Custom Consoles For Coventry University Project

Custom Consoles has been chosen to provide the core technical furniture for a new television studio gallery at Coventry University.

The facility will be used as a training resource for students of broadcasting, journalism and drama, and will enable the production of programmes supporting a range of undergraduate courses.

For the project, Custom Consoles' Module-R, MDesks and MediaPosts were selected by Altered Images.

"An important aspect of this contract was to ensure it reflected current best practice in the broadcast industry to which many students will migrate after graduation," explained Altered Images' Regional Development Manager, Tim Cunningham. "Our Projects Design team like Custom Consoles desks and recommend them for many of our system proposals. They were the logical source both for the main control desk, rear operational support desks and video display screen mounts.

"The control desk is from the Custom Consoles Module-R series. It is a 5.7 metre wide rectangular design accommodating, from left to right, camera control, lighting control, vision mixer/director, PA, audio mixing, teleprompt and graphic effects including chroma-key and clip playout. We were able to specify exactly which modules we needed to house auxiliary equipment. These include an 11U high monitor and test equipment pod serving the camera control position, three talkback pods each with 3U capacity, and an 8U audio support pod housing equipment such as radio microphone receivers. Five 24 inch computer monitor displays are located just behind the main worksurface. Front, rear and sides are finished in beech veneer with the desktop itself surfaced in a hard-wearing grey laminate.

"Two Custom Consoles MediaPost mounts with linking crossbar form a 4 metre wide monitorscape in a half-metre space between the wall and the rear edge of the production control desk. These support two 50 inch LCD displays and two 8 inch loudspeakers. Two additional MediaPosts, each with a 47 inch transflective display, are separately located along glass walls within public view. They can also be rotated to display students' work internally."

The three MDesks have the same colour scheme and are positioned as a rear-row running parallel to the Module-R control desk. Each MDesk is 1.8 metres wide, and form a flexible working space for auxiliary production personnel, lecturers, students and guests.

Module-R is a mix-and-matchable control room furniture system which allows desks to be configured to meet specific shapes and dimensions from a selection of high-quality pods, base sections, 19 inch rack housings, worktops, end-panel modules and legs. Co-ordinated desk pods are available as single-bay sections with up 10U chassis capacity.

Custom Consoles' MDesk is a structured system enabling bespoke configuration from a number of standard modules. Cable management ducts are incorporated as standard, with optional CPU holders and ergonomic LCD monitor arms as required. M-Desk is augmented by a selection of matching pedestals and storage furniture. An optional height adjuster enables staff to avoid backache and repetitive strain injury by varying their working posture by means of a telescopic handle which returns into the profile of the desk when not required. The M-Desk range is FIRA approved and incorporates extruded aluminium support pillars.

Image: Module-R desk and MediaPosts in the broadcast production gallery at Coventry University.

www.customconsoles.co.uk

(JP/MH)