TORONTO—Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will soon deploy a Densitron IDS control system along with between 25 and 30 TFT touchscreens at its Toronto facility to enable control and messaging similar to the capabilities used at the CBC Montreal studios.
The deployment is the latest step in a technology relationship the broadcaster initiated with Densitron five years ago, the company said.
“Along with its flexibility of integration into new and existing infrastructures, the combination of Densitron IDS and TFT touchscreens has long provided us with the reliable and flexible approach to studio and production messaging and display that we require at CBC,” said CBC/Radio Canada chief engineer Lysanne Pinard.
In 2018, CBC tackled how to equip its Montreal facility with a control and display solution that delivered countdowns, timers and other studio messages to talent and production personnel, Densitron said.
The broadcaster learned of Densitron’s IDS Control System during a visit to BBC’s at-the-time new Broadcasting House in London. That encounter showed the broadcaster it was possible to digitize the entire messaging process and bring the information and display elements into a unified whole, it said.
CBC deployed the IDS control system later that year and developed a close collaboration with Densitron in the process. A Lawo VSM control system and Ember+ control protocol underpinned the deployment, enabling CBC to have a fully networked-based infrastructure that used IDS for all essential messaging, including: on- and off-air countdowns; studio status and alert messaging via the Ember+ control protocol; a production timer to the spec needed for different radio and TV operations; and display of program and room scheduling information on panels outside studios, the company said.
Based on its success in Montreal and relationship with Densitron, CBC now is preparing to deploy in Toronto.
“We have developed a really good partnership with the team at Densitron, and we look forward to continuing that when we begin work on a similar deployment in Toronto,” said Pinard.
More information is available on the company’s website.
