Siemens built an impressive, state-of-the-art communication center in Casa Siemens, the company’s office in Milan, Italy. The center includes a physical forum, numerous meeting rooms, and a massive studio theater where the marketing team can record and edit interviews, broadcast live events of professional quality, and more.
Initially, Multimedia Production Engineer Dario Collini and his team used an all-SDI baseband architecture for the studio theater, using Vmix as their switching system, HDMI/SDI video switchers, and dozens of HDMI splits to send their video signal to different monitors. However, after reading about the flexibility and quick setup available with NDI-enabled devices, they decided to dig deeper.
The team began working with Stefano Sarzi from ADCOM — an NDI reseller and installer — to gradually transition to an NDI-based architecture over the course of 18 months.
While the SDI setup was functional, it came with several drawbacks, including:
After exploring alternatives, Dario, together with colleague Giuseppe Giaquinta, realized that NDI offered the only solution that solved all their challenges by accessing a complete technology ecosystem that was immediately available.
Stefano Sarzi, Broadcast & NDI Specialist at AdcomMore than the promises of solutions that could be developed in the future, Siemens needed a technology that was already working at full speed and was supported by many products and devices. A robust ecosystem that allowed us to create an infrastructure that would be ready to deliver results and perform in any context. Only NDI could offer that.
Over the 18-month transition, the IT team worked with ADCOM to gradually transform the studio theater, using NDI equipment exclusively for their video needs. Throughout the transition period, Siemens worked with a hybrid system that used both technologies.
The team started by adding NDI-enabled PTZ cameras to the SDI setup. Next, they moved into NDI-based network switches and eventually moved to a fully NDI-native video matrix. This process allowed them to test the NDI equipment and verify its efficacy and performance compared to the traditional baseband infrastructure.
“Siemens was a perfect situation to transition to NDI because they already used software as the core of their project, with vMix,” explains Stefano Sarzi from ADCOM.
It also proved far more flexible, enabling them to install systems within one day that included multi-camera, multi-recording, streaming video, and other requirements. In the end, NDI offered the only complete ecosystem that served all their needs.
The fully transitioned NDI-based studio delivered:
Once we were operating with NDI technology, we installed the required equipment for an interview with our CIO in just one day, rather than the 2-3 days we once needed.
Dario Collini, Multimedia Production Engineer
Siemens’ NDI-based studio has become the flexible space for video production that the team in Milan was hoping to create. The technology proved so successful that it has enabled the Siemens’ team to expand their video-based services to their clients.
NDI allows us to control everything remotely, from the cameras to the production. If there’s is ever a problem in the studio, we can address it remotely, from anywhere in the world.
Dario Collini, Multimedia Production Engineer
Already a leader in workplace building automation (from fire alarms to climate control), Siemens has been looking for viable solutions to add state-of-the-art AV services to their already comprehensive integrated services package. The success of their in-house NDI implementation was all the proof they needed.
Today, Siemens is extending the flexibility, rapid installation, safety, performance, and cost-saving benefits of NDI to its commercial clients, with some exciting large-scale implementations already in the works.
Both internally and externally, Siemens is using NDI to create powerful and flexible setups and experiences to increase the quality of corporate communications and content production, generating new business opportunities in the conferencing segment.
As part of a recent media upgrade, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has opted to use NDI® video connectivity technology, in conjunction with Panasonic PTZ cameras, to create an extensive networked environment.
Formed in October 2009, the Supreme Court is the highest and final court of appeal for United Kingdom civil cases, as well as criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is located in a building on Parliament Square in London, opposite the Houses of Parliament.
Since its creation, all cases have been archived on its website to ensure fair and open access to all. To this end, three court rooms at the Westminster location were each equipped with four Panasonic AW-HN130 PTZ cameras, an AW-RP150 camera controller and NewTek TriCaster media production system.
Fourteen years on from the original installation, it was time for an upgrade to allow the capture of better quality recordings. Dan Money, Technical Architect at the Supreme Court, explained:
“Our first requirement was updating the camera output from SD to HD. The IT team wanted to implement a system that could do everything the original system could, but make the overall image quality look better with an intuitive system that we could understand.”
Dan Money, Technical Architect at the Supreme Court
Motivated by the desire to migrate to fully networked AV over the existing building infrastructure, and in a way that could be maintained effectively in-house, the IT team opted to deploy NDI® video connectivity technology. Taking the NDI® IP connection from the Panasonic PTZs, it was possible to convert this to fiber using existing runs in the building. The stream was then converted back to IP and passed into a NewTek TriCaster.
“We are also planning to have the audio from all court rooms over NDI® in the future so that we can have networked video and audio over the existing building infrastructure. Being IP-based has made camera technology far more straightforward for individuals like ourselves to get to grips with providing a professional video output.”
Dan Money, Technical Architect at the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court’s broadcast contractor was engaged to support all of its broadcast operation needs and provide audio/visual engineers to operate the equipment, as and when required.
The first major test of the new infrastructure was the case of R (Miller) v The Prime Minister, which investigated the latter’s controversial decision to prorogue the UK Parliament during the Brexit process in September 2019.
“We had originally planned to sign off the system during the recess period over the summer months, recalled Money. “However, the case was scheduled two weeks before the system was scheduled to be implemented, meaning that we had to push the project forward and deliver early to stream this case.”
To deliver the streaming services, the team employed Microsoft’s Azure Media Services platform. “This is what prompted us to implement the NDI architecture in the first place as the NewTek Tricaster is on their recommended equipment list. We had to work with the lead developer of Azure Media Services to tailor the platform to our requirements to run a 1080p network-based stream on the platform.”
The end-result satisfied everyone involved, indicated Money: “We were very pleased with the feedback we have received on the picture quality – not only from those around the courts, but also from feedback on the stream and broadcasters too.”
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