Mobile Video Productions (MVP), a division of CanWest Media Works, installed an Artist digital intercom matrix from Riedel Communications in its new HD mobile production truck. The truck is wired for 10 cameras started productions in May of this year.
Ted Krzywonos, an engineer with MVP, offered his impression of the Artist intercom system: “It’s built like I would have built it—very intuitively. You can tell that a lot of thought went into the design. For example, the fact that you don’t have to set an address on the panels is excellent in a mobile environment.”
The new MVP system includes a 96 x 96 matrix in two frames with coax cards for connecting control panels via coax cable and analog cards for interfacing 4-wire audio. In addition, the frames’ redundant CPUs are equipped with fiber connectors to enable the truck to merge its intercom with that of other Artist systems. This will allow MVP to easily interface to other Artist-equipped trucks in the field as well as to the multi-node Artist intercom matrix used by Global TV’s new studio complex in Toronto. When connected via fiber, the systems will function as one larger system offering virtually limitless communication between them without any bottlenecks.
Krzywonos expressed his satisfaction with the ease that Artist was integrated into the truck, saying, “Our integrator, who has years of experience installing intercom systems, told us that this is the first system he has encountered that works right out of the box. Other products always have problems to sort out, but Artist works right away.”
Besides the matrix and control panels MVP installed two RiFace radio interfaces to incorporate two-way radio communication into the intercom system. Also, 8 Connect Solo telephone hybrids were added to allow up to 16 telephone lines to be connected to the intercom matrix.