Custom Consoles furniture and displays chosen for new Arqiva playout facility

Arqiva, which provides transmission services for all terrestrial television and most radio channels in the UK, has chosen Custom Consoles furniture and monitor supports for an ultra-modern technical facility at its European Playout Centre in Buckinghamshire. Operating in partnership with Hampshire-based systems integration specialist Broadcast Networks, Custom Consoles designed a 10-metre wide desk forming nearly two thirds of a circular configuration. This provides work positions for four playout technicians plus an engineer. In front of each playout position is a Custom Consoles video display wall holding four 52-inch JVC LCD panels in portrait mode. The panels are fed by image splitters, which allow each wall to show up to 40 separate incoming or outgoing video channels. A 2.5-metre wide supervisor’s desk completes the circle, including space for staff access. “We have teamed with Custom Consoles for the furniture element of many successful projects over the years and they were the logical choice both for the desks and the display support system of this outstandingly attractive installation,” commented Tom Haye, managing director of Broadcast Networks. “The client wanted a change from the traditional wood finish seen in almost every playout facility. Each desk is designed around a robust MDF frame with all external surfaces finished in a hardwearing white laminate. LED-illuminated semicircular storage cabinets at each end of the desks blend in with the circular shape of the suite. “A key element of the design brief was that the display support structure should be invisible. The design Customer Consoles produced exceeded our expectations and fully matches the elegance of the desks themselves. Additional floor-level storage facilities are incorporated between the two vertical steel pillars, which support each of the four display grids. These storage cabinets are located below the height of the main desk work-surface so are effectively out of sight until required. www.customconsoles.co.uk