BskyB are the latest company to purchase an Arc Multi Master ISDN codec control system for a joint project involving Channel 4 TV and SIS at studios in Hayes. The system has been installed for the launch of At the Races, the new horse-racing channel, which goes on-air in May 2002. At the Races involves audio links to 15 race-courses that will be broadcasting daily.
BT had installed 15 audio codecs in the BSkyB studios, each connected to a codec at the race-course to allow commentary & communications between them, and BskyB needed a system to control the calls to and from the race-courses. The Arc Multi-Master is a system designed to do just that allowing operators in different studios control of the whole ISDN communications system, routing ISDN telephone numbers for both incoming and outgoing calls.
BskyB, based at Isleworth UK, already have an existing Arc Multi-Master system, used for their Saturday Sports Show, which they’ve been using for over five years. Vaughan Rogers, Head of Sound Operations at BskyB, commented : “At the time of looking for our first system, we needed a reliable hardware solution providing simple interfacing to codecs - the Arc Multi-Master was the one system that could do all that, and more. For the At the Races project, the choice of codec controller was straight forward, because our existing system is so easy to use.”
Marcus Brooke, Managing Director of Sonifex, added : “I’m delighted that BskyB have ordered another Arc Multi-Master system. It has been designed to offer broadcasters the unique benefit of making ISDN audio links as simple as using the telephone. Vaughan and his team have a lot of experience in using it already and I’m sure that the new system in Hayes will fulfil all of Vaughan’s needs.”
The Arc Multi-Master combines state of the art complex technology with ease of use at an affordable price. It is capable of controlling up to 16 codecs, or can make and receive ISDN calls from internal terminal adaptor cards. All the mechanics of the ISDN connection, including which codec to use, which algorithm mode to set, data rate, etc, are all controlled automatically in the background by the equipment. Additionally, the PC based ARC AkCESS audio routing and control software allows each studio to see the current status of every codec on the system.
