The networked production hub

IP connectivity is moving into broadcast production facilities at an increasing rate. —. And it is accelerating what is already a strong trend: the idea of the studio complex as a collection of resources which can be allocated as required, on a production by production basis.

So a centre could have several studios and multiple control rooms, although the number of control rooms might not equal the number of studios, and there may not be a direct association between studio and gallery. Rather than provide each control room with a large, fully-featured production switcher, there could be a set of shared switchers with particular resources – in terms of M/E banks, I/Os and DVEs – to be allocated as required.

Camera channels, graphics generators, prompters and more: these can all be shared and pulled on a production by production basis.

The implication of this is that all the hardware will reside in a central machine room with video and audio connectivity – now perhaps over IP – to the studio and control room which requires it. Which implies some means of connecting the control for each device as needed.

The modern solution is to use the Adder IP-based KVM (keyboard, video and mouse) switching system. Essentially this allows any user interface – keyboard, video and mouse or trackpad – to be connected to any processor. The signals are carried over the existing IP network, with no lag in control and with full on-screen image quality.

The graphics operator, therefore, is connected by a single user interface to whichever devices have been allocated for that production. The studio engineer can switch quickly between monitoring and controlling servers, routing switchers and more. The whole production architecture can be established from a single workstation.

The system is doubly secure. Only people with the correct credentials have access to the KVM switch, and there is no need to let people into machine rooms because control of all devices can be remoted to where you are working. IP-based KVM boosts productivity and increases availability of the hardware.