La Chaîne Parlementaire television network is responsible for broadcasting the proceedings of the National Assembly of France (LCP) and the Senate of France (Public Sénat) through TNT digital terrestrial television. It broadcasts 24 hours of the Assembly followed by 24 hours of the Senate.

In 2013, it was necessary to improve the network’s communication infrastructure, resulting in Audiopole Sales Engineer Philippe Delépine make a site survey and proposing a solution based around BroaMan/Optocore network components.

‘They had some remote channels and wanted connectivity between the cameras and the main control room over distance,’ he recalls. ‘We started discussing how to carry the video signal around the four parliamentary columns that dominate the room [La Salle des Quatre Colonnes].

‘Initially, we proposed a multiplex solution down a single fibre using two V3R-FX-Intercom-SDI – the BroaMan video platform with audio [later to become the MUX22]. This would function as a five input/one output, point-to-point system.’

This would carry five separate video feeds for ministers being interviewed on site, with the BroaMan devices enabling the signals to be multiplexed onto a single Optocore fibre. Additionally, signals from the control room could be relayed to the Salle des Quatre Colonnes. System integration was carried out by Paris-based A/V specialist, CVS.

‘The ports in and out of the BroaMan devices carry the main audio programme and also the intercom both ways for a connection with a wireless Clear-Com Tempest system over several hundred meters,’ Delépine explains. ‘Previously they were only able to carry one signal and no audio.’

With simplicity of set-up and effective functionality, ‘the customer found this to be the perfect solution for carrying video, audio and intercom,’ Delépine reports.

A second phase of improvement is now being considered, as the Assembly has recognised the potential of extending the system to other locations and creating a central routing system by redeploying old devices with further interfaces from BroaMan.

‘In the second stage, we delivered a Route66 as the central router and two initial MUX22 units [a third will be supplied later],’ explains BroaMan Application Engineer, Maciek Janiszewski. ‘Route66 is configured to combine five satellites – integrating the older V3R-FX-Intercom-SDI units with the new MUX22 devices. Every channel that appears on the satellite is available in Route66 and can be routed to any of the outputs. As we offer non-blocking video and audio matrix, one input can be routed to multiple outputs.’

Both the V3R-FX-Intercom-SDI and MUX22 devices are equipped with a Clear-Com board offering four 4-wire intercom ports each, while a X6R-FX-Intercom provides local audio and intercom I/O in the central location, where the ports are used either for Clear-Com intercom or line level audio.

The system is controlled by the latest Optocore software, which provides advanced monitoring features and video matrixing. ‘The Optocore matrix offers La Chaîne Parlementaire complete freedom when routing audio channels,’ Janiszewski concludes.

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