CCTV upgrades to Clear-Com for studios and OB van

Published: August 31, 2011 ASIA

CHINA: China Central Television (CCTV) selected Clear-Com equipment for the upgrading and expansion of its intercom systems in its studios and OB van. Working together with its local dealer, Century Sage Scientific Group Ltd, who facilitated the sale, Clear-Com offered an intercom solution that unified all of CCTV’s systems under a single platform.

CCTV, which operates a total of 70 channels, previously used an intercom structure comprised of isolated systems based on different platforms. As a result, the independent systems could not be bridged, making CCTV unable to communicate between its old and new sites, as well as its regional locations. CCTV reports that since it produces large amounts of content on a daily basis, the lack of interconnection between the various facilities hampered its production workflow.

Clear-Com’s ‘single platform’ solution to this problem included the installation of four Eclipse digital matrix intercom system frames, 146 V-Series user control panels, a FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom with 25 beltpacks, and a variety of EncoreTM partyline systems.

CCTV’s new station site received an intercom system based around two Eclipse-Omega matrix systems, whilst its old site was equipped with one. Now, each of CCTV’s studios has its own subsystem which connects to the newly installed core system. For its remote locations, CCTV has benefitted from two Eclipse-Omega and two Eclipse-PiCo matrix systems, whilst the manufacturer’s Production Maestro Pro software was selected to reduce the need for multiple monitoring speakers throughout the studios.

Meanwhile, the Clear-Com system installed into CCTV’s new OB van facilitates communication between all four of its zones as well as supporting the connection between the systems at the CCTV studios.

‘Based on our experience with Clear-Com products during the 2008 Olympics Games and recent discussions about our new projects, we believe Clear-Com is the right system to form the communications backbone for CCTV,’ explained Yang Sheng, project manager of intercom systems at CCTV. ‘They have an extensive range of intercom products with the widest set of features, functions and networking options utilising IP and fiber. The systems are also highly flexible, expandable and adaptable for our current and future needs,’ he enthused.