Czech Radio Upgrades Its Riedel Artist Intercom Infrastructure

Riedel Communications has announced that longtime customer Czech Radio, the official public radio broadcaster of the Czech Republic, has once again upgraded its Riedel Artist intercom infrastructure as part of its ongoing system expansion.

Smart Informatics handled the system integration and support.

Czech Radio initially deployed the Artist wired intercom system in 2009, finding it to be a versatile and reliable solution that would immediately simplify communication between individual workplaces and, over time, support straightforward expansion. Since then, the broadcaster has incrementally scaled up its Riedel intercom system to accommodate changes in technology and operations.

"In our 15 years of collaboration with Riedel Communications, we have seen the seamless evolution of the Artist ecosystem," said Karel Zyka, CTO at Czech Radio. "Thanks to thoughtful development by Riedel, we have been able to extend and upgrade our Artist infrastructure over time, without the need for a complete renewal of our intercom system."

Over the years, Czech Radio has shifted from early Artist versions up to the Artist-1024 and from early Riedel RCP and DCP Series intercom panels to next-generation SmartPanels. Following this latest upgrade, the broadcaster's infrastructure now consists of one new Artist-1024 frame, three Artist-64 matrices, almost 10 dozen intercom panels, including RSP-1232 and RSP-1216 SmartPanels, and a new Bolero wireless intercom system.

"One of the reasons we recommended Riedel products to Czech Radio is their exceptionally long lifespan. The company's older products operate seamlessly with newer generation solutions, making for future-proof investments," said Tomas Vesely, Managing Director at Smart Informatics. "What's more, their innovative solutions continue to amaze with new unique features like the new 1200 Series SmartPanel's Syntonous Mode, which enables flexible and efficient connections to remote locations."

Czech Radio operates 10 nationwide stations and another 14 regional stations. Some of the regional studios are connected via VoIP, while others are connected via the SmartPanel's Syntonous Mode, a feature that connects 1200 Series SmartPanels in wide area networks. In Syntonous Mode, the SmartPanel supports AES67 connections to the Artist matrix with high-path delay and without PTP synchronization. AES67 with Syntonous Mode provides high-quality audio with low latency, making it a powerful alternative to VoIP connections.

"Artist's versatile feature set enables entirely new workflows for us, and we appreciate the variability of possible connections, the simple and user-friendly environment, and, above all, the system's reliability," Zyka said. "We are the public broadcaster; we can't allow mistakes. That's why we use Riedel's intercom technology — because it always works. Also, the cooperation between Riedel and Smart Informatics is excellent. We especially love the fast service and almost nonstop support."

In most situations, two technicians, one producer, and one or two presenters use the Artist system for communication between work sites and for MADI interconnection to their third-party switching system. At the news stations, teams use the panels' GPIO properties for on-air signaling to remote workplaces. For communication at outdoor events, they rely on the Bolero wireless intercom system, which consists of two antennas, four beltpacks, and one NSA analog converter.

"Czech Radio is a perfect example of modern broadcasters that must upgrade their facilities by degrees as they transition to IP infrastructure and other new technologies," said Ismet Bozkurt, Senior Sales Manager, Eastern Europe, at Riedel Communications. "Our long relationship with Czech Radio is proof of Riedel's ability to provide reliable communications infrastructure products that integrate easily and support the need to add on and swap out as needed instead of ripping and replacing everything at once. We're grateful for Czech Radio's continued trust."

www.riedel.net