Clear-Com Connects CCTV For Games

By Andrew Lippe
CCTV has selected Clear-Com to provide a communication network that will link the new Television Culture Center (and home of CCTV) to the International Broadcasting Centre, the hub of all broadcasting activities for the Olympics in Beijing.
The buildings, more than 20 kilometers apart, will be networked using Clear-Com’s fiber link technology with a redundant E1 and VoIP connection as an automatic failover backup to ensure continuous connectivity between IBC, the TVCC and the existing CCTV building.
“CCTV has really invested a lot of money in modernizing their infrastructure and becoming a much more powerful force in terms of technology and the overall infrastructure,” says Matt Danilowicz, Clear-Com managing director. “CCTV was very rigorous in the selection process for the Olympics because this had implications beyond Olympics coverage.”
CCTV purchased two Eclipse Omega systems with 144 ports in total, forming the heart of the network at the IBC and TVCC. Clear-Com system’s 12- and 24-key Eclipse V-Series user panels will also be installed into various production rooms.
“Eclipse has very strong intercommunication capabilities,” says Danilowicz. “China’s infrastructure, in terms of telephone and interconnectivity and other types of communication, reflect that unusual mix between first- and third-world technology. We have the ability to support several different communication protocols in the fail-safe approach.”
Digital signal processing is also built into the V series panel, enabling “Listen Again” technology. “V series panel supports international character sets,” adds Danilowicz. “They can see Chinese characters literally on the panel. So when an operator pushes a button they do not have to translate from an English variant to know who they are talking to.”
Clear-Com gear is also present in 14 OB Vans, including BTV, Hunan ETV, STV (Shanghai), Jinan TV, Guangdong TV, QTV (Qingdao), Shandong TV, Zhejiang TV, Jiangsu TV, Heilongjiang, Harbin, Yunnan TV and Dalian TV.
Many of the broadcasters opted to add Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak10 beltpacks for Olympic coverage to provide talent with fully integrated communications while they are on the move throughout the broadcast center and venues.