Bahrain TV OB vans controlled by Lawo VSM with added audio excellence using mc² production consoles

Bahrain TV of the Ministry of Information Affairs have two new medium-sized Outside Broadcast vans (OB vans) with two Lawo IP-based mc² audio production consoles in the audio control rooms and a VSM Broadcast Control System architecture for the overall control in both OBs. They are part of the framework governing the modernization process of the direct TV broadcasting system.

Dubai-located system integrator Broadcast & Studio Solutions (BSS) equipped the OB vans with high-definition TV broadcasting technologies, following the most stringent international specifications, security, and safety standards, to allow the vans to cover all official events, exhibitions, conferences as well as local and international sporting events with maximum efficiency and top quality.

Bahrain TV’s OB vans are controlled by Lawo’s VSM Broadcast Control and Workflow Solution in combination with VSM servers in a redundant setup at the heart of the control system. Thanks to the vsmSTUDIO software, all administration and configuration tasks can be programmed and saved at runtime using intuitive tools. Control interfaces in the form of a wide range of hardware LCD button panels and software panel clients allow simplified operation from highly flexible and custom-designed configurable GUIs. Additional VSM hardware includes GPIO interfaces, UMDs for dynamic labelling, and SmartHubs, which convert control signals from serial to TCP/IP and vice versa. SNMP Monitoring capabilities are provided by the vSNMP editor software tool, which runs on a separate server.

The audio infrastructure integrates a 48-fader Lawo mc²56 audio production console with 384 DSP channels, a routing capacity of 5120×5120 mono channels, plus local I/Os directly available at the audio desk. An additional mc² Compact I/O system provides an abundance of remote I/Os for high-profile productions. The smaller OB van carries a compact but powerful 24-fader mc²36, again with a multitude of remote and local I/Os controlled by 192 DSP channels via a 512×512 matrix.

The project that started on-site on January 1, 2021, was concluded by mid-January. The handover with some prominent guests took place on February 1, 2021. BCS Bureau