Based on a 112-port ADAM (Advanced Digital Audio Matrix) frame, with integral RVON (RTS Voice Over Network) VoIP cards, the system is able to connect to desktop panels using Ethernet links, plus three Virtual Key Panels, around the MTV studios complex.
Computer technology is having an increasing influence on broadcast communications and the Virtual Key Panel is a PC interface that replicates the familiar intercom switch panel on a desktop or laptop screen and offers the same functions as the traditional hardware version, with audio reproduced through the onboard soundcard.
Being able to connect to the intercom system using Ethernet was a major factor in MTV's decision to install RTS. The new KP32 CLD Colour Key Panel, which is used in the MCR, was another selling point, as was the ability to connect to the existing engineering Walkie Talkie radio system.
The Telex key panels, RVON and Telephone Broadcast Units (TBUs) were selected because they allow users to communicate easily and efficiently. The TBUs are a telephone interface box that enable operators to dial direct from a key panel to a mobile or land line and connect a contributor feed to the studio sound output for interviews between presenters and the person on the phone.
Robert Cranfield, senior systems engineer at MTV, commented: "We looked at a number of systems before making a decision. However, Telex's key panels, TBUs and the RVON options offer our operators just what they need: simplicity and clarity. Once built the whole talkback system was migrated to Telex over a period of three days."
There are plans to integrate the Telex system in London with MTV's New York studios, using a network VoIP connection through the RVON facility. This will give users the impression that they are communicating over a single, large, seamless intercom system.
Telex's UPL (User Programmable Logic) option within the AZ Edit software has allowed the MTV engineers to configure the system to run precisely as required, with functions specific to the broadcaster's operational needs. "The software is simple to use and fast to configure, plus it has a powerful programming system that allows us to customise the intercom system for our specific way of working," explains MTV broadcast engineer Jonathan Hughes.
(Lee Baldock)
