Hybrid Intercom Network White Paper: Intelligent Intercom-Over-IP For International Sports Events
Hybrid Intercom Network White Paper: Intelligent Intercom-Over-IP For International Sports Events
Table of Contents
Page
1. Legal Disclaimers........................................................................................................3
2. Clear-Com Contacts...................................................................................................3
3. Introduction.................................................................................................................4
4. Traditional Installations................................................................................................4
5. Advantages of Intercom-over-IP.................................................................................4
6. Benefits of Intercom Over Real IT Networks...............................................................5
7. Intercom Over Real Telco WANs.................................................................................6
8. Setting up the VLAN Services.....................................................................................6
9. The Clear-Com Hybrid Network Technology..............................................................7
10. 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics...............................................................................7
Vancouver’s Intercom Reach..................................................................................8
Vancouver IT Networks...........................................................................................8
Cost and Time Saving Solutions............................................................................9
11. 2010 FIFA World Cup..................................................................................................9
12. Acknowledgement....................................................................................................10
1. Legal Disclaimers
Copyright © 2011 HM Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved.
Clear-Com, the Clear-Com logo, Clear-Com Concert and Eclipse are trademarks
or registered trademarks of HM Electronics, Inc.
2. Clear-Com Contacts
Americas and Asia-Pacific Headquarters
California, United States
Tel: +1.510.337.6600
Email: [email protected]
Europe, Middle East, and Africa Headquarters
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1223 815000
Email: [email protected]
China Office
Beijing Representative Office
Beijing, P.R.China
Tel: +86-10-65811360/65815577
Hybrid Intercom Network Solution Paper for International Sports Events Page 3
Clear-Com
3. Introduction
Clear-Com Eclipse Digital Matrix Intercom System was used to provide the
communications for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver
Winter Olympics and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The native IP enabled V-Series
intercom panels allowed rapid communication deployment where more traditionally
connected panels would otherwise have to be planned for and individually cabled.
This white paper describes how IP communication overcomes traditional problems at
such types of installation venues and also discusses what to consider when deciding
Intercom-Over-IP (IoIP) approach for successful and spectacular large events,
making reference to specific use-cases of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
and FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
4. Traditional Installations
In large stadium events, production elements and recording services such as Audio,
Video, Lighting, and CCTV (Closed Circuit Television), that are controlled together with
intercom, all have to be coupled between the equipment rooms and remote locations
within the complex. Due to increasingly complex productions over time, the individual
cable runs connected back to central equipment for each service have grown, driving
up installation time and costs significantly.
The requirements for each audio/video/control service have to be carefully planned.
Experience counts for a lot in being prepared for eventualities and relocations during
the frenetic run-up and rehearsals. In worst cases, whole equipment racks have to be
relocated and re-cabled or coupled to existing remote systems accommodating changes
in the production workflow. With traditional intercoms, this would require last minute
leasing of 4-wire order lines and dark fiber, and transporting equipment-carrying
technicians between the send and return sites. These kinds of unplanned activities
can quickly sap the ability to service the production team in a pro-active and
complimentary manner.
5. Advantages of Intercom-over-IP
Today, with the advancement and expanded
bandwidth of in-house IT Network infrastruc-
ture, many services can be integrated and
operated over far less cabling, and in some
cases even share single fiber runs. To achieve
Figure 1: V-Series 24 lever key intercom panel with native IP
this level of streamlined cabling, this would
require that today’s modern digital intercom, audio and video play well together and
each use standard IP-based technology.
Hybrid Intercom Network Solution Paper for International Sports Events Page 4
Clear-Com
Clear-Com’s V-Series-IP intercom panels have a native Ethernet port that carries both
duplex G.722 audio and control data between the intercom matrix and the user’s panel
microphone, loudspeaker or headset. The V-Series-IP panels make use of the ubiquitous
availability of the IP infrastructure to enable unscheduled placement of the intercom
panels anywhere within a stadium complex or remote sites. No longer do remote
sites require a whole rack of localized switching matrix equipment. Now, just the users’
panels need be connected to a local IT connection, which then connects them onto the
central switch and interfaces. Accommodating last minute changes in production work-
flow, where, for example, a venue change following some unexpected development can
now be achieved with a few remote fly-away panels and local link onto the IT structure.
The traditional alternative is running in more cabling, adding media conversion to
fiber or multiplexers to existing fiber, adding local small matrices and interfaces and
planning the installation changes. These changes do not include all the disruption
to the running system which is very costly.
The choice of directly cabled and IP connected V-Series panels from the central matrix
provide for either high availability over conventional CAT-5 cabling and long distance
remote connection over IP. For the long distance intra-stadium cabling, fiber connected
Ethernet switches can be used. If a user was setting up a closed Ethernet network
purely for the connectivity of the communications within a venue, then a very simple
flat switched network would be more than adequate for the extremely low data rates
used by the V-Series-IP panels. However, this misses the real leap that a native
IP intercom system offers.
