Bildquadrat Expands Production Communication With Riedel Virtual SmartPanel

Riedel Communications today announced that Düsseldorf-based production company Bildquadrat relies on Riedel's Virtual SmartPanel (VSP) to flexibly expand its intercom infrastructure for mobile and geographically dispersed teams. VSP enables production personnel to participate in production communications from virtually anywhere using smartphones, tablets, and supported web browsers, which complements Bildquadrat's existing Artist Intercom ecosystem.

Bildquadrat brings together creative media production, live and broadcast production, and technology development under one roof. Its services range from concept development, production and post-production to complex live and remote workflows, as well as in-house software and innovation projects. For live productions in particular, a wide variety of departments, camera crews, reporters, and production managers must communicate reliably with one another — both on-site and at changing or remote locations.

As part of the continued development of its intercom infrastructure, Bildquadrat has replaced existing Artist G2 frames with IP-based Artist-1024 systems. The new infrastructure gives the company greater flexibility in its use of different interfaces and port licenses. With the VSP, Bildquadrat adds a software-based option for users who do not require a dedicated hardware panel.

"The biggest advantages of the VSP for us are its flexibility and scalability", said Niklas Windeck, Managing Director, Bildquadrat. "When teams grow on short notice or additional team members at other locations need to be brought in, we can easily integrate them into our production communications using their smartphones. That makes a real difference for us, especially during dynamic live productions."

Bildquadrat operates the Riedel STAGE infrastructure used by VSP in its server environment in Düsseldorf. Through its connection to Artist-1024, VSP users can be easily integrated into a production's intercom communication. This makes it possible to add reporters, mobile camera crews, or other production personnel into existing communications setups using their smartphones. In addition, Bildquadrat has developed its own dashboard that allows the company to remotely monitor and manage status information and user data for its VSP environment. This combines flexible access for users with centralized monitoring of its production communications.

A practical example is ColognePride, where Bildquadrat has supported live production for several years. In addition to camera production, LED screen playout, and livestreaming, the company also managed mobile reporter and camera teams that moved through the city center during the event. VSP enabled Bildquadrat to keep these teams connected to production communications even outside the coverage area of the local radio system, providing them with control-room information and other relevant communications.

"Bildquadrat is a valuable partner for us because the team consistently translates new technologies into real-world production workflows while also providing us with direct feedback from the field," said Benedikt Krönung, Sales Manager Broadcast West, Riedel Communications. "Our collaboration goes back many years and spans various areas of our portfolio — from MediorNet through Bolero and Artist to VSP."

"We enjoy trying out new technologies and identifying early on where they can add real value to our productions," said Dominic Zürn, Head of Broadcast Production at Bildquadrat. "For products like VSP, direct dialogue with Riedel is especially important to us. Together, we can discuss relevant use cases, share practical experiences, and explore how the technology can be integrated into other types of productions. That exchange helps us turn new possibilities into concrete workflows."

www.riedel.net
www.bildquadrat.com