In the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2021, held from February 8-21, 2021 in Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy), the medal table shows Austria, Switzerland and France as the most successful nations of the competition. Behind the scenes of this major skiing event, the championship was won by a setup of prime technical equipment, installed and looked after by a technical team of experts. For IBC/MCR operations and feed distribution, Infront Productions, the broadcast partner of the FIS Championships, relied on the Lawo IP broadcast infrastructure with V__matrix, Lawo’s Software defined IP Core routing, Processing & Multi-viewing Platform, and the V__matrix vm_dmv Distributed 4K IP Multiviewer as major pillars. For overall broadcast control, Infront Productions deployed Lawo’s Virtual Studio Manager (VSM) as IP Broadcast Control and Workflow Solution.
This V_Matrix system is identical to the one deployed by Infront Productions for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship 2021 in Oberstdorf (Germany), which took place from February 23 to March 7, 2021 and comprising 24 competitions. Another contest unique to the restrictions in times of pandemic which ran smoothly thanks to excellent performances of athletes, teams and organizers – and the broadcast technology to cover the championships.
Each of the Lawo V__matrix setups used for the two Championships comprises 41 C100 processing blades used for streaming plus seven C100 configured with vm_dmv multi-viewing functionality. The VSM studio control system not only provides simple routing management but, with its configuration, it enables full flexibility and modularity so that it does not require reconfiguration for each event. “The operators can create their own individual profiles on the software panel which can be used across all software panels which are available in the system”, explains Filip Vojsovic, System Engineer at Lawo. And he adds: “Thus, signal allocations on any of the panel positions can be adapted to the users’ best needs, with all profiles saved and recalled by the push of a button. In contrast to operator views, the administrator management setting opens many different sections that allows for a more detailed technical configuration.” This workflow-optimized panel configuration is the result of a long-term, close cooperation between Infront and Lawo.
About V__matrix
V__matrix is a software-defined IP core routing and processing platform based on the data center principles of flexibility, fabric computing and COTS economics. Designed to provide a completely virtualized real-time production infrastructure, V__matrix leverages generic high-capacity FPGA-based processing blades upon which Virtual Modules (apps) are loaded to create the functionality required. Multiple cores are connected through redundant 40GE (or 4x 10GE) Ethernet interfaces to an IP network to form a distributed IP routing and processing matrix that provides frame-accurate, clean switching just like a legacy baseband matrix.
Find out more here: https://lawo.com/v__matrix/ .
About VSM (Virtual Studio Manager)
With hundreds of different protocols implemented and growing by the day, VSM already seamlessly integrates with the majority of the most popular broadcast equipment on the market. These include video routers, video switchers, audio routers, audio consoles, multi-viewers, intercoms, modular equipment and many special third-party devices. By talking native protocols where possible, equipment from different manufacturers can be seamlessly “glued” together, giving unmatched recall and logic control possibilities system wide. With a modern TCP/IP backbone, VSM utilizes standard IT hardware but enhances reliability and redundancy with sophisticated software redundancy concepts. VSM also provides interfaces to connect serially controlled devices, again freeing you to decide on the best hardware technology, no matter the format of the physical control interface.
Find out more here: https://lawo.com/vsm/
About Infront Productions
Infront Productions is the Infront Group’s broadcast production unit, assessing, managing, delivering or coordinating all broadcast activities in order to offer a consistent production standard for its clients.
The entity gathers the group’s worldwide production project management expertise, live and post-production talent and broadcast engineering resources in one unit.
Each event covered by Infront Productions thus benefits from the experience available within the group and its subsidiaries.
About Lawo
Lawo designs and manufactures pioneering video, audio, control and monitoring technology for broadcast, performing arts, install and corporate applications. All Lawo products are developed in Germany and manufactured to the highest quality standards at the company’s headquarters in the Rhine-Valley town of Rastatt, Germany.
In 2020 Lawo celebrates 50 years of engineering the future. Founded in 1970 as an engineering office with a focus on audio and broadcast, the privately-owned corporation grew into an industry-wide accepted innovator who continues to actively shape the future of broadcast and media production.
For additional information, please visit www.lawo.com.