Hybrid Intercom Network Solution Paper for International Sports Events Page 5
Clear-Com
Hybrid Intercom Network Solution Paper for International Sports Events Page 6
Clear-Com
to another without any risk of their data mixing with your own. Large events may
require Clear-Com IP Panels, VoIP phones, IP CCTV, DMX data, Streaming HD Video,
uncompressed streaming audio, file-sharing, Internet access and timecode to all
share the same physical Gigabit network without any issues.
Clear-Com’s I.V.Core is a breakthrough intercom technology for defining Intercom-over-IP (IoIP) intercom communications. Providing high-quality, high-bandwidth audio
that will not stress an existing IP network, I.V.Core is an advanced set of software building blocks and engines for creating a real-time, dynamic distributed system with
non-blocking intercom capabilities.
Hybrid Intercom Network Solution Paper for International Sports Events Page 7
Clear-Com
Vancouver IT Networks
All Olympic locations were IP connected over a low latency Bell Canada 400Mbit/s fiber
network. Within B.C. Place, multimode IP fiber rings were segmented across Juniper
routers with four optical ports on the fiber-ring side, and CAT-5 copper drops on the
“comms” side. Rings and routers were configured to provide multiple overlaid rings for
redundancy. The B.C. Place network not only provided audio and communications,
but it also included video for MPEG4 CCTV feeds. Typical bandwidth usage was
45Mbits/s for video and comms. The maximum fiber run lengths were between
400-500m (1,300 to 1,600 feet).
The combination of direct-cabled V-Series and IP-connected V-Series panels worked
extremely well together in this system architecture and gave P.A. People a big benefit in
cabling efficiency, and reduced setup time. For example, the Radio room on the ground
floor (the area where 2-way radios are logged in and out to users) ran two V-Series IP
panels. This room would have been hard to reach by conventional radial CAT-5 cabling.
There were two separate links into the Bell Canada Network for two separate venues.
It was critical that no data was ever sent between these links as Bell would have seen
this as a loop and disallowed it. By bringing these links in to the Juniper Netscreen
Router/Firewall as two separate interfaces, it allowed only the one port required by the
Clear-Com IP panels to pass, eliminating any risk.
Hybrid Intercom Network Solution Paper for International Sports Events Page 8
Clear-Com
Audio Control
2 x V-series
HelixNet
Comms Control
(using Cobranet
Median House Network SM Fiber Audio Transport)
Frame with Cat-5 Trunk Managed by
IVC-32 Fujitsu
Show Control
FIFA Opening Ceremony Network 7 x V-series
ALL Network Distribution provided by the venue as a VLAN on their network. (4 for users)
Panels used for Control Program Audio due to the excellent sound of the (2 for Program
speakers in the 24key models. SMPTE Timcode was also able to pass over Audio)
the G.722 Compression saving a dedicated cable run. (1 for Timecode) Figure 5: FIFA World Cup Intercom
for Opening Ceremony
Hybrid Intercom Network Solution Paper for International Sports Events Page 9
Clear-Com
The ability to utilize the existing network infrastructure within the building enabled
the audio crew to deliver the audio and intercom system within the time and labor
constraints imposed by excessive delays in customs clearance and venue access.
The freedom to deploy a panel anywhere where data jacks were available, gave
great flexibility to the system design.
12. Acknowledgement
The Clear-Com Team would like to acknowledge Paul Barrett, Technical Engineer
of The P.A. People, who is a specialist contractor in the areas of Sound Reinforcement,
Performance Lighting, Audio Visual Systems, Video and Communications. Paul was
interviewed and provided information about advantages and clarifications of use of
V-Series IP panels over his installations.
Hybrid Intercom Network Solution Paper for International Sports Events Page 10
www.clearcom.com
About Clear-Com®
Clear-Com, an HME company, is a global provider in professional voice communications systems since 1968. We develop and
market proven intercom technologies such as Analog & Digital Partyline, Digital Matrix, Wireless and Intercom-over-IP systems for
critical communication applications in broadcast, performance venues, military, government and enterprise markets. Recognized
for our legacy of intercom innovations, production teams around the world have come to depend on Clear-Com for clear, reliable
and scalable communications solutions.
Americas and Asia-Pacific Europe, Middle East, and Africa China Office
Headquarters: Headquarters Beijing Representative Office
California, United States Cambridge, United Kingdom Beijing, P.R.China
Tel: +1.510.337.6600 Tel: +44 1223 815000 Tel: +86-10-65811360/65815577
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]