Beijing Olympic Games 2008, China 01-10-2008

Once again, AEQ played a significant role as the supplier of commentator audio equipment for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Equipment and Services: 1200 AEQ DCS-10 commentary units and Ranger E1/T1 Audio Multiplexors for contribution network interconnections.

Since the Nagano Games in 1998, commentators at the various competitive venues have used AEQ’s DCS 10 Digital Commentator consoles, giving them the ability to accommodate three reporters plus a guest.

As has been the case since the Sidney Games in 2000, AEQ’s Ranger Multiplexers were used to broadcast program and coordination information (and the returns) to the International Broadcasting Center. The International Broadcasting Center’s Commentary Switching Center is where all circuits from the multiple venues are received and supervised. A wide assortment of AEQ products are employed during these events. They include: circuit distribution frames, patch panels, audio distribution amplifiers, intercoms, line identifiers, monitors, audio quality monitors, just to mention a few. Some of the Olympic broadcasters who used AEQ equipment were: TV AZTECA and TELEVISA (Mexico); Radio Caracol (Colombia); ENTV (Algeria); RTRRA (Russia), ROR (Romania), SABC (South Africa), RTVE (Spain), France 2; Globo (Brazil) and NHK (Japan).

Belgian company ALFACAM also provided 17 OB Vans that were used at the multiple venues and the Olympic Stadium to produce HD TV signals. These OB Vans also had AEQ equipment installed as standard parts in their equipment lists. The most frequently used equipment items were: DA-26, EAGLE, SWING, MPAC-02, Mar4Win, TLE 02, Ranger, and the ACD 5001.

Special mention goes out to the European Broadcasting Union, EBU (EUROVISION), and the primary broadcasters association. For many years the EBU has used AEQ’s Impact Digital Switching Center and Course Codecs to deliver audio from the Games. EBU’s Switching Center in Beijing includes AEQ’s Impact, Course, and BC 2000D equipment.

EBU Operations group’s engineer Javier Ferreras operating the equipment.