Riedel Systems Strengthen The Union

Just before the end of 2014, 4rfv was invited by German communications specialists Riedel to watch 1. FC Union Berlin e.V. take on Karlsruher FC at the east Berlin team's home stadium, An der Alten Försterei, for the last game of the year. Editor Iain Todd reports.

'Cult' football might not be a term many people are familiar with in the UK, but in Germany the reality is something different. Teams like FC St Pauli in Hamburg and FC Union seem to attract support and affection, both locally and internationally, as a result of the camaraderie and positivity of both club and fans – sometimes more so than the playing of football itself.

Riedel was employed in 2013 by FC Union to fit out the club's 21,000 + stadium with some of its newest solutions to connect and streamline the entire broadcast system workflow. The venue is the largest, single-purpose football stadium in the nation's capital and rightly required a solution that would ensure seamless connectivity and integration to manage the day-to-day runnings of a venue of this size; for press conferences, controlling the venue's TV screens, live action replays and many of the other features required of any large stadium in the digital age.

What is clearly noticeable to visitors to FC Union is the sense of community among staff, fans and players alike; from catering to security, high-level management to those overseeing the production and playout of live games from within the stadium's own studio.

Rather than simply a football club, the 'Iron Union' might best be described as a family of fans. Consequently, it makes sense that the team would select a local company to supply an all-in-one solution and link up the entire system.

The setup was installed in June 2013, with Riedel selecting its MediorNet Compact and RockNet solutions to link various points around the stadium, opening communication and facilitating the efficient running of the venue. A single fibre provides the transmission backbone that powers the connectivity, while just two Riedel representatives and four technical operators within the club were required to put the system into place. Operational simplicity seems to be a key to much of what Riedel does.

The entire system is overseen by a small team from the comfort of just one room, locating control of fire alarms, stadium TVs, IT infrastructure, security, lights, loudness etc. all from a central location. Each match is recorded to be replayed during the press conference after the game, while a real-time stream is made available in the stadium's VIP rooms, with fans able to pause, rewind etc. at their leisure.

There are six important points of communication within the venue – house management, stadium management, the media and press centre, the press conference room, OB truck and the stadium PA – and all are connected via an integrated RockNet and MediorNet setup.

MediorNet Compact is a fibre-based network that features integrated signal processing and a network bandwidth of 50 Gbit/s. As well as integration with RockNet, MediorNet Compact provides the signal backbone upon which signals are distributed throughout the facility.

RockNet is Riedel's audio distribution network tailored specifically for tour and installed sound applications. It conveys 160 24bit/48kHz audio channels, counter-rotating on a single CAT5or fiber. As a result of its intended use on the road, the solution comes packaged in a steel enclosure. RockNet 300 features 160 channels and RockNet 100, 80 channels. It can integrate up to 99 devices in one network and features a CAT-5 or fiber redundant network interface.

Riedel also supplied 130 MOTOTRBO handheld radio units from Motorola, providing the system set-up with further secure and high-end digital audio quality and also fully integrated through the MediorNet backbone. An interesting point to note is that the stadium had previously relied on a license-free PMR system, which had a habit of picking up unwanted interference from a nearby supermarket. Now, with MOTOTRBO at the core of the stadium's communications, such issues no longer persist. What's more, the entire setup could conceivably be controlled in a single room as far away as Riedel's Berlin HQ, some 2.5 km from the home stadium. Further to this, no precautions need to be taken with regard to interfering with police signals or the security operations that occur before, during and after a game, leaving the studio team to concentrate on the job at hand.

From the point of view of integration and workflow, the key, beyond security and reliability, is the homogenisation of both control and communication across all areas, but also the fact that the simplicity of the system enables quick switching between points; be they the lights in the disabled toilets, providing journalists with up-to-date information and video in the conference room, or streaming live video pitch-side and to the stadium's enviable VIP rooms. Riedel's FC Union setup, in other words, is an example of how simple and reliable these systems can truly be, given the right combination of digital infrastructure and efficient engineering.

And in case anyone is wondering, FC Union ended the year with a 2-0 victory over their visiting opponents, nicely rounding off a successful 2014, both on and off the pitch.

The article is also available to read in BFV online.

(IT/JP)