Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) creates a trimedial multifunctional studio at its Nuremberg site, thus continuing to pursue its goal of consistent media realignment. As general contractor, MCI took over the complete system planning, installation and commissioning, including the connected SmartRegie.
With the establishment of its first cross-media program directorate in 2014, BR broke down the boundaries of the traditional directorate structures in radio and television and has since been consistently pursuing the path to a cross-media reorganization. At a time when cross-media content is increasingly blurring with television and radio, BR is laying the groundwork for future formats by consistently aligning its structure with content.
At the beginning of the “BR hoch drei” change process, it was also determined that a multifunctional hall would be built on the site of the BR studio in Nuremberg to replace one of the television studios in Unterföhring, which would no longer be used in the medium term. Not least in order to take account of the trimedial mode of operation planned with the project, the use as a production facility for television and radio, as an event hall or as a meeting and conference room is to be made possible.
MCI was awarded the contract in the tender process and implemented the media technology for the multifunctional hall with the aim of trimedial use. To realize this, different sources and sinks with divergent technical resolutions were combined. Presentation signals from e.g. Panel discussions are combined from PC systems via Crestron NVX transceivers with SmartRegie. The cross conversion is done by Lynx Greenmachines.
At its core, the Smart control room consists of a Graphite All in One production system with a Carbonite Black CB1S image mixer. Combined with an Ultrix New Style 2U 72² video crossbar, Ultritouch control panels and a Smart Shell robotics system, including the new X300PT pan/tilt heads, all core components can be innovatively controlled in a specially designed dashboard panel.
As a result, complex production processes, similar to those in an automation environment, can be realized with little personnel effort. In doing so, one is more open in the design of production and can react even better to unforeseen events. In the multifunctional room 4 Sony Box cameras type P-31 incl. RCP3500 and CNA purchased. This allowed the existing Sony camera system to be expanded. With the Sony Camera Control License from Ross, Sony cameras can also be readjusted with the robotics system. Another special feature of SmartRegie is the camera delegation between the studios. The camera delegation is switched in the KSC Core System and enables the use of all camera systems in the new “Studio Franken”.
In the multifunctional hall there are also two Panasonic PT-RQ35K LED projectors, each of which displays a Gerriets large screen in the sizes 10.5m x 6.5m and 12.5m x 6.5m. The projectors are fed with a 4K signal via an AV Stumpfl Pixera 2 media server.
Live signals are fed via SDI over the video router in 1080i50. The 4K signal transmission to the beamers is done via a HDBaseT 4K extender solution. Through the media server, 16:9 image formats can be integrated as presentations on the special formats of the beamers.
Furthermore, additional displays can be recorded via the house infrastructure using Crestron NVX transceivers. Signal interconnection of the NVX systems is possible via a Crestron touch interface.
For larger productions from Studio Franconia, a radio control room, a mobile sound control room or the main TV control room can also be used in various combinations. These subsystems, integrated with each other, have created a very comprehensive and versatile solution that takes multifunctional applications into account.
MCI is pleased to have played a part in shaping “BR hoch drei” and was able to hand over the trimedial multifunctional studio ready for operation.