WTVJ/NBC 6 to Become First Digital Station in South Florida from Facility Designed and Built by A. F. Associates
"We interviewed several integration companies before embarking on this far-reaching and complicated project," said Paul Russell, director of operations and engineering for WTVJ.
"A. F. Associates was the only company that brought an in-depth understanding, creative foresight and advanced technical information to the table. They appreciate our challenges and furnish solutions developed from many years of cutting-edge expertise. AFA's attention to detail allowed us to improve efficiency, reduce costs and deal with the larger picture."
AFA designed the technical facilities to address current requirements and accommodate future expansion. The building will initially serve two program streams - WTVJ and a local source, with two additional program streams scheduled to launch in the near future including high definition programming.
The Integration and Release Area incorporates master control, satellite and ENG control, feed record and playback, camera shading, back-up robotics control, logging, archiving and server ingest. A custom console will include a Phillips Saturn Master Control Switcher to control multiple program streams. Commercial playback for all output channels is stored on Grass Valley Profiles under the control of Louth Automation. Space was allocated on the console for the future installation of an HDTV master control switcher. A custom monitor wall will be suspended from the ceiling.
Satellite feeds will be automatically recorded to redundant Grass Valley Profile servers. The satellite feeds, as well as other program material, will be recorded on DVCPRO for archiving on Panasonic Smart Carts. In the event of a catastrophic failure of the server system, the Smart Cart tapes can be used for air play. The Smart Cart/DVCPRO solution was selected because all of the material is on-line and ready for real-time play out to air.
Seven remote camera locations, as far away as Key West, will be controlled from the release area. Immediate plans include the addition of several other remote camera locations, including control of cameras in the American Airlines Arena. All studio cameras will be robotic.
Two identical Studio Control Rooms - Control Room A and Control Room B - will be furnished with Grass Valley's newest digital switcher - Kalypso, and CALREC's newest digital audio boards. These control rooms have a three-tier operations console and a large custom monitor wall.
Eight non-linear News Edit Rooms have been situated in close proximity to the News Room and Master Control Area. The Graphics Area will be complete with HALs and Paintbox Espirits and Mac workstations. Three post-edit rooms will each have a Quantel Edit Box integrated with the Graphic areas. The layout and close proximity of all these rooms to production and master control provide for efficient use of personnel.
The Central Equipment Area will be divided into two sections: one dedicated to technical equipment with 96 racks and expansion for an additional 32; and the other section furnished with 22 racks for MIS equipment.
The Satellite Control Room, currently functional, provides for the operation of the following agile dishes: one 7-meter, three 6.1-meter, and one 11-meter. An additional assortment of fixed and moveable dishes ranging from 3.4 to 4.5 meters are also operated from the room. The QC and processing is also controlled from the Satellite Control Room, prior to the signal being sent to the central equipment room for distribution.
Microwave transmit and receive dishes are located in the bell tower of the Spanish style building. The fourth floor of the tower holds the transmitters, QC station and other associated equipment.
A system of multiple Broadcast Service Panels (BSP) has been installed throughout the building to provide additional signals and return paths to and from any location in the facility. In addition, 6 environmentally protected external BSPs were installed to service ENG trucks, SNG trucks, the Helicopter pad, patio and roof.
A. F. Associates, Inc. is a Video Services Corporation company (Amex: VS). AFA is an industry leader in the design, engineering and fabrication of fixed and mobile television facilities. Services include design, engineering, consulting, detailed design, documentation, prewiring, installation, and commissioning for broadcast, cable, satellite, production/post production and corporate video markets.