Second only in scale to the Olympics in the world of sport, the competition already has a winner in the competition for audio and IP-networking - German audio and video specialist Lawo.
Approximately 110 IP-based Lawo Commentary Control Units (LCU) will ensure smooth broadcasting of the commentators' audio, from the opening ceremony through the athletic competitions and large soccer stadium, to the judo competition in the smaller sports halls. In addition, 10 Lawo mc2 consoles are being used to handle the sound mix - eight mc2-56 consoles in the different venues, a further mc2-56 in the International Broadcast Center (IBC), and a Lawo mc2-66.
In order to ensure everything runs smoothly, a team of international Lawo support technicians is present on the games site. This 22-strong team will take care of all of the Lawo equipment, including the LCUs that are connected to the Commentary Switching Center (CSC) in the IBC via fiber-optic connections. The equipment provided by Lawo's rental partner Audio Broadcast Services (ABS), the technical concept and onsite implementation, as well as this support service, has been provided by Lawo as a complete package.
Router links between the venues, and monitoring and scheduling of the 45 distribution channels is being controlled via Virtual Studio Management (VSM) from German company L-S-B. Fifty hardware panels and ten software GUIs are ensuring that all signals reach their desired destinations. Two more central software GUIs display the transmission schedule and status monitoring on the main monitor wall in the CDT (Contribution-Distribution-Transmission) centre. In all, the Asian Games is using eight VSM systems in Korean OB vans, the IBC and a backup OB van.
(Jim Evans)
