Harris Supports Pinewood Studio’s Expansion into HDTV

Pinewood is synonymous with movie production, yet the company has been a major supplier of facilities to television broadcasters and production companies for many years. The new HD galleries feature a range of Harris infrastructure gear, including Platinum™ routers, HView™ SX Pro multiviewers, X50™ frame synchronisers/converters and 6800+™ modular core processing platforms, all orchestrated via NUCLEUS™ network control panels.  This complete Harris solution enables Pinewood to reliably distribute, monitor and process multiple HD video and audio signals.

Pinewood’s selection of Harris as its technology provider was heavily influenced by its long-standing relationship with the company.  Pinewood also owns Teddington Studios, where it has a number of presentation studios in which Harris signal distribution and channel transmission equipment has been successfully installed and operated over many years

“We have always enjoyed a good relationship with Harris, so they were the natural choice as provider for the technical infrastructure within the new studio production galleries,” said Paul Darbyshire, broadcast director of Pinewood Studios Group.  “When we evaluated the options available, we found that Harris already has the kind of equipment that we need and also they are progressing in what we believe are the right directions.”

Work started on this major infrastructure upgrade this spring and the galleries were commissioned in August.  Pinewood reports that the installation progressed according to a pre-planned schedule and came to fruition without any major issues.  The combination of Harris routers, multiviewers, core processing and control technology provides Pinewood with a cohesive, integrated HD infrastructure solution that is resilient and reliable.

“The team at Harris are very responsive — they react quickly to any issues that we have,” said Darbyshire. “This was a demanding challenge to meet our needs — Harris is competitive in what is already an inherently competitive market, they deliver and their equipment works.”

For Harris, the Pinewood contract is a strategic project that illustrates the breadth and technical sophistication of its product and service offering.  “By instigating this major upgrade project, Pinewood has signposted its intent in the UK TV production facilities market,” said Mathias Eckert, vice president, sales and services, Europe & Africa for Harris Broadcast Communications.   “They are a long-standing and highly valued customer, and Harris continues to support their ambition through our passion and technical diligence.”

About Pinewood Studios Group
The Pinewood Studios Group’s  is a leading provider of TV studio and related services to the global television and film industry and its UK-based Pinewood, Shepperton and Teddington Studios have been home to some of the most successful Television productions ever made.
Pinewood and Teddington have nine television studios with full production galleries, offices, accommodation and edit suites. For larger light entertainment formats, Pinewood and Shepperton can offer up to 60,000 sq ft of space accommodating large sets and capacity for audiences of over 2,000. Pinewood is also able to offer complete picture and sound post production solutions for television, bespoke digital storage systems, workflow management and tracking tools.
Recent TV productions that have used the Studios’ facilities include: Would I Lie To You (TV studios and Post Production); The Rob Brydon Show (TV studios); Don’t Stop Me Now (15,000sqft Stage); Love Machine (15,000sqft stage); The Magician (15,000sqft stage; Post Production); and Got to Dance (15,000sqft; Post Production)

About Harris Broadcast Communications
Harris Broadcast Communications offers products, systems and services that provide interoperable workflow solutions for broadcast, cable, satellite and out-of-home networks.  The Harris ONE™ solution brings together highly integrated and cost-effective products that enable advanced media workflows for emerging content delivery business models.