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The SALZBRENNER STAGETEC MEDIAGROUP is one of the major European audio-system suppliers for the Olympics 2008

“I declare open the Beijing Games celebrating the 29th Olympiad of the modern era.” More than 90,000 visitors to the Beijing Grand National Stadium will hear these words on the 8th August 2008. They will be mixed on two AURUS desks installed in the stadium central control room  and will be fed via a NEXUS audio network to the sound-reinforcement system comprising 220 line arrays. Furthermore, around 40 billion TV viewers all around the world will view to the opening ceremony and listen to what China’s largest PA system reproduces. The audio will be forwarded from the AURUS control room via MADI lines to the IBC (International Broadcast Centre) and some 60 OB trucks, many of which are themselves equipped with advanced audio technology by the MEDIAGROUP.

STAGETEC Audio Mixing and Routing in the Bird’s Nest
When searching for a high-end system suitable for the National Stadium, Chinese system integrator Guangzhou Ruifeng Jianscheng Ltd. immediately opted for two AURUS systems by STAGETEC. The tasks of the AURUS/NEXUS system implemented in March 2008 include sound reinforcement of the vast sporting venue and providing the international audio feed to the IBC. The set-up is appropriately powerful and flexible: The master console is an AURUS featuring 40 faders with a processing capacity of 96 audio channels. The smaller AURUS slave console offers eight faders and accesses the same DSP resources as the large system. The slave console addresses the requirements of specific zones inside the stadium that are fed with signals different to those going to the main spectators’ area.

Both consoles are connected to a NEXUS audio network comprised of eight Base Devices plus a NEXUS STAR. In addition to the variety of formats this configuration supports, a key benefit of this integrated solution, typical of STAGETEC systems, is that the NEXUS internal audio-processing features can be used. For instance, all delay lines are set using the NEXUS DSP. This provides for latency-free audio while preventing inadvertent changes to other settings, for example, the console set-up.

A side note: The Bird’s Nest planners were so convinced by AURUS and NEXUS that the overall system was permanently installed. This means that, in contrast with many international sports events, no hired equipment will be used in the National Stadium sound control room. All events at the stadium will be handled using the existing equipment.

STAGETEC Inside the OB Truck
Architecture aficionados are rather excited about the structure of the new stadium. However, the OB fleet that will supply the world with audio and video from Beijing makes broadcasting pros no less enthusiastic: Broadcasters from Asia, America, and Europe are sending their flagship vehicles to the Games. HDTV and 5.1 are the standard formats that will be used at the Olympics.

One of the most impressive units is a new HDTV truck belonging to CCTV, China’s state TV station. The vehicle accommodates more than 25 cameras and includes a generously equipped control room that makes perfect use of the available space with a dedicated extension. The AURUS/NEXUS system implemented here is more than appropriate for the surround-sound specifications: The console has 48 faders and 96 audio channels and accesses five NEXUS Base Devices, two of which are available as mobile stage boxes outside the vehicle. The total number of I/Os is 300×300, offering excess capacity even for  HDTV surround sound. A small TRIAGON console by the MEDIAGROUP integrates perfectly with the system architecture. The TRIAGON uses a digital signal processor independent of the NEXUS STAR and can be inserted into the audio network as required using MADI lines.
This HDTV truck, made by Sony China as general contractor and built by Sony U.K., will make its debut at the Summer Games. The audio systems were shipped to U.K immediately after the tender had been won at the end of 2007.

At about the same time, Hunan Economic TV, a Chinese regional station, received their HDTV OB truck packed with STAGETEC technology. This fast vehicle houses eight cameras and also includes an AURUS in the control room. With its 40 faders and 96 channels, it is hardly less powerful than the prominent CCTV acquisition. The two stationary NEXUS Base Devices are supplemented by a mobile ultra-compact 1-U NEXUS Base Device that was specifically designed for sport broadcasing use. In total around 250 × 250 I/Os are available on the truck. Hunan ECTV is a partly commercial station and broadcasts a 24/7 programme for the people living alongside the Yangtze River—more than 64 million people.

tpc tv productioncenter is also sending an OB vehicle with STAGETEC systems aboard to the Games. The Zurich-based TV production company’s HD-1 truck is a legendary unit, a true pioneer of HDTV broadcasting. This 36-ton vehicle houses an AURUS with 128 audio channels plus a NEXUS matrix offering 700 × 600 I/Os.

STAGETEC Sets the Tone
tpc tv productioncenter will also equip their central apparatus room at the IBC with STAGETEC systems for the Games. A total of five NEXUS Base Devices rented from STAGETEC offer an overall capacity of around 1000 × 1000 I/Os. One of the main reasons why such a high-performance NEXUS set-up is required is that each video signal will be accompanied by audio commentary in German, French, Rhaeto-Romanic, and Italian—the four official languages of Switzerland. Producing surround sound in such an environment results in a hugely increased demand for audio channels and routing capacity, a requirement that was met by tpc by using  NEXUS. Most of the NEXUS systems in the control room are equipped with the HDTV-enabled XHDI SDI-embedder/de-embedder board and XER and XET AES I/O boards.

Though not completely finished, CCTV’s new and prestigious broadcasting centre,the China Central Television Headquarters in Beijing, will already be in use during the Olympics. In this giant building designed by Dutch and German architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, the E14, E15, and E17 control rooms will be equipped with AURATUS XL consoles and an appropriate NEXUS network. Each of the three consoles offers 84 audio channels—two of them with 24 fader control surfaces, the third with 32 faders.
A custom configuration was required in order to achieve highly flexible utilisation of the studios. To be able to configure the NEXUS network quickly and conveniently from the control room, the control computer, which is normally an external device, was integrated into the AURATUS desks. The operators access the NEXUS configuration software using a special panel equipped with a trackball and keyboard terminal. All settings are displayed on the central TFT, which has been equipped with a switchover function for the purpose. This arrangement enables highly flexible use of the NEXUS network with its approximately 200 digital inputs and 80 broadcast outputs. In addition, since the extensive AURATUS logic functions are also configured using the NEXUS software, an extensive influence on controlling broadcast-specific GPI/O and other events might also be achievable.
As it is, with the AURATUS XL delivered early in March, CCTV will have their broadcasting centre on air in time for the Olympics.

The sports correspondents of Italian broadcaster RAI also rely on STAGETEC systems. Their commentary will be mixed using an AURUS with 40 faders and 140 channels that will be located in the RAI broadcast studio in Beijing. Six NEXUS Base Devices and the obligatory NEXUS STAR will accompany the AURUS consoles to China. As with tpc, embedded HD SDI also plays a key role here. The 50 or so XHDI boards implemented on the NEXUS are to be used as interfaces to the numerous HDTV provider lines.

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