by Tyrell | Jun 23, 2022 | Audio & Intercom, News
Clear-Com has recently announced the integration of HelixNet Digital Partyline with the Arcadia Central Station. This important integration unites two innovative product lines into one intelligent communication system.
Arcadia now boasts support for over 100 beltpacks and 180 ports of mixing all powered from a 1RU rack. Arcadia is now positioned to support the largest of systems as it can fully support up to:
- 64 HelixNet endpoints – including HelixNet Remote Stations, Speaker Stations, and Beltpacks including over 24 HelixNet-enabled channels.
- 40 FreeSpeak Belt Packs and 16 AES67 Transceivers/10 Original FreeSpeak Transceivers.
- 64 Channels of DANTE
- 4-wire and 2-wire interfacing.
“This is a great update to the Clear-Com product line,” commented Sales Director Dan Muchmore. “We’ve been waiting for this moment for years and it’s finally arrived. The best-in-class wireless and wired technology have been brought together on a single platform. We cannot wait to see our customers take advantage of this integration but most importantly what comes next from Clear-Com for the Arcadia product line”.
We are expecting Arcadia Central Station with HelixNet integration to start shipping this Summer.
Want to know more or place an order?
Contact us on sales@tyrellcct.com, 0207 148 6201 or +353 (1) 888 1118.
by Tyrell | Jul 21, 2021 | Audio & Intercom, News
Clear-Com Releases Arcadia Central Station
Arcadia is the second significant hardware release from Clear-Com in a matter of weeks. Clear-Com do not release as often as we’d like but when they do, they do it really well. Arcadia looks like the FreeSpeakEdge Base Station that was launched a few weeks ago but this is a very different beast. So much so Clear-Com are deliberately going out of their way to label it as a ‘Central Station System’ and even have it sitting in its own product category on their website. It’s not just wired comms, it’s not just wireless comms. This is all encompassing.
What’s different about Arcadia? It’s a scalable IP platform for the next generation intercom/talkback installations.
Gone are the days where you purchase an intercom solution at its maximum capability. Arcadia is an evolution towards license-based features and I/O, which is available in banks of 16 ports license.
Incredibly it supports all generations of FreeSpeak (1.9 GHz (E1 & IP AES67 Transceivers), 2.4 GHz (E1 Transceiver) & the latest 5 GHz (IP AES57 Transceiver). This is amazing for existing users of FreeSpeak.
Other features include:
- 32 Belt Packs Supported
- 16 AES67 IP Transceivers Supported
- 10 E1 Transceivers
- Its I/O dense. Arcadia boasts up to 96 licenses ports and can be used as a master station itself.
- 64 DANTE ports
- 8 4-Wire ports
- 4 2-Wire ports
- HelixNet Integration in 2022.
- It has beautiful touch screens!
From a Tyrell perspective, we see Arcadia sitting in between a Clear-Com FreeSpeak Edge/HelixNet and an Eclipse matrix system. Arcadia is going to be perfect for theatre as it supports the traditional I/O of 2-Wire and FreeSpeak whilst facilitating a migration towards adding HelixNet IP Partyline and Dante. We also see Arcadia doing well for any Corporate AV and Broadcast installations that require Dante, 4-wire and a large deployment of Wireless users and want to avoid the need to step into the Matrix cost area.
by Tyrell | Jun 29, 2021 | Audio & Intercom, News
FreeSpeak Edge Wireless Base Station is the first of two hardware releases made by Clear-Com over the last few weeks- the second being Arcadia. Edge Base Station is the next evolution of the incredibly successful and longest standing member of the wireless intercom market and its release sees Clear-Com achieve several very strategic developments.
With this release Clear-Com is really onto a winner, as alongside a very sleek new physical design and user interface Edge Base Station also addresses several architectural requests from users.
The Edge Base Station brings the Edge 5GHz AES67 Transceiver and Belt Pack to a standalone base which was previously only available as part of the Eclipse HX Matrix and IP Interface card. Edge Transceivers and Belt Packs are significant for Clear-Com in this solution due to the 5GHz frequency, on board codec and an audio range of 12 kHz specifically engineered solution for stadium performance.
Edge also supports Clear-Com’s legacy FreeSpeak 1.9 GHz/2.4Ghz E1 transceivers as well as the current AES67 19 GHz transceiver. This is a major achievement as it allows a facility to migrate from old FreeSpeak to new and take advantage of available rental inventory.
Technical specifications:
- 8 DANTE/AES67 3rd party connectivity
- 16 Belt Packs supported, 6 AES67 IP Transceivers
- 10 E1 Transceivers supported.
From a Tyrell perspective, we see Edge sitting in between Clear-Com FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Arcadia Central Station. Edge is not only perfect for theatre, as it supports the traditional I/O of 2-Wire and FreeSpeak II but we also see Edge doing really well for any corporate AV or broadcast installation. It is ideal in situations that require Dante, 4-wire and the average deployment of wireless users, thus avoiding the step up to the Arcadia/Matrix solutions.
Complete the form below to get more info about FreeSpeak Edge Base Station:
by Tyrell | May 25, 2021 | Audio & Intercom, News
We were delighted to work with Zest4.TV in helping them with their Eclipse HX Matrix and FreeSpeak II Wireless purchase, which was used on a Bring Back Black Friday online event for retailer PrettyLittleThing.
