Gearhouse Broadcast shoots for World Cup glory with Pro-Bel

Pro-Bel, the premier manufacturer of routing switchers, signal processing, master control, automation and control and monitoring technologies, announced today that UK-based Gearhouse Broadcast has selected a wide range of Pro-Bel technology to satisfy its considerable 2006 Fifa World Cup Germany contracts.
Gearhouse Broadcast, specialists in technical project management and equipment hire for TV events, has been appointed by Host Broadcast Services (HBS) - the core World Cup broadcast management company – to design, build and supply 12 Technical Operations Centres (TOCs), one for each of the 12 venues. Each TOC is the centre of signal flow at the venue; Gearhouse Broadcast is also providing an engineer for every TOC. Pro-Bel routers – nine 64 x 64 Freeway SDI and twelve 32 x 32 Sirius HD are being deployed at the TOCs along with various control panels.
In addition, Gearhouse Broadcast is working for several broadcasters at the central venue – the International Broadcasting Centre in Berlin – constructing technical facilities for them. The company is again using a wide range of Pro-Bel routing technology to satisfy these complex requirements including Sirius HD and stereo analogue deployments as well as Freeway and Eclipse.
Eamonn Dowdall, Managing Director, Gearhouse Broadcast, explained: “Gearhouse Broadcast chose Pro-Bel firstly through technical preference – it is the technology in the market that best meets our requirements. Secondly, through our use of Pro-Bel technology we know that it will integrate faultlessly into existing systems. In addition, the ability to update and reconfigure routers live via PC was of fundamental importance.”
Gearhouse Broadcast has also specified Valid8s from Pro-Bel’s Vistek modular range. These will be used at every TOC for checking video and audio signal delays from the venues back to the IBC.
Graham Pitman, Group CEO, Pro-Bel, added: “2006 Fifa World Cup Germany is a major broadcasting event, not least because of the role that HD plays this year. The sheer complexity is astonishing and we are proud to have been chosen by Gearhouse and play a part in their success.”
(GB)