sent it into a terminating resistor,’ Geiling explains. ‘That really went extraordinary well. The leadership was split between the TV production department and the editorial department – when the editorial department had ideas that were impossible to realise, we sat down together and found another solution. The editorial department talked to the technical department and vice versa, and there was a very fair, productive atmosphere.’

With its extensive trial phase, the project may also set a precedent for updating RBB’s other facilities. ‘If we had not joined forces, talked to each other straightforwardly and had an ear for each other, than we would have never been able to successfully complete a project like this,’ concludes Geiling.. ‘With so many changes happening at the same time, so many crafts being involved, it was really a team effort. And we are especially proud of the control room – it doesn’t really look like a technical room but creates a very comfortable working atmosphere instead.’

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