Al Jazeera Sports has selected Trilogy Communications’ Commander Intercom and Dual Mentor XL Master Reference Generators as part of the broadcaster’s development of three brand new sports studios in the first ever 3G installation in the Middle East.
Supplied by systems integrator TEK Signals, this installation consists of three 36 port Commander Intercoms that are configured to run from two matrices. The first system supports both Edit Suites and Al Jazeera Sports News, which broadcasts a one hour sports roundup daily. Each of the other two systems is assigned to a studio that takes in a clean feed from the UK, primarily football. The studios then add match commentary and discussion with pundits, one in Arabic and the other in English.
These systems are E1 networked to each other and back to a central master control room (MCR) allowing for seamless operation between users in the different studios. Additionally all three studios operate a number of lever key operator panels, UHF wireless beltpacks for floor managers and In Ear Monitoring (IEM) systems for the presenters.
Al Jazeera Sports has also ensured the ultimate resilience of its other broadcast systems through the installation of dual Mentor XL master reference generators in each of the three studios. The units are equipped with a range of options including; HD Test Signals, Tri-Level Sync, Timecode and Vector, the browse-able application that allows remote configuration and monitoring of all system parameters. The Mentor XLs were also specified with GPS receivers, which allow for all video, timecode and audio signals to be locked to a single stable reference.
Joseph Varghese, division manager at Tek Signals, commented: “Al Jazeera Sports needed a communications system that they could depend on during live broadcasts, with full confidence that it would not fail. With experience of Trilogy systems spanning over a decade, Tek Signals were confident that they could rely on their products to provide the right communications systems on budget and on time.”
