The Czech Philharmonic in Prague creates a UHD workflow with AJA solutions

A selection of solutions AJA is allowing the Czech Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra from Prague to broadcast UHD content via streaming from the Rudolfinum concert hall.

El supervisor técnico del Rudolfinum, Dušan Bajtoš, is responsible for the venue's production workflow, which supports concert broadcasts and streaming for European television channels. Czech TV, Mezzo TV, Arte y European Classical TV; social streaming platforms like YouTube, Vimeo y Meta; and many other distribution points. To ensure the highest quality experience across all viewing platforms and device types, we chose to produce concerts on UHD. Bajtoš shares what it was like to develop this workflow: "When I was approached about this job, it was one of the first UltraHD HDR projects in the region, and I like a good challenge. Anyone who has seen UltraHD HDR content can see the difference in quality, not to mention that most consumers already have UltraHD HDR compatible displays at home, so this path made sense. With tools like AJA FS-HDR, we can raise the caliber of our signal output and deliver a viewing experience that audiences can enjoy much more easily.”

To offer viewers around the world different perspectives during each concert, the team uses four manned cameras and six robotic cameras controlled from the management room. Before each concert, a shot list is made that describes the angle, timing and duration of the camera shots, as well as the object or artist that should be focused on. From the director's room, Bajtoš and his team run the production, relying on a set of screens to monitor shots and make color and exposure adjustments. Signal conversion (between camera recording formats, HDR and SDR, and UltraHD and HD) is performed with the AJA FS-HDR. This HDR/WCG Converter/Frame Synchronizer allows the team to convert the output to match each delivery partner's requirements, be it 4K HDR, HD HDR or HD SDR. “We love the different modes it offers, from Colorfront Engine Live Mode to BBC HLG LUTs Mode and NBCU LUTs Mode, which really impressed us,” says Bajtoš.

In addition to FS-HDR, Bajtoš also uses a router AJA Kumo 1616 12G-SDI Integrated into the robotic camera head system to enable automatic camera switching. The system also uses an H.264 video streamer and recorder Helo by AJA para grabar de forma fiable en unidades USB, que pueden entregarse al equipo y al director una vez finalizada la producción. Asimismo, el grabador y reproductor/grabador multicanal HD AJA Ki Pro Ultra 12G 4K/UltraHD/HD se utiliza para la grabación de copia de seguridad Apple ProRes.