In Broadcast - August 2014 - 32

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 34 - AUGUST 2014

N E W S

InSTUDIO

It's All Systems Go For Integrators
Some Systems Integrators (SIs) report that business is booming. So are new installs more prevalent
than upgrades? Here are some of the latest developments and recent projects on the SI front...

By Philip Stevens
Contributing Editor

D

32

irector, Broadcast & Media
S o l u ti o n s a t B r o a d c a s t
Networks Malcolm Robinson
reports that the past year has
been marked by transition and
growth: "We've gained stakeholder
investment from the Videlio group
to work as part of its wider team,
with a speciﬁc remit to focus on
MENA business opportunities."
He says the company has
increased its in-house design
team to offer additional services
to customers: "We retain a strong
footprint in mobile solutions and
hopefully this will continue. We
have had success across the
entire broadcast chain with ﬁxed
installations for customers including
News UK and the Dutch Parliament,
which is a non-traditional segment.
"Going ahead, we're looking at
where our broadcast heritage
and expertise can also add value
in suitable vertical segments."
Broadcast Networks' work is still

predominantly new build, but
upgrades are becoming increasingly
important. Robinson states: "In
today's market, customers want
value for money - it's no longer
about just delivering the latest
technology. It'll be interesting to
show how IP and 4K evolve to
become affordable for the masses.
IP will undoubtedly see commercial
viability ahead of 4K, but that's not
to say that the time is not right to
be looking at 4K."
For Eurotek the past year has
been challenging - but improving.
"We are seeing more international
competition in local projects, which
I think reﬂects the challenges other
organisations are facing in their home
territories," declares Kevin Moore.
But has the nature of the work
changed? "Yes, the skill sets
required have moved more and more
to IT-based, although broadcast
expertise is still vital. Clients are
also more dependent on support,

The Sun Studio: Broadcast Networks provided the Master Control Room and
three fully equipped television studios at News UK's headquarters in London

Gearhouse completed the design, supply, install and support of an HDTV
facility at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dublin

and demand more time for lower
cost, so there is increased pressure
on the engineering teams."
Moore says that he'd like to see
more rigorous testing of systems by
the manufacturers before releasing
the kit: "We ﬁnd ourselves correcting
faults or devising workarounds,
because the quality of QA appears
to be less strenuous than previously."
Eurotek implemented the upgrade
of RTÉ's HD channel launch over
the past year. This entailed a new
Presentation area, upgrades on
routers, glue, servers, and interface
to automation and sales systems.
The company worked closely with
Snell for the hardware provision,
and with the RTÉ Project Team
for delivery.
Gearhouse Chief Operating
Ofﬁcer Kevin Moorhouse states:
"The Middle East is an exciting area
for us, with lots of projects going
on. This is why we have an ofﬁce in
Qatar, which gives us inside access
to the local markets. Almost all of our
business comes from broadcasters,
rather than production companies.
There is such a demand for content

these days, that live or nearly-live
coverage of events is an attractive
proposition for broadcasters looking
to reach wider audiences."
He says that approximately 70%
of business is from new installations:
"There are many broadcasters
moving to newer facilities, or taking
on additional studio space, so there
is a big demand for respected
Systems Integrators to bring
their expertise to these projects,
especially with the increased
pressure on operational and cost
efﬁciencies that they now face."
Moorhouse reports increased
interest in Lawo's V_pro 8 singlebox multipurpose video processor.
It combines a number of different
capabilities in one tool, guaranteeing
maximum efﬁciency and greatest
operating safety at a signiﬁcantly
reduced cost. It can handle multiple
video signal formats as well as audio
and video conversion.
"We will see 4K take off, but ﬁrst it
needs to get away from operating
from quad 3G, which uses a lot of
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