Upgrades made to communications infrastructure, cameras and servers
BBC Studioworks has made a significant investment in new technology across its portfolio.
At its Elstree hub, studios 8 and 9 have undergone a major communications upgrade with the integration of Riedel Artist and Riedel Bolero wireless talkback systems. Key improvements include:
- 24 Bolero beltpacks per studio with six duplex channels, which are programmable on the fly
- Full roaming capability for the beltpacks covering both studios and adjacent dressing rooms, production offices and roadways
- Comms connectivity to other Studioworks sites including all other studios and post production areas
- Integration with the sound desk and studio’s General-Purpose Input Output infrastructure – expanding the system’s capabilities for controlling other devices
BBC Studioworks was the first company in the world to install Bolero when it reopened its Television Centre facility in September 2017. The upgrade at studios 8 and 9 brings consistency to the communications infrastructure across its three sites.
The decision to move to tapeless capture last year has proved so successful, it’s now embraced by all of Studioworks’ clients. This success, coupled with a healthy studio schedule, has led to the purchase of two additional six-channel EVS XT-VIA servers at Television Centre and a 12-channel EVS XS-VIA server at Elstree. The two existing EVS XT3 servers at TVC have also been upgraded to the latest specification. This investment provides clients with four bookable servers for play-in at TVC and three at Elstree.
Investment is also being made in a fleet of Sony cameras centred around UHD capture for use in the George Lucas stage and studios 8 and 9 at Elstree.
“Since the reopening of Television Centre, BBC Studioworks has gone from strength to strength with solid growth achieved across our portfolio,” said David Conway, Managing Director, BBC Studioworks. “This investment underlines our commitment to providing clients with a consistent proposition which embraces the very latest technologies and ensures Studioworks continues to thrive as one of the UK’s leading television production facility providers.”
