BBC Studioworks Ltd is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC, providing world-class studios and post production services to all the major broadcasters and independent production companies – from the BBC’s EastEnders, Children in Need and Strictly Come Dancing to E4’s Virtually Famous, ITV’s The Chase, ITV2’S Celebrity Juice and Sky’s A League of Their Own. The core of BBC Studioworks’ operations is located across Elstree and Television Centre in White City, London.
Following a comprehensive renovation project, Studioworks in September 2017 re-opened three studios, as well as post production facilities, at the iconic Television Centre, located in London’s White City. For over 50 years, Television Centre was the home to scores of popular British television shows before being sold to property developer Stanhope plc in 2012. The redevelopment project has seen a wide-ranging overhaul of the facility, with Studioworks upgrading everything from dressing rooms and the scenic power and hoists, right through to new ventilation and building management systems. Studioworks has also been refreshing the facility’s technology infrastructure.
While a greenfield technology site eliminates the burden of backward compatibility, it also lengthens and expands the evaluation process due to the need to test and stress a wide-open field of technology options. Given the industry’s ongoing transition from HD to UHD, as well as the increasing prominence of IP for transporting video and audio signals, Studioworks’ technical team was challenged to purchase technology for the three new studios that is optimized to meet today’s demands but also capable of satisfying the video consumption appetites of at least another generation of UK television viewers.
Future support for IP-based production, UHD and HDR was imperative. Television Centre’s storied broadcast history also meant that Studioworks’ refurbished facilities would require meeting exacting quality and reliability standards. A robust and centralized routing architecture, specifically designed for complex and high-demand management of all video and audio signals, was a key requirement. With the wider Television Centre site now a mixed-use building that includes housing units and shops, Studioworks needed to make the most of available square footage by selecting powerful but compact equipment capable of integrating multiple functions and capabilities into a space-saving footprint. The high-volume nature of the studios at the new Television Centre also necessitated new levels of versatility, as each studio would be required to accommodate quick reconfigurations to support a variety of program types, all with different technical nuances and requirements.
解决方案
Following an 18-month evaluation period, in which Studioworks technologists kicked the tires of a number of solutions, the company selected Imagine Communications to supply the facility’s core signal routing and management infrastructure. The design of the new Studioworks facility will utilize two Platinum™ IP3 28RU router frames. One will be dedicated to Studio TC1, which will be equipped to provide both HD and UHD production capabilities. The second IP3 will handle signaling for the other two studios, TC2 and TC3, at the refurbished facility.
Both routers support a mixture of copper and fibre connectivity and have interface modules to link to the facility-wide MADI audio infrastructure.
The Platinum IP3 router’s built-in versatility was a major consideration in Studioworks’ selection. In addition to its core signal distribution functionality, the Platinum IP3 supports audio multiplexing and de-multiplexing, flexible and integrated multiviewing, and discrete AES or MADI signals.
The functionality of the Platinum IP3 is designed to be forward-looking and futureproof. It is anticipated that the router’s support for hybrid SDI-IP workflows will provide the company with a smooth and seamless transition path from HD to UHD, HDR and, eventually, higher resolution formats – as well as put Studioworks on the path to all-IP operations. The Platinum IP3 is controlled by Imagine Communications’ Magellan™ SDN Orchestrator (SDNO), a softwarebased control system that supports transparent operations across the two signal formats by providing seamless and synchronous switching between SDI and IP domains. Magellan SDNO is also capable of supporting third-party solutions, providing a single control system for multivendor environments.
Looking forward, the Platinum IP3 also presents Studioworks with a variety of options for supporting IP-based workflows. The Platinum IP3 can be fortified with IP input and output modules based on the AIMS (Alliance for IP Media Solutions) roadmap to seamlessly connect to IP networks built using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) ethernet switches. In terms of accommodating Studioworks’ eclectic production requirements, the Platinum IP3 is able to save and instantly retrieve a variety of production configurations. The router’s quick-change capabilities help the production house reduce the amount of time it takes to prepare each studio for new production requirements.
结果
现在，tpc 拥有了一辆面向未来的转播车，在未来许多年里，它仍将处于移动制作的最前沿。灵活的 IP 架构与视频格式和分辨率无关，能够无缝集成最新的压缩方案和画质增强功能。
与基于 SDI 的解决方案相比，SMPTE ST 2110 规范使 tpc 能够将视频、音频和辅助数据分成单独的离散数据流，从而提高效率和灵活性。此外，纯 IP 方法降低了 SDI 或混合 SDI-IP 环境的布线和功耗要求。
UHD1 以 IP 为核心，针对 UHD（使用标准或高动态范围）进行了优化，但仍能处理基于 SDI 的信号。通过处理未压缩和基于标准的 UHD 信号，tpc 能够处理视频信号，以满足所有客户的偏好，而无需夹层压缩方案，同时最大限度地提高视频质量并减少延迟。
最重要的是，tpc 的工作人员能够快速掌握新一代技术，因为它具有与传统 SDI 系统相同的性能特点和操作外观，同时还具有 IP 连接和软件灵活性的所有优点。
“From our technology reviews, we felt that the Platinum IP3 gave us important benefits in system design. The hybrid routing functionality eliminates the need for a separate audio matrix, and the I/O processing capabilities simplify the system architecture and increases flexibility. And the router’s integrated multiviewer also simplifies overall system architecture.”
John Dunkley
Project Manager, BBC Studios and Post Production
