Renewal of the MDR News Control Room in Leipzig

MCI is supporting MDR in the modernization of its control room complex in Leipzig and is responsible for implementing Subproject 1, the news control room.
This subproject includes the renewal of one of a total of three TV control rooms, as well as the conception, planning, and commissioning of a new infrastructure encompassing the entire control room complex. It also involves the integration of a Viz Mosart control room automation system and the connection to the editorial system. The core components of the control room complex have already been prepared for the following subprojects.

In summer 2020, MCI began implementation. From the outset, the planning of the entire infrastructure focused on the seamless integration of all Leipzig control rooms, which are being tendered separately.
To maintain daily operations, the new control room was installed in parallel with the three existing control rooms.

The new control room is designed for three operating modes. First, there is a classic production mode similar to the previous setup. The main application is automated production. In addition, a further reduced breaking news mode is available, allowing “going on air” at night when only a small team is on site. In the latter two operating modes, production is supported and controlled by the Viz Mosart control room automation system. Rundowns are created using the existing OpenMedia editorial system, which was extended as part of the project with the Studio Director 2.0 plugin and the necessary MOS interfaces. A particular challenge was the simultaneous, step-by-step introduction of OpenMedia at the Leipzig site.

Other core components include a Sony XVS-7000 multi-format video mixer with five mix levels, one of which is used for an additional web control room. An Imagine Platinum IP3 control room router handles signal routing for video and audio signals and is equipped with extensive de-embedding and multiviewer functions. The network-based Lawo audio system distributes signals via Ravenna audio streams within the control room complex and studios. A Lawo MC²56 mixing console is used for audio mixing. The control room router and the Lawo audio system are interconnected for bidirectional audio signal exchange. Together with MDR and the manufacturer, MCI planned the required network infrastructure for the audio system and PTP synchronization within the redundant audio networks. To enable computer access from various workstations, an Ihse KVM system was installed. With 288 ports, the system has sufficient resources for flexible use of the connected sources.

The technology is complemented by a KSC Core system, which not only handles the usual control room management but can also configure the entire Control Room 4 for a specific operating mode at the push of a button. This was implemented in cooperation with the manufacturer BFE.
The Ventuz graphics system, already established at MDR, is operated in Control Room 4 with six physical graphics channels. This allows various overlay graphics to be played out and multiple content areas in the studio (both real and virtual) to be supplied with graphics.
As part of the project, a control interface for the graphics system was developed and implemented in cooperation with Ventuz, Vizrt, and MCI, so that Mosart can control playout on all graphics channels. Graphic playout is further supported by graphic macros, which are also triggered and controlled by Mosart. Ventuz was additionally extended by a newly developed WebSocket interface to the KSC Core, allowing the KSC to set the graphics system to one of the three operating or various redundancy modes.

MCI is accompanying MDR throughout the entire change process – from classic production to a new production approach with control room automation.
In the first project phase, MCI, together with MDR and the manufacturers of the core components, created a detailed specification for the entire system. This was followed by the construction and commissioning of the control room and its infrastructure. The basic setup of Mosart was also part of this project phase and was fully carried out by MCI. The conclusion of this phase in April 2022 was the inspection of the system, confirming its quality for the next project phase.

The core of the change process followed, with the development of workflows, definition of the final task profiles for technical and editorial staff, and the show design for all MDR AKTUELL (TV) formats.
For increased user comfort, Studio Director 2.0 is used in addition to Mosart, requiring show design to take place on two levels or systems: the technical level, which involves setting up Mosart templates, and the Studio Director model level, which harmonizes technical aspects of show design with user guidance. The show design and its setup in Mosart and OpenMedia were carried out by the interdisciplinary automation team (A-Team) of MDR and MCI.

In the further course of the project, technical and editorial staff were trained and familiarized by MCI and the manufacturers of the core components.
Although the project includes further steps, the first TV editions of MDR AKTUELL have already gone on air using the new production method. MCI continues to support MDR by providing training and accompanying the on-air launches of additional formats.