1988 - 1996
Carlton Television London , Carlton 021 (Birmingham UK)
OB3 , a double expanding side rigid 6 wheeler 16 camera OB , built originally in analog PAL and subsequently converted to SD-SDI.
Studio , post-production and graphics at St Johns Wood Studios to provide facilities for London Weekend Television news.
1997 - 2001
Contracted by CTV OB and European Tour Productions to provide 4 custom-designed OB vehicles for the live coverage of European PGA Golf.
Comprising OB1 (triple expanding side 16 camera OB trailer), MVT1 (single expanding side graphics / sub-mix / VTR & editing trailer) , 4 x technical support trailers , containing built-in commentary facilities and one kitted out to control RF communications and wireless cameras.
2001 - 2002
24 camera triple-expanding trailer OB4 and MVTR3 (double-expanding housing 18 VTRs and editing) for CTV OB.
A single expanding sided 12 camera OB trailer for Emirates TV Dubai.
2002—2003
Corinthian Television (London Origination Centre) - to design , install and commission 2 new studios , Avid and Protools post-production suites , and multi-channel transmission playout for their prestigious new West London headquarters. The RFP called for a state of the art file-based automated environment involving digital robotic archive storage, digital asset management systems and server-based automated transmission play-out.
The project included 2 broadcast TV studios and associated control rooms , 10 non-linear editing suites , 2 x 3D Graphics origination suites, 6 Transmission master control rooms and 4 multi-language audio dubbing suites, CAR and associated technical and IT infrastructure.
NWE was contracted to procure most of the capital equipment involved in this project .
We also provided liaison with the customer with regard to staff training , some of which was undertaken by ourselves , backed up by many years of operational broadcast experience , and supplemented by manufacturers training and support for some specific items of software and hardware.
The contract called for strict compliance with the technical requirements set out in the RFP , adherence to the timetable deadlines , and rigorous confidentiality of information
2003 - 2004
Corinthian Television (London Origination Centre) - expansion of existing transmission facilities for simultaneous multi-language origination. 2 multi-language audio dubbing facilities with 4 voice-over rooms .
4 Avid non-linear suites.
Transmission Suite for ABC1 Freeview and addition of channel branding system
Avid DS Suite and After-Effects graphics suite for Skaramoosh.
2004 - 2005
Sky Italia - design and installation of new digital intercom system using Voice-over-IP technology linking Sky's broadcast centres in Milan and Rome and replacing the existing legacy system.
Thomson Broadcast - contracted to provide installation facilities for new multi-language transmission facilities at LOC , to go on air in January 2005.
2005—2006
CTV OB
NWE was contracted by United Media Group – owners of leading UK OB facility CTV OB – to provide design and installation services for two key projects. The first was the complete refurbishment and HD conversion of an existing truck that had originally been built by NWE in 1998. The second was a brand new, state-of-the-art, 24-camera HD vehicle with full-length triple-expanding sides.
Each truck is based around a large multi-format HD router – Sirius Gold 512 x 512 HD/SD – and a large audio router – Sirius 256 equipped 192 x 192 AES. Aurora router control is being used in both vehicles with a range of control panels. The trucks were designed and integrated by NWE to a very high specification with entirely HD signal monitoring and Dolby 5.1 digital audio using Dolby E encoding. The multi-format Sirius routers allow both vehicles to operate in HD or SD with very rapid conversion.
The picture monitoring uses the latest flat-screen technology.
The first vehicle was completed in time to provide major coverage (including the opening and closing ceremonies) of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Overlapping the commissioning period , the second vehicle was already under construction and was required to be completed in a very short timescale in time to provide HD live coverage for UK test cricket .
In September 2006, this vehicle will also host the coverage (for the first time in HD) of the 2006 Ryder Cup , which will be the largest ever fully HD Outside Broadcast , involving some 60 cameras.
Using experience gained on multi-format system design , NWE has more recently been sub-contracted in the complete re-design , rebuild and conversion to High-Definition operation of 2 existing 6 camera studios for a major UK satellite broadcaster.
The first of these was completed and went into operation in August 2005 ,
the second which was undertaken to a very exacting timescale successfully commenced operations in September 2006.
