Live from London: Swiss stay efficient for three channels

Switzerland’s SRG SSR’s IBC facility is serving out Olympic content to three channels for three distinct regions and languages in Switzerland (a German network in Zurich, French in Geneva, and Italian in Lugano). But its IBC facility is an example of Swiss efficiency as a team of 40 is distributing signals from the EBU to a Sony Synaps server system and Sony editing systems at both the IBC and the three network facilities in Switzerland.

“We built the Synaps system for all of our regions and it gives us one system that we can use for events like this,” says Toni Milanese, SRG SSR Sport technical manager, major events.
More than 100 staffers back in Switzerland are working on the Olympics, bringing the total workforce to nearly 150. Content is ingested on the server at the IBC and then everyone at either the IBC or in Switzerland can access it.

“We store more than 800 hours of material and the three networks have the same schedule most of the time although they can switch to other events if there is an athlete that is of more interest to the region. But the focus is on the Swiss athletes.”

The IBC facility also has six Sony XPRI nonlinear editing systems and voice over booths so that commentators can voice over events in German, Italian, or French. And there are six ENG crews using Sony XDCAM gathering footage and interviews from around London and at the mixed zones at the venues.

“The three regions also do different editing but they can can share the same material and just do the voice over in their own language,” adds Milanese.