Launched in November 2020, Asharq News is new multiplatform economic and political news service – and the first project in the MENA region to use a media infrastructure based entirely on IP technology.
A central role is played by the use of virtualised on-premises systems and cloud applications as a hybrid architecture for content aggregation, production and distribution. The overall control of the infrastructure is carried out by the use of Lawo’s VSM Virtual Studio Manager Broadcast Control System.
Asharq News involved a team of specialists – including an international firm of architects, local construction companies and general contractor Qvest Media for all technology issues –from the earliest design concept and space planning of the building. A modern interior and workplace design as well as functional spatial architecture was developed, embedding the editorial, creative and technological work into the set and studio design.
As the overall IP production layer, Lawo’s VSM controls the video backbone and manages the audio IP streams. 34 hardware panels and several software GUIs are in place as user/system interface for a standardised workflow. VSM integrates with the broadcast equipment, including 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 ‘glued’ together, giving unmatched recall and logic control possibilities system-wide. With a modern TCP/IP backbone, VSM uses standard IT hardware but enhances reliability and redundancy with sophisticated software redundancy concepts.
An add-on service for multi-studio facilities with frequent changes to the studio floor setup, like Asharq, is VSM’s new Wallboxing functionality, which allows moving devices across an API-controlled IP infrastructure and to maintain flow connectivity. In a large production facility, devices like stageboxes, monitors, teleprompters, etc., are likely to be moved around a lot. Wallboxing ensures that existing IP links are re-established when a device is connected to a switchport at the new location.
More: www.lawo.com