Black Friday shopping is a unique cultural event. Recreating the excitement of that experience online is no small challenge, but Zest4.TV pulled it off for fashion and beauty retailer, PrettyLittleThing. Zest4.TV was engaged by event streaming specialists Groovy Gekko to stage and host an alternatively themed Black Friday 2020 shopping day, they called Pink Friday, consisting of live competitions, flash sales and models showcasing the brand’s favorite styles.
As with many events today, public health guidelines limited the number of technical engineers allowed on-site, so Zest4.TV relied on Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II® Digital Wireless Intercom System and Eclipse® HX Digital Matrix.
Interactive Live Stream
Pretty Little Thing wanted to create a live shopping channel experience, mimicking the style of live shopping network TV. It incorporated engaging graphic overlays, live feeds mixed with pre-recorded content, and high-quality production to showcase their stylist-picked looks that would be played out live on Black Friday. The interactive live stream produced fantastic results, with over 14,800 people tuning in and high interactivity with over 13,500 comments posted in the YouTube chat from the audience.
Hybrid/Remote Production
The Zest4.TV team split the technical and engineering duties: Managing Director Simon Roe serving as the on-site technical lead in Manchester, and Technical Project Manager Tom Herrington working remotely with a sound engineer in West London to push the final program feed to the Groovy Gecko team in North London (who then distributed it to various streaming platforms for online viewing).
“It was very much a decentralized production,” Roe said. This type of hybrid production combined with the live, “no-second-take-allowed” environment of a live event stream, required an intercom communications system with the right level of flexibility, reliability, voice quality and customization. Zest4.TV chose FreeSpeak II for its 4-wire interface capabilities, creating separate paths for “talk” and “listen.”
The FreeSpeak II system can operate in 1.9 GHz, 2.4 GHz, or a mix of both on the same system. The base station offers 12 wireless partyline channels, with the base including four 2-wire analog partyline ports with call signal and four 4-wire audio ports with call signal. The system can be configured in several ways with varying numbers of beltpacks, allowing controlled and efficient communications among directors, crews and talent.
The Zest4.TV team used Intinor video transport technology to deliver the camera feeds over 200 miles from the event site to its offices via the public internet. The Intinor solution also provided 4-wire audio circuits to connect the FreeSpeak II to an Eclipse Delta frame.
Ease-of-Use
“The ease-of-use and quality of our comms were critical elements to making this event the success it was,” Herrington said. By having the Eclipse Delta Frame interface with the video transport system over 4-wire, Herrington and Roe remained in close communication, as if each were on-site together.
“I was able to talk to Tom over that 4-wire channel on a wireless pack while I was walking around the studio,” Roe said. “At one point, I even had to run off into the event offices about 100 meters away, but I was still able to maintain solid communications. We could feed Tom’s voice into the FreeSpeak II base stations, and then route it to the presenter earpiece. Because we could create different channels with FreeSpeak II, I was able to talk quietly into the talent’s earpiece with just the press of a button.”
The FreeSpeak II system also allowed the team to create separate channels for “side” conversations. The remote director was able to speak directly to the presenter on set, and separate lines were also created for the engineering, camera and audio teams. “There were several ways to create the different audio links over the internet into FreeSpeak II to anybody who was roaming around,” Roe said. “More than just the system’s brilliant clarity, there was never any latency in the chats. The system gave us the creative freedom to do our jobs efficiently without being tethered and cabled.”
The FreeSpeak II base station’s rear panel has two LAN connections, which the team found helpful during the event as well. “Simon was able to connect to one LAN, and I could connect on the other,” Herrington said. “We could both control the GUI to see what was happening over comms. If someone had technical issues, I could just log in from my remote location and figure out why someone couldn’t hear. ‘Oh, he’s got the channel turned down.’ It’s simple as that.”
Roe added, “Other systems often need to re-establish contact when moving between antennae. That creates a break in transmission as you’re walking around, which is obviously a bit of a nightmare on a live event.”
Comms System of Choice
FreeSpeak II is now the Zest4.TV team’s comms system of choice, mainly for its plug-and-play simplicity, solid coverage and ability to scale up or down for any event. The team has replicated the FreeSpeak II system model used for PrettyLittleThing for many of its other events.
“Now, our priority for any event is always to get comms established first,” Roe said. “Then we know everything else will go smoothly. FreeSpeak II has become a standard piece of our event kit. We know it will get you out of jail on every job.”
Link to original article: https://www.clearcom.com/News%20Stories/plt/
Contact us to find out how we can help you with your comms solution sales@tyrellcct.com or +44 (0) 207 148 6200 or +353 (1) 888 1118.
by Tyrell | May 17, 2021 | Audio & Intercom, News
Station-IC is a virtual desktop client that provides a scalable intercom user station on WindowsOS and MacOS computers. Connecting to Eclipse HX IP-capable matrices or LQ Series IP Interfaces, Station-IC provides access to the system’s resources which can include one-to-one, one-to-many, partyline, ISO and IFB communication in addition to call signals and logic controls. Individual listening levels help users focus on specific channels while monitoring others.
Station-IC and Agent-IC have changed the way facilities deploy comms through their teams. Its true value was felt by Tyrell and our customers through the COVID-19 pandemic where remote working for all staff members took on a new meaning and presented new challenges. Station-IC is also the first product in the Clear-Com’s product line that is moving towards a cloud based licensing with week, month and annual licensing models. This shows that Clear-Com understands the business challenges that we all face today.
Find out more by emailing sales@tyrellcct.com or calling us on +44 (0) 207 148 6200 or +353 (1) 888 1118
