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BROADCAST TECHNOLOGY 2018
KVM switching systems in
the broadcast workflow:
Specify and install early
in the integration process
BY TERENCE TENG
The complex task of broadcast systems integration
Planning and integrating a major broadcast facility, whether in a
fixed studio or mobile outside broadcast (OB) vehicle, is an enormous
undertaking and one that requires significant and highly detailed
planning. The whole process — from initial concept to final delivery and
going live — often spans several months, if not years, and often involves
dozens of people. Several different organisations will be involved in the
project, each with their own specific expertise and who are reliant on
others to help schedule and complete their own tasks.
System schematics can span dozens
of pages. The parts list usually stretches
to thousands of items and covers a wide
range of components, from the smallest
plug and cable to the large switching
systems and network devices. All these
individual items have to be connected
correctly and need to work with other
subsystems in the broadcast workflow,
many of which will need individual
configuration and bespoke software
design. This results in a complex
integration workplan comprising
hundreds of individual tasks, with
significant inter-dependence between
them.
With an integration process that takes
months of sustained and concentrated
effort, it is essential that all elements
within the design are correctly specified,
ordered and received in a timely fashion.
As we are all too aware of, a delay in
almost any item can adversely affect
final completion of the system, with the
associated knock-on effects of delayed
launch and additional cost.
Don’t forget the KVM switch
It is worrying that we sometimes receive
calls from integrators who have delayed
the specification of the keyboard, video
and mouse (KVM) switch system until the
end of the project. That is a situation often
brought about by the sheer complexity of
the total project but sometimes, in the very
worst cases, simply because it has been
forgotten. Naturally, we do all we can to
help, by assisting in the specification of
the required system and encouraging our
production department to pull out all the
stops to deliver the products and solutions
as quickly as possible. While the extra
overtime is welcome, any suggestion of
curtailing long-awaited holidays does not
go down well!
KVM at the centre of the
broadcast workflow
The KVM system sits at the heart of
every broadcast installation — without
it, the facility will not work. It provides
immense benefits to production, editing,
engineering and operational staff,
allowing them to reach and operate
remote broadcast devices from their
own workstations on their own desks, or
indeed, from any convenient workstation
in the building. They can access each and
every device in the broadcast workflow
without having to move around the
IHSE is one of the leading vendors of KVM
extenders and switches used throughout the broadcast
sector: from small satellite newsgathering (SNG) vans to the largest OB trucks
and broadcast installations, and across all sizes and types of audio and video production,
post and editing studios.
An
Supplement
facility, which is welcomed by many,
especially those who work in the cramped
and busy confines of a live TV studio or
OB van.
Not only does a KVM switching
system aid operators, but it can also save
costs by enabling expensive hardware and
software to be shared among users and
employed as needed, rather than requiring
that each individual operator is supplied
with their own set of tools.
IHSE is one of the leading vendors
of KVM extenders and switches used
throughout the broadcast sector: from
small satellite newsgathering (SNG) vans
to the largest OB trucks and broadcast
installations, and across all sizes and types
of audio and video production, post and
editing studios — including some of the
most well-known in the industry. We work
closely with major component vendors,
including market-leaders in the industry
such as Avid, EVS and Vizrt, to ensure that
the combined systems work well together.
Use the KVM switch to aid the
integration programme and
reduce timescales
The features that improve the working
environment of the broadcast installation
can be used to make it easier for
integrators to carry out the system
integration programme. A useful benefit
to the integrator is that the KVM system
is highly flexible and can be operated and
expanded as devices and users are added.
It can be used as soon as it is installed,
well before the full broadcast system is up
and running.
That means it can help greatly in the
systems integration process by enabling
engineers to easily manage and control
devices as soon as they are connected
through the KVM switch. They can
then undertake the configuration and
integration of those devices from any
location, no matter how remote, without
having to wait for a local workstation to
be installed or become usable.
This makes the process more efficient
— there is no need to wait until a
dedicated workstation is fully operational
and the area around it cleared. An
engineer can access a remote device for
configuration and set-up from anywhere,
allowing installation and set-up tasks to
be carried out and completed in parallel
with others, thereby reducing the overall
project time.
Adding to the flexibility
The key element of a KVM switch is that
“The KVM system sits
at the heart of every
broadcast installation
— without it, the facility
will not work.”
— Terence Teng
Managing Director, IHSE APAC
it enables every operator to instantly
connect to any device. Consequently,
connections between individual
workstations and remote computing
devices do not have to be defined prior
to integration and wired accordingly.
Nor do they have to remain fixed over
time. This adds greatly to the flexibility
within a broadcast installation. Studios
and OB vans can be quickly re-configured
to match the type of programme they are
dealing with at any time. It also allows
new devices to be added and integrated
into the working environment with
minimum disruption and maximum
effect.
And during integration, the proposed
system can be adapted and changed to
overcome changes in requirements or
to overcome problems in machine-to-
machine connectivity.
KVM in the broadcast
environment – consider early
and use to maximum effect
With the enormous capability and
flexibility offered by KVM switches
and extenders, it makes sense to take
advantage of these highly useful solutions
when designing, integrating and
operating complex broadcast systems.
KVM systems should, therefore, be
considered at the earliest stage of design
and be installed at the earliest opportunity.
That way, the job of the systems integrator
can be less stressful and more productive.
And the workflow can be easily and
quickly enhanced, adapted and improved
to meet the requirements of tomorrow’s
broadcast industry.