Furnishing The Broadcast Workplace

Furniture forms a central element in any broadcast systems project. Custom Consoles specialises in designing and manufacturing desks, monitor display supports and storage furniture for use in broadcast control areas and post-production suites. That means they have to be ergonomically-efficient, robust, attractive and affordable, says Neil Reed, Managing Director, Custom Consoles...

Central to the Custom Consoles range is the Module-R series, which allows furniture systems of practically any scale to be preplanned quickly and easily. The series includes high-quality single-bay, dual-bay and triple-bay desk sections with front or rear access, work surfaces in matching widths and corner desk sections in 90 degree, 45 degree or 30 degree angles. Module-R furniture is available as off-the-shelf units in a range of surface finishes and worktop colours. Cabinet construction is in veneered MDF with continuous brush-strip edging and easy cable access.
Media Wall is a monitor support system incorporating height-adjustable horizontal beams suspended between 2.3 metre high aluminium columns.
It is available in a silver-anodised or black-powder coated finish and in bespoke widths. Equipment pods with 19 inch racking behind removable vented panels can be incorporated at floor-level. Available this month, the new version includes a series of upgraded features including narrower front-to-back depth, reduced from 600 to 500 millimetres.
Freely adjustable horizontal and vertical screen spacing allows individual display screens to be positioned so that their edges meet exactly to form a continuous horizontal monitorscape, limited only by the boundary of the display itself. Cable management is along ducts with finger-trunking slots. All wiring is fully concealed and can enter or leave the structure at any desired point. Integral mains distribution units are available as an option.
Custom Consoles furniture is used by broadcasters, playout centres and independent production companies in many countries. A recent example here in the UK was the successful completion of a major technical furniture project at the new London home of BT Sport.
Megahertz Broadcast Systems integrated a total of 26 Module-R desks and 10 Media Walls into seven studio control rooms and associated production areas. The technical infrastructure is entirely tapeless and makes intensive use of IT-based devices operated via touch-screen. Module-R gave Megahertz the freedom to incorporate equipment relevant to each work position into conveniently located pods. Most of the desks are fitted with multiple monitor display screens on operator-adjustable Ergotron support arms. The Media Walls proved equally versatile, enabling monitor support systems to be scaled to the specific needs of each control room with the option of easy future expansion if required.
Also in London, Independent Television News (ITN) recently chose a large studio control desk from Custom Consoles as part of a technical upgrade at its headquarters in Gray's Inn Road. More than 8.8 metres in breadth, the desk is an in-line design occupying almost the full width of Studio Control Suite A.
UK-based systems integrator Gearhouse Broadcast chose Custom Consoles Module-R furniture for a major technical installation at the Swiss headquarters of the UEFA sports federation. Located at Nyon on the north-west shore of Lake Geneva, the facility includes a Match Control Room with three tiered desks facing a front monitor wall.
Sony Europe, Professional Solutions installed Module-R studio furniture at the Geneva headquarters of Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS). Based in Geneva and Lausanne, RTS provides public service broadcasts on two television channels, four radio stations, and multiple interactive platforms. The partnership included nine edit-suite desks and a large dual-desk news ingest suite.
Most recently, Jackshoot, one of Europe's leading online broadcast service-providers, has taken delivery of the first Custom Consoles EditOne desk.
The EditOne is being used as a live control station for switching, editing and monitoring live programme content immediately prior to live internet-based transmission. The entire EditOne range of furniture is designed for flat-pack delivery which allows very fast despatch to site. The desk can be assembled in less than an hour using the supplied Allen key and screwdriver.
Speed is an important element of many broadcast industry projects. We operate from a 1,200 square metre UK-based production facility equipped with 3D computer-aided-design and computer-controlled cutting machinery. This provides the dual benefits of precise quality control and prompt delivery times, typically 21 days from receipt of order.
Read the article in the online editon of RFV here.
(IT/JP)