Case Study
CVMC
SECTION 1
Introduction
CVMC (Corporació Valenciana de Mitjans de Comunicació) is a public entity that provides information, culture, education and entertainment services to people in Valencia, Spain. In May 2022, they launched a multipurpose studio to produce a variety of programs for digital terrestrial television (DTT) and streaming platforms.
Section 2
The Challenge
CVMC wanted to create a versatile studio setup that could handle different types of content and formats, including daily informative programming alongside weekend sports broadcasts, cultural shows and radio programs accompanied by video streaming.
They also wanted to be prepared for future 4K productions and experiment with new technologies. However, they faced a range of challenges in configuring production control infrastructure that could combine radio and video productions from the same environment with compact broadcast equipment.
Section 3
The Solution
To overcome these challenges, CVMC chose hyperconverged products and solutions from Ross Video that offer native 12G support, high performance and flexibility offered by specialist integrator Unitecnic Media Solutions as part of the public tender.
The full Ross solution at CVMC includes
- Ultrix core routing: a fully featured connectivity control system that goes beyond traditional routing configuration and control.
- Carbonite Ultra production mixer: a powerful switcher that supports up to three full MEs, four MiniMEs, four DVEs and 24 inputs.
- Opengear Modular: the industry standard platform of choice for modular signal processing and the world’s first modular infrastructure platform open to other manufacturers.
- Gator Toolbox flexible conversion: an all-in-one UHD up/down/cross, HDR conversion, standards conversion, frame synchronisation toolbox for UHD workflows over 12G-SDI.
- Dashboard: free software that enables control and monitoring of Ross devices.
Section 4
The Impact
Ross Video’s solutions have made a significant positive impact on CVMC, allowing them to create a versatile studio capable of handling different types of content and formats. For instance, by embracing the hyperconverged capabilities delivered by the Ross technologies, they have benefitted from increased simplicity, flexibility and efficiency while also lowering their total cost of ownership (TCO). In practical terms, these benefits include:
- Simplicity: Ross Video’s solutions provided a streamlined installation process, with fewer interconnects between devices and a unified language for integrated components. The platform supports a wide range of I/O options, such as SD through UHD, SDI, fibre and IP, allowing for seamless connectivity.
- Flexibility: The hyperconverged solution enabled CVMC to easily add software-defined features across the platform without the need for external equipment. This reduced the complexity of reconfigurations between events, enhancing overall adaptability.
- Lower TCO: These hyperconverged platforms are capable of performing multiple tasks and typically cost less than systems comprising multiple purpose-built devices. By reducing the need for racks, cables, power and cooling, CVMC benefited from lower upfront costs, operational expenses and reduced overall TCO.
- Faster Deployment: The simplified design provided by Ross allowed for quicker on-air readiness, and with fewer devices to install and manage, setup and configuration were centralised, accelerating the deployment process.
- Streamlined Workflows: By utilising a single platform, CVMC integrated various components to create efficient workflows spanning connectivity, signal processing and production. This led to improved operational efficiency, higher quality productions and increased staff satisfaction.
The Ultrix router and Carbonite mixer have enabled seamless processing of video and audio signals, generating embedded audio from program output, clean feed output and custom camera AUX output. All video and audio processing via the Ultrix solution and Carbonite mixer are in use daily. CVMC uses four monitors that support Production Control, Sound Control and Camera Control positions.
The modular OG cards have provided CVMC with signal conversion and distribution capabilities for various sources and destinations, while the Gator toolbox delivered flexible scaling options for different aspect ratios. The Dashboard software has also made it easy for teams to control and monitor all Ross devices from one interface.
In addition, the compact design of the Ross Video solutions enabled them to be integrated within the CVMC studio environment using a minimal number of rack units. It also allowed the automation of content processes using Dalet’s OnePlay platform, which integrated seamlessly with the Ross Carbonite Ultra mixer and Ultrix matrix.
“Before implementing Ross Video’s solutions, we faced numerous challenges in creating a versatile studio environment that could handle a variety of content formats while being future-proof and compact, Their innovative hyperconverged technology has had an extremely positive impact on our operations, enhancing our ability to deliver high-quality information, culture, education and entertainment services to our community in Valencia.”
Fernando Monsalve
Head of Engineering at CVMC
