InBroadcast - InShow Guide 2017 - 8

8

www.inbroadcast.com | IBC2017 InShow Guide | 15-19 September

Seamless Integration the Key to Broadcast IT
Guntermann & Drunck CEO Roland Ollek highlights some
of the latest innovations on show from the company...

I

t's no longer a valid comment to
say that IT is making increasing
inroads into the broadcasting world.
IT is now fundamental to broadcasting
and the two are virtually synonymous.
However, the majority of IT products
and systems that have made their way
into broadcasting studios and OB vans
have come off-the-shelf. Which means
that if these production areas are to
function as bespoke units, integration
between both IT systems and broadcast
equipment becomes the key.
Happily for broadcasters, there is
such a bridge - KVM. KVM systems
can be optimally linked to both
broadcast equipment and IT systems.
KVM will support all the "standard" IT
signals such as keyboard and mouse,
DisplayPort, Audio and USB as well
as typical broadcast signals such
as SDI and MADI. Technical support
is not the only benefit. KVM allows
powerful computers to be moved
out of the studio into purpose-built
air-conditioned equipment rooms,
reducing excess noise and heat in
the studio. Producers have access
to all their systems when they need
them without even realising they are
operating remotely.
With our reputation for quality and
functionality, G&D aim to achieve
seamless integration throughout the
studio. We have ensured that all of
our interfaces for the external control
of our KVM systems work hand in
hand with the standard broadcast
control tools such as KSC or VSM.
No matter where they are located,
each computer can be connected to
the desired projection media and/or

G&D's DisplayPort KVM
extender system DP-Vision-IP

operating screens and be operated
from there. In this perfect symbiosis
between IT and the broadcast
world, G&D matrix systems can
also automatically follow complex
application processes.
Virtual Desktop
The more seamless the integration,
the more flexible the studio's
operations.
G&D's
CrossDisplaySwitching via mouse cursor has been
specifically designed for multi-monitor
workstations that access multiple
computers - even with different
operating systems - at the same
time. The mouse acts as if it was on
a "virtual desktop", moving across
connected displays. When the cursor
is moved from an active to an inactive
display, the focus automatically
switches to the connected computer.
This allows users to intuitively operate
multiple systems at the same time
with just one mouse and keyboard set.
LEDs indicate the active channel so

that producers and post-production
operators can always see which
computer they are working on.
One final example of our approach to
integration is when an on-air system
needs to be marked as such. G&D
matrix systems enable the operation
of different systems and allow for
simultaneous access from multiple
users. But what happens when one
of these computers is used for a live
broadcast? To inform producers and
users that a computer is working onair, we offer a tally light function. This
allows on-air information to become
available to the user at any time, even
before switching to a "live" machine
because the status is available as an
on-screen display and in the computer
selection menu.
It is fair to say that IT is now the
dominant factor in the broadcasting
studio. With the integration benefits
of KVM, I'd like to think that this
dominance is always under the
complete control of the studio and all
who work there!

Live! Tally Light feature
G&D matrix systems give several
users access simultaneously on
one and the same or on different
computers in studios or OB vans.
What about if the computer is 'live'
on a programme and a producer is
making undesired changes on this
system? The big advantage - that the
computers are externalised by KVM
and various systems can be made
flexibly accessible - has until now had
one disadvantage: the on-air signal
on the remote computer, typically in
the form of a Tally Light, so additional
technology and much expense was
required to also show this at the
workplace. So it was not only the
distance that needed bridging, but
the tally controller also needed to
know on which computer the user was
situated.
G&D has developed a specially
customised function for such cases
to transfer the GPIO status. So tally
states are transmitted from the
computer via the KVM matrix and the
information is made available to the
user at the console.
The connected 'ON AIR' light informs
the producer when a computer is live
on a programme.
See G&D at IBC, stand 1.B10.
www.gdsys.de

G&D implemented
a GPIO 'ON AIR'
GPIO-Charger-PS/2

DP-Vision-IP for
unlimited access over IP
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.gdsys.de/en http://www.gdsys.de
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