RTBF receives its first fully IP mobile unit

NEP Belgium, Lawo, Broadcast Solutions, Sony and Arista are some of the companies that have made it possible for the public broadcaster to launch an IP mobile unit despite the difficulties that the COVID-19 confinement is imposing.

At the beginning of this month of April, RTBF, the Belgian public broadcaster aimed at the French-speaking community, has received the first of the two fully IP mobile units.

Due to the lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the 12 meter long truck had to be configured remotely using TeamViewer, some webcams and microphones for confirmation purposes, as well as via VPN to be delivered on time. The second mobile unit will be delivered on July 1.

Supervised the project by Geert Thoelen (NEP Belgium) y Dirk Sykora (Theirs), vehicles built by Broadcast Solutions in Germany they will be leased to RTBF for eight years.

Both are equipped with a network core (audio, video and matrix) powered by a Arista of 100Gbps that revolves around the platform V__matrix C100 from Lawo for SDI and IP-based video and audio input/output and processing.

An IP mixer Sony XVS-8000 provides powerful control for the Japanese manufacturer's 16 cameras. The system administrator Sony Live provides the control interface for the protocols VSM y NMOS-IS04/05 from Lawo, as necessary. The LSM allowed Sony to remotely access the array to configure the IP routing and configurations of the XVS from the home of a housebound engineer due to the pandemic.

Each unit has 36 vm_dmv delivered by the blades V__matrix C100 for multi-screen purposes. Overall control and orchestration are handled by Lawo's VSM IP control system.

Both support all formats audio (analog, AES3, MADI with SRC, Dante with SRC and AES67/RAVENNA), which are mixed using a 48-channel mc² 56 audio production console and 512 DSP channels provided by A__UHD Core.

Audio and video signals can be obtained from six video stageboxes equipped with silent frames of V__matrix and audio I/O edge devices A__mic8. Additionally, there are eight audio stage stageboxes containing units Power Core maximum power, as well as two stage stageboxes with an I/O frame DALLIS each, providing 128dB microphone inputs for demanding audio quality requirements. All of the above works on the ST2110.

By reading the tender documentation, Geert Thoelen y Maxime Delobe from NEP Belgium realized that the RTBF was expecting highly efficient and future-proof “dream units”. Since an IP backbone had been specified, Thoelen and Delobe suggested that the two vehicles be based on the ST2110-20 for video and the ST2110-30 for audio. In response to a request for support for the Dolby E signal, Lawo proposed that all audio streams also be available in the ST2110-31 format.

Flexible configuration

Dirk Sykora, from Lawo, comments that “in this way, the mobile units meet 24- and 32-bit audio needs in any combination: the ST2110-30 or ST2110-31 audio stream versions can be selected with the push of a button on a VSM hardware or software panel.”

“This easy-to-use approach eliminates time-consuming and costly system reconfigurations before an upcoming event,” adds Geert Thoelen.

According to Olivier Malevez, project manager for RTBF, the decision to order two identical mobile units was based in part on the planned possibility of using them as a giant system for large events when necessary. Used as self-contained units, they cover all applications ranging from compact six-camera assignments to large live concerts and sporting events.

Both units can be attached to the RTBF building via SDI or IP. Jean Vanbraekel, head of RTBF Technology Operations and Distribution, assures that “we also wanted the option of using the two mobile units as additional control rooms in our facilities in peak situations.”

Two challenges

For Broadcast Solutions in Germany, planning and configuring Arista's 100G core network, as well as building and delivering the first full IP mobile unit, posed two challenges: equipping it with an SMPTE 2110 fabric and meet the deadline despite the COVID-19 closure throughout the world, in addition to carrying out all requested modifications. Matthias Hahn, project manager at Broadcast Solutions emphasizes that "building an IP-based mobile unit and ST2110 remains the exception that proves the rule. By establishing a solid IP foundation, the Broadcast Solutions team demonstrated that it was up to this challenging task."

The experience gained with the first mobile unit is being “copied and pasted” to the second vehicle.

Sykora says that "explaining the high capability and flexibility of the V__matrix platform at the start of the project was very beneficial for a quick and effective configuration phase. Both HD trucks are 4K/UHD ready, which, from Lawo's perspective, is a simple matter of re-tasking the existing C100 blades."

Sony Account Director Daan Herreman, adds that "being recognized as a reliable and innovative technology partner for many years for RTBF and NEP Belgium, we were very pleased that Sony was the preferred choice for this unique IP project. We can fully support the SMPTE ST2110 and AMWA NMOS series of open standards to provide the necessary interoperability for our customers."

For its part, Geert Thoelen of NEP Belgium, maintains that "the two new RTBF mobile units are among the most advanced on the planet and reflect the innovative ways in which NEP constantly implements the latest technologies. Creating relationships based on mutual trust and innovation has always been at the center of NEP's activities. RTBF's ST2110-based approach has resulted in highly flexible tools for obstetrics assignments of any scale."

Cécile Gonfroid, CIO of the RTBF, concludes by stating that "we obviously knew that an IP infrastructure was the answer to our current and future needs. NEP Belgium's guidance was invaluable, and their proposals were based on what ultimately provided the greatest benefit for the RTBF. We consider our two mobile units over full IP to be the first building blocks of our future Media Square facility."