Wimbledon strengthens its network with Riedel's MediorNet

All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), a private club that annually hosts the Wimbledon tournament, has expanded its fixed signal routing and communications network with MediorNet signal processing technology and Artist digital matrix. Riedel.

Riedel's permanent installation at the AELTC consists of an intercom node Artist-64 and a series of SmartPanels 2300 to support security and audio teams. Ahead of the 2021 Wimbledon tournament, Riedel's managed technology division expanded the infrastructure with an extensive set of additional Artist and MediorNet, including MediorNet high-density media distribution network devices MicroN, 120 intercom panels and Bolero devices. Thanks to their ability to be deployed in unlimited configurations, the modular MicroNs were especially useful in AELTC's main control room, the nerve center of all audio signals, where 18-track signals, big screen production and countless local mixes converge.

Other MicroNs configured with the Riedel app MultiViewer They were located in the public address rack room on the center court. This allowed the production team at the main control to mix the audio signals from up to 36 SDI streams and feeds Artist MADI, internal audio, four-wire mobile unit communications and program signals. The system has also been customized for the specific needs of Wimbledon: the MicroN multiviewers' audio meters have been customized to display each referee's microphone on the left side and the signal sent to the court's public address system on the right, while the UMD displays the status of the referee's microphone switch.

MediorNet and Artist, key for Wimbledon

Ahead of the 2021 Wimbledon tournament, Riedel's solution facilitated remote audio mixing to support communications between review officials and referees, statistics officers, security, audio and production teams. MediorNet and Artist also took care of various processes within the video broadcasts, supporting the audio team with the distribution of the press broadcasts and the remote operation of all tracks.

James Henry Breward, audio and communications specialist at AELTC, tells how he has experienced this equipment expansion first-hand: "We know we can count on Riedel equipment to provide smooth, reliable communications with fantastic sound quality when it really matters, such as when resolving contentious review calls. And with all the additional equipment arriving quickly for the championships, we are absolutely reliant on Riedel's managed technology division to help us meet our tight deadlines. Their expert service and support, along with their ability to access additional equipment as needed at any given time, make them invaluable partners on our rapid path to Wimbledon.”

Beyond this general framework, Breward is particularly pleased with a Riedel solution: "SmartPanels are extremely robust yet easy to use, something our production teams really appreciate. Even people who have never used the key panels (not all tennis events can offer this level of technological support) are able to instantly integrate them into their workflows. It's a very smart way of working."