NAB Product News
Calrec expands remote capabilities
By
Apr 9, 2008 - 10:03:20 AM

Booth: N8723

Calrec Audio heads to NAB with a major initiative developed with partner Ross Video Ltd. According to Calrec Audio Marketing Coordinator Kevin Emmott, the collaboration allows remote control of fader modules on any Calrec console.

“On a basic level, this protocol enables a vision mixer to take control over the serial interface to autofades on the Calrec desk,” says Emmott. “In addition, the interface provides individual control of faders, cuts, and PFL of up to 192 faders on the Calrec console directly from the Ross OverDrive Automated Production Control [APC] System. This high level of integration enables the control of both audio and video on a given broadcast from the vision switcher or OverDrive system, significantly reducing production costs.”

Calrec will also introduce an Offline Editor, which provides operators with an emulation of the Calrec console PC application on any PC, such as a laptop. “This allows remote configuration of any Calrec console, saving time on-site,” says Emmott. “The Offline Editor is especially useful for operators who are working to a tight schedule, such as freelance operators planning for a specific outside broadcast.”

The Offline Editor enables the desk to be preconfigured while it is still in use—a practical feature for control rooms, which are generally in constant operation with fast turnaround between broadcasts.

NAB attendees also can expect to see Bluefin Density Signal Processing (HDSP), which provides twice the signal-processing capacity in a fraction of the space of conventional systems, at no extra cost, on just one DSP card.

“Alpha with Bluefin provides 480 channel-processing paths, with full EQ and dynamics on all channels, groups, and main outputs,” says Emmott. “This equates to 78 full 5.1 surround channels.”

Bluefin has also affected console development. The introduction of Bluefin has allowed Calrec to make cost-effective consoles suitable for this environment, Emmott says. “The Omega is our smallest Bluefin console and is the industry’s most economical and practical way to deliver 160 channel-processing paths, which equates to 24 x full 5.1 channels. And we are still committed to the Zeta console, which does not utilize Bluefin technology,” he adds. “The Zeta is an entry-level TV-production console, which is still meeting the needs of a number of smaller stations.

“Broadcasters, especially in trucks, have not been slow to respond to the shift to HD,” he continues, “and are spending time and money reassessing their infrastructures. For the first time, audio has figured highly in their list of wants and needs.”