Megahertz Build Studio For Boomerang TV

When independent Cardiff-based TV production company Boomerang won the valuable contract to supply daily children's TV programming to Welsh channel S4C early last year, they had to expand their studio facilities quickly.
Independent systems integrator Megahertz Broadcast Systems won the contract to design and install a three-camera television studio and an associated pre-record studio (sharing the same cameras), plus a live control room at Boomerang's new-build facility.
Construction took place in Autumn 2007 following several weeks of design work, with Megahertz not only supplying most of the equipment and installing it, but also handling the design and construction of the custom wooden furniture in the control room.
The completed six-man studio features three Sony DXC-D55WSPL cameras with Fujinon Zoom lenses (one of which is designed to be manned, while the others are remotely operated from the control room) and an extensive lighting rig with dimmable spotlights and floodlights connected to an ETC SmartFade lighting controller in the control room.
The control room itself is equipped with a Grass Valley Kayak DD1 Video Switcher and can record to Sony Betacam VTRs or tapelessly to a Grass Valley Turbo IDDR; an Avid system takes care of editing and video effects for pre-recorded segments. Audio can be played into the system from a large rack featuring Sony MiniDisk and DAT players and a 360 Systems DigiCart II, while audio editing is handled by a 360 Systems Shortcut and mixing by a Yamaha DM1000 compact digital mixer.
Flatscreen JVC video monitors and a pair of two-way Genelec 8040A active audio monitors complete the production process, and the whole facility is connected to S4C's broadcast centre via a dark-fibre link.
Director of Boomerang subsidiary Mwnci TV, Richard Moss, who oversaw the tendering, design and install of the new facilities for Boomerang, professed himself pleased with Megahertz's work and project management.
He said: "Mike Bell from Megahertz had a lot of challenges to overcome, but he and his team managed it all on time. The studio went on air on October 29th and hasn't stopped since!"
Greg Hoskin, Megahertz's new Managing Director, commented: "The installation at Boomerang is one of several important fixed-studio projects we've undertaken recently.
"Our goal is for Megahertz to be tackling more of this kind of project over the coming months. As more companies upgrade their facilities to move to HD and/or tapeless production, we're confident we can offer the kind of design, build and project-management expertise they're looking for."
Cambridgeshire-based Megahertz Broadcast Systems, established in 1982, is a premier independent broadcasting systems integrator. Their experience covers every aspect of systems activity, including the management of complete turnkey projects and the design and construction of sophisticated Outside Broadcast Vehicles.
Megahertz is a subsidiary of Canadian technology integration company AZCAR Technologies Incorporated.
Further information is available at: www.megahertz.co.uk and www.azcar.com.
(KMcA/JM)