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Aug 18th, 2011
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Case Study: Bexel Continues Its Focus on Large-Scale TV Productions
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Bexel Successfully Managed Deployment of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” Finale in Between Playoff Games at Chicago’s United Center
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 | Bexel, a unit of the Vitec Group’s Services Division and a leading worldwide provider of broadcast services and solutions, has continued its focus on large-scale productions, providing fiber optic, audio, production communication equipment and engineering solutions for the recent notable production of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular.” In between two NBA playoff games, the Bexel team successfully managed aggressive timelines to provide premium gear and expert engineering onsite at Chicago’s United Center.
| For the conclusion of its 25th year on-air, The Oprah Winfrey Show left Chicago’s HARPO Studios for the United Center to produce a star-studded series of episodes entitled “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” in front of 13,000 of the show’s biggest fans. “Part of the complexity of this particular project was the fact that the shows were scheduled to be taped on Tuesday—in between two Chicago Bulls’ playoff basketball games on Sunday and Wednesday,” says Justin Paulk, manager, Bexel Broadcast Fiber Solutions. “Our scope for the setup time was extremely short—about 12 hours before rehearsal began.”
Throughout the United Center, more than 20,000 feet of Singlemode Tactical fiber was used to run to various locations. Bexel provided 17 Telecast HDX/SHED (SMPTE Hybrid Elimination Device) Systems for the set, allowing the use of single mode optical fiber for the HD camera links, while reducing bulk as they may support several cameras on one lightweight fiber cable. In addition, Advanced Fiber Products CWDM systems were used to move 16 HD/SDI signals down to one fiber, while Advanced Fiber Products MC2 Kits were used to move one HD/SDI on one fiber. Three systems (i.e., 48 HD/SDI individual paths) were in place to feed the screens on set and 43 kits fed prompters, monitors and various feeds on the set and around the United Center. |
As with many other large-scale television productions, Bexel was also charged with implementing the overall production communications system for the show—from design through deployment. “What we provided to the show was beyond a boilerplate setup—it required the equipment to be customized well ahead of delivery to Chicago and was configured so that it could be rapidly deployed under the tight timeline of the production schedule,” says Rod Allen, manager, Bexel/ASG.
Included in Bexel’s audio package for the show was the coordination of more than 160 frequencies and |  | installing a four-zone RF Over Fiber system for the UHF intercom, wireless mics and wireless IFB. Forty-five hardwired stations and approximately (45) UHF Wireless Intercom belt packs were used along with (14) 1.9 GHz multi node Clear-Com CellCom belt packs, (15) 2.4 GHz Wireless Intercom belt packs and (10) remote key panels.
Allen adds, “Understanding the short set up time we faced, our engineers were able to successfully develop a plan in which we could deploy the system that met the customer’s needs.” |
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