Riedel Offers Signal Transport, Communications to Viña del Mar International Song Festival

Riedel Communications once again provided communications and signal distribution infrastructure for the annual Viña del Mar International Song Festival, a world-famous live music event held Feb. 20-25 in Viña del Mar, Chile. Broadcasted live from the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater, Riedel’s MediorNet real-time media network provided redundant and decentralized signal routing and transport for the entire production. The production crew relied on Riedel’s Bolero wireless intercom solution and Artist digital matrix intercom system for all on-site communications with intercom signals routed over MediorNet.

Riedel and the Viña del Mar International Song Festival

In its 59th year, the Viña del Mar International Song Festival is the largest and best-known music festival in Latin America, with more than 15,000 local spectators and an estimated global audience of 200 million. For the entire festival, which included 19 music programs, Chilevision produced the broadcast signal based on feeds supplied by partners Chilefilms and Intervideo and transported over Riedel’s fiber-based signal and communications backbone.

“The logistical and production challenges of our festival continue to grow every year, as both our broadcast and live audiences demand an increasingly sophisticated experience. For the communications and signal-distribution infrastructure, we needed a partner that could handle the complexities and deliver a 100% bulletproof solution,” says Cristián Mena Foncea, Technical Coordinator, Viña del Mar International Song Festival 2018. “Riedel has an outstanding reputation for providing fail-safe communications for some of the world’s biggest and most high-profile events, and its solutions are world-renowned for their reliability and technical excellence. We knew we could depend on Riedel to provide a comprehensive solution that would meet all of our requirements.”

The Riedel backbone consisted of three MediorNet modular frames and 27 Artist digital matrix intercom panels in a decentralized configuration that provided fully redundant distribution of all intercom, video wall, and video signals throughout the festival venue. In a facility as large and complex as the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater, wireless communications can be challenging, but Bolero’s Advanced DECT Receiver (ADR) technology provided crystal-clear communications throughout the arena with only eight AES67-networked antennas. With 27 Bolero beltpacks deployed to the production team, the Bolero wireless intercom system enabled full roaming for the crew throughout the arena. Nine Riedel RiFace radio interfaces and 36 Performer C3 Partyline beltpacks provided additional connectivity for walkie-talkie users, allowing them to communicate with the Bolero users through a seamless integration with the Artist panels.

“Every year, the Viña del Mar International Song Festival outdoes itself with an ever more exciting lineup of talent, dazzling production elements, and eye-popping staging. It’s no wonder that this is one of Latin America’s oldest and most popular musical events,” says Angel González España, International Sales Manager, Latin America, Riedel Communications. “It was a privilege to provide a complete, end-to-end communications infrastructure that ensured a smooth and successful production, and we’re looking forward to supporting the festival into the future.”