VIRTUAL IS THE NEW REAL Something interesting is going on in the broadcast and AV studios explained that it was bought for ‘experienced colleagues’ who
transport layer protocols should be open-standard – and fulfil SMPTE ST 2110 – to support interoperability. Then, Lawo announced that its HOME Apps platform would also support the NDI, SRT and Dante protocols, as well as JPEG XS and HEVC compression and decompression. While the intrinsic value of ST 2110 would be an interesting discussion in its own right, let us look at something different – something that would have seemed preposterous only a few years ago. Do on-air radio studios – or an audio, video or master control room, for that matter – still require a hardware mixer or switcher? Consider the case of a commercial broadcaster in Estonia that, not so long ago, preferred not to answer this question in its operators’ stead. Its on-air studios are equipped with touchscreens where VisTool is running. Those producing the shows are delighted with their all-virtual set-up; it is fast and intuitive. Yet, each studio also houses a Lawo Ruby Radio Mixing Console that is neither connected nor switched on. When asked about the idle hardware mixer, the DJ in one of the
might prefer having a hardware mixer rather than setting levels, tweaking EQs, controlling song playback and more on a digital screen. It turns out those experienced colleagues are just as eager to discover new ways of interacting with broadcast functionality due to the sheer convenience of it. Depending on how far a broadcaster decides to go innovation-wise, logging into one’s account could trigger a whole series of events. The backdrops of the studio change colour, the station logo and other useful information are displayed; if there is too much light outside, the blinds close; your rundown with all the songs and contributions is displayed automatically and embedded into you software-based radio mixer. In short: everything is in place for you to engage and interact with your audience via telephone, social media and so on. If you need to move to a different studio, taking all of your settings with you is easy. Virtual, it would seem, is the new genuine. More information at lawo.com
sectors: hardware-free solutions are appealing to seasoned pros P lanning for a new broadcast infrastructure inevitably triggers discussions that require a broad consensus, because the facility will be around for several decades. Should the team adopt an inclusive approach that allows certain
colleagues to go about their work in their old familiar ways, which might include hardware? Or is this a pivotal moment for both the broadcaster and the entire team, what one might refer to as ‘crunch time’? Projects centred on refurbishing or building a new broadcast facility usually work on the expectation that open standards serve as the backbone for this. An overwhelming majority of project planners and engineers agree that broadcast or audio-visual infrastructures deployed in 2024 have to be IP-based. Often, vendors are invited to take part in POCs aimed at demonstrating how much can be accomplished with virtual – software-based – tools. IP, OF COURSE! This is hardly breaking news. There had started to be consensus that IP
PRODUCERS ARE DELIGHTED WITH THEIR ALL-VIRTUAL SET-UP; IT IS FAST AND INTUITIVE feedmagazine.tv
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