Riedel plays a leading role in the renovation of the key Czech TV OB van

Czech TV has revamped its HD1 mobile unit with a wide selection of Ридель solutions: MediorNet Micron UHD, SmartPanel, Bolero…

MediorNet MicroN UHD is key to the revamped HD1 mobile unit. Riedel’s distribution solution will replace the traditional router with a more “compact, intelligent and versatile” distributed routing system, according to the brand itself. Smart Informatics has been responsible for integrating this and many other solutions that will power future Czech TV productions.

Beyond the two Riedel MicroN units deployed as stage boxes, the four MicroN bases equipped with the processing application to serve as upconverters/downconverters/crossovers, and the 20 MicroN UHD systems (six of which are equipped with the Multiviewer application), the Czech TV upgraded vehicle also features an Artist-1024 node; four SmartPanel RSP-1232HL multifunctional rack-mount interfaces; 20 SmartPanel RSP-1216HL compact 1-RU interfaces; four SmartPanel DSP-2312 desktop panels; and a Bolero wireless intercom system supporting eight beltpacks. HD1 has already gone live with its new Riedel equipment, supporting the production of a major horse racing event and the Czech edition of Dancing With the Stars.

A tight deadline

Michal Kratochvil, CTO of Czech TV, believes that one of the main challenges of this integration was to complete it in a “very tight deadline”. The decision to go with Riedel was a simple one: “We had already experienced the flexibility of MediorNet before we started this project as we use portable MediorNet systems for our special projects.” On the other hand, Tomas Vesely, CEO of Smart Informatics, clarifies that thanks to this new distributed system design, the TV station will be able to “adapt more quickly to any given production, and their production crew enjoys a much more spacious, clutter-free work area.”

Finally, Ismet Bozkurt, senior sales executive for Eastern Europe at Ридель, points to the standardisation of MicroN in future integrations: “We’re seeing immense interest in MicroN UHD as broadcasters, production companies, integrators, and others recognize the many benefits of implementing a distributed infrastructure for video routing rather than a conventional router. Integrators can more quickly and easily deploy a comprehensive routing system, and production teams realize improvements all across day-to-day operations.”