Press Contact: Bryan Wilkins

A major new RTS talkback system has been installed at SBS Television by Magna Systems and Engineering.

With studios in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra SBS Television is watched by more than seven million Australians each week and broadcasts a unique mix of Australian-produced and international programs drawn from over 400 national and international sources.

SBS Manager, Broadcast Projects Technology and Distribution, Metodi Andonov explained the national broadcaster’s decision to upgrade its talkback system, “We used to have several smaller systems but, even combined together, they didn’t have enough capacity to handle all of SBS’ comms requirements.” He said.

In order to find a suitable solution the SBS Broadcast Projects Team did an evaluation and assessment process for a new talkback system. Andonov added, “We did a lot of market research and we found that the RTS ADAM (Advanced Digital Audio Matrix) system best suited our needs. It was also the only system that could easily incorporate and redeploy our existing RTS panels which saved us a lot of money.”

The updated high-end ADAM matrix now in its 3rd generation supports 8 to 1000+ users per system with 272 ports possible in a 7RU frame. Utilising a Time Division Multiplex (TDM) technique, the ADAM grows linearly as users are added; the system comes standard with redundant high current power supplies and new redundant Ethernet master controllers, MCII-e, allowing for automatic changeover in the event of failure.

Andonov continued, “Our new ADAM system is a good solution for remote connection between our Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra offices, something that wasn’t possible in such a straightforward manner before. As the ADAM is available with a variety of interface cards including the AIO-16, AES-3, and RVON-16 VoIP interfaces it meant an easy expansion allowed us to use VoIP at all 3 locations utilizing a network I/O card without the need for a major upgrade.”

According to SBS’ Project Plan, comprehensive product and system support were also key requirements. Andonov added, “Local support is critical for us as comms are our lifeline at SBS. Magna Systems have consistently shown that they are very good in this area. We have developed an excellent working relationship with Lucas Bohm and all the team at Magna to help give SBS the best possible service and solution.”

The new RTS ADAM talkback system at SBS networks the broadcaster’s studios, operations rooms, editing suites, post production facilities, online units, presentation areas, technical support, radio operations, master control room and remote contributors – an achievement which is a real advantage for the broadcaster.

Metodi Andonov concluded “We now have excellent reliable communication with all our key personnel, which even includes a talkback panel in the make-up room. We are very happy with the ADAM system, it is very stable and it does all that we want it to do. It also has capacity for easy expansion so it’s future proofed. Overall it was a 3 month evaluation, design and installation process during which time we found Magna Systems to be very professional, offer great support and to have an excellent understanding of our communication issues and requirements.”