Niles Media Group: Sports OB Truck with Riedel Artist Intercom and RockNet

The Niles Media group team

Niles Media Group, a Missouri corporation dedicated to excellence in media content creation, sales, and distribution, installs a comprehensive audio system from Riedel Communications in its latest HD camera OB truck. Riedel, one of the leading manufacturers of real-time networks for video, audio and communications, delivers a versatile system combining communications and audio distribution via Artist Digital Matrix Intercom and RockNet Digital Audio Network. Professional Video Supply, Inc. of Overland Park, Kansas is handling the integration.

Niles Media Group is specialized in remote sports television production. The company is comprised of Kansas City media professionals who were formerly the Founders of Metro Sports and now have created a production company that produces over 400 live events per year for television, cable, and web.

At the heart of the communications system is an Artist 128 mainframe. Based on a true network approach, Artist matrix systems are easily expandable accordingly to the user's needs and offer up to 1,024x1,024 non-blocking ports. A total of ten Artist 1100 series OLED key panels are installed in the truck. Furthermore Niles Media uses two Artist CCP-1116 commentary control panels. The CCP-1116 combines two commentator units with a freely assignable Artist 1100 series OLED desktop panel in a single unit. With the CCP-1116 the connection to the matrix is established via a single cable making installation a lot more effortless and easy.

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"There's no room for failure in live broadcasting. Riedel's redundant systems guarantee the reliability, we need to concentrate on what's really important – providing first class sports broadcast material. Riedel will help us integrate audio, partyline, and communications not only on site but also between our remote sites and master control,", said John Denison, CTO at Niles Media Group.

A Performer C44 system interface integrates the Riedel Performer Digital Partyline system directly with the Artist matrix intercom. Performer is the first digital partyline solution offering digital audio quality. A Riedel Connect interface integrates external POTS telephone lines into the system.

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The audio distribution is based on a Riedel RockNet system. It combines digital and analog audio I/O modules. RockNet offers up to 160 channels on a redundant CAT5 ring providing the audio transport with up to 96 kHz/24 bit. Three RockNet Yamaha cards integrate the digital Yamaha M7cl consoles into the infrastructure.

"RockNet is a system that is really amazingly easy to use and to set up. Assigning the individual inputs and outputs via the RockWorks software makes productions really flexible. Plus, the independent gain feature is an incredible tool for multi console setups." Brad Bartholomew, President at Professional Video Supply. RockNet independent gain features allows for individual mixes on each console without influencing the main mix. " It is a pleasure seeing many hours of design strategy come to fruition. The Niles Media broadcast trucks will change the way the industry currently does remote production," Bartholomew continued.

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