InBroadcast - November 2024 - 40

40
www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 14 - Issue 11 | November 2024
InMedia
Riedel MediorNet Streamlines
Production for The Daily Show
at 2024 U.S. Political Convention
R
iedel Communications announce that
MediorNet real-time network was successfully
its
deployed by East Shore Sound to support Comedy
Central's The Daily Show during its coverage of
the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC).
The flexible MediorNet infrastructure streamlined
operations, reduced setup time, and enabled
efficient resource sharing across multiple locations.
The Daily Show faced tight setup times at the
Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture in
Chicago for the DNC. This beautiful historic venue,
built in 1911
dramatic
for opera, dance, orchestral, and
productions, presented some unique
space considerations. MediorNet's
to content
distributed
routing capabilities allowed the production team
to overcome these challenges, with the network
providing access
sources
across
dispersed locations within the facility, including
basements, main studio floors, and production
offices on upper floors.
" The two most obvious benefits of MediorNet
were reliability and flexibility, " said Sean Kelley,
Technical Manager for The Daily Show's convention
coverage in Chicago. " It turned out to be incredibly
flexible and reliable. Due to the way the show is
produced, we ended up using the MediorNet for
the main transmission of the show throughout the
week. It's my new favorite toy! "
The Daily Show typically records shows at around
5 or 6pm EST Monday through Thursday, with edits
made primarily to adjust interview lengths before
airing on Comedy Central at 11pm EST. On the final
night of the convention the show produced live
broadcasts, demonstrating the system's versatility.
The MediorNet
deployment
included
one
MediorNet Modular frame, nine MediorNet
Compact Pro frames, one MetroN signal
distribution platform, 10 software-enabled MicroN
high-density
signal
interface nodes
and 16
RCP2300 panels with the MediorNet Control App.
Pre-configuration of the routing panels enabled
the team to seamlessly set up the system as
soon as they arrived at the venue, allowing them
to start 95% of the way toward completion and
significantly
reducing on-site setup time from
several days to approximately one-and-a-half days.
The system also facilitated 24/7 access to content
for post-production teams without
requiring
broadcast trucks and engineering crews to remain
on-site overnight, leading to more efficient
scheduling, reduced overtime costs, and improved
quality of life for the engineers. The system's
inherent redundancy also ensured uninterrupted
signal flow, even in the event of link failures, by
automatically rerouting signals through available
bandwidth in the network.
The MediorNet system supported both live and
recorded production needs, facilitating not only
distribution of a variety of video signals, but also
timecode and blackburst
signals, confidence
monitor returns, connection of intercom panels,
internet connectivity distribution, and transmission
feed management. Another unique feature of
the MediorNet system allowed for the display of
source or destination names as overlays on video
outputs. This capability greatly aided The Daily
Show team in troubleshooting, reducing confusion
and ensuring they were delivering the right signals
to the right destinations - even before the truck
arrived on site.
" Due to the road-produced content and show
edits, we travel with a heavy post-production
team. MediorNet allowed us
to establish a
separate facility for post, that was not dependent
on the TV truck. This freed up the truck engineers
to focus on show needs and helped the show
manage overtime, " said Eric Zeller, Lead Technical
Supervisor for The Daily Show. " MediorNet made
the load in far more efficient, effective, and
elegant as we were able to replace the heavier
copper cable we have traditionally run throughout
the venue with fiber. In some cases, fiber was
run hundreds of feet, including up the sides of
buildings and across rooftops, to reach necessary
locations. East Shore Sound not only delivered a
great product with the MediorNet but also provided
a dedicated team focused on the setup that could
offload responsibility from the truck crew, further
solidifying our success. "
" MediorNet has been around for a lot of years
and continues to prove that it's a viable and very
reliable solution, " said Bill Saltzer, President of
East Shore Sound. " One of MediorNet's strongest
features
is
its ability
to reroute and create
redundancy so that, even if something failed,
nobody watching would notice. Overall, the ability
to deliver a single piece of hardware to a room
and have all signals available, pre-programmed
before arriving on-site, was a key factor in choosing
Riedel's solution. "
The production also used
Riedel's Bolero
wireless intercom system, deploying 56 beltpacks,
18 antennas, and one Artist-1024 frame. This
provided
rock-solid
communications
for all
production personnel, from stage managers to
audio technicians, across both convention venues,
interfacing with the production truck's intercom
system via MADI.
" The successful use of Riedel's MediorNet at
the DNC convention demonstrates the system's
versatility and its ability
to streamline complex
remote productions, " said Patti Gunnell, VP of Key
Accounts, West, at Riedel Communications. " We're
excited by the clever usage of MediorNet by East
Shore Sound and are thrilled that the solution
gave The Daily Show the benefits of a network
without the intricacies of IP.
This deployment
showcases how our technology can adapt to
diverse environments while delivering significant
operational efficiencies. "
https://www.riedel.net
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.riedel.net https://www.riedel.net https://www.riedel.net https://www.riedel.net
InBroadcast - November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of InBroadcast - November 2024
