MNB HD Studio Upgrade
Whiteways upgrades MNB to HD.
Mongolian National Broadcasting Company (MNB) is the national state-owned broadcasting company in Mongolia.
In 2017, MNB came out with a tender to upgrade two of its main studios to HD. Many local and international companies bid for the tender.
MNB awarded the tender to Summit Corporation, which had formed a partnership with Whiteways Systems Pte Ltd for the broadcast system integration work.
Upgrade of two main studios to HD
The project required careful selection of products and technologies to suit Mongolia's operating conditions, MNB's existing work practices and the technical specifications specified in the tender.
Broadcast systems supplied for the studios
Equipment selection for Mongolia's conditions.
The equipment selected for the studios had to work together and be suitable for the existing work practices at MNB. The station was already operational, with staff trained to work with established production methods.
The selected products also had to meet the technical requirements specified in the tender.
Temperatures in Mongolia can fall to approximately -35 degrees Celsius in winter and rise to approximately 30 degrees Celsius in summer.
HD studio equipment and system integration
Whiteways and Summit worked with MNB's engineering team to install the systems, lay the cables, design the workflow and integrate the different systems used in the two studios.
| System | Equipment / Brand |
|---|---|
| Cameras | Ikegami HDK-55 Cameras with fiber cable connections |
| Lenses | Canon |
| Camera Support | Cartoni Pedestals |
| PTZ / Additional Camera | Panasonic |
| Switchers | Panasonic and FOR-A |
| Router / Glue / Reference | Ross |
| Audio | Soundcraft Audio Mixer |
| Intercom | Clear-Com |
| Microphones | AKG |
| Cables & Connectors | Canare |
Installation and system integration
The project started in December 2017. The Whiteways team travelled to Ulaanbaatar and worked together with Summit Corporation and MNB's engineering team.
MNB's engineering team had prepared the cable paths, studio design and installation plan. The teams then worked together on the installation, cabling, workflow and system integration.
Studio Planning
Cable paths, studio design and installation requirements were prepared with MNB's engineering team.
Installation
Broadcast systems were installed and the required cabling was laid.
Integration
The different systems were integrated and the studio workflow was configured.
Testing
Both studios were tested for several days and changes requested by users were completed.
Handover
Following re-testing, both studios were accepted and handed over to MNB.
Managing the installation on site
The installation took place during the Christmas and New Year holiday period. As a result, training was postponed until early January.
During the installation, the cable paths were found to be longer than originally planned. Additional cables therefore had to be arranged and rushed to the site.
Two studios successfully upgraded.
Both studios were successfully upgraded to HD and tested for several days.
Following testing, users requested some changes. These changes were completed and the studios were tested again before acceptance.
MNB planned to use the large studio immediately and the smaller studio at a later stage.
“We are happy with the work done by Whiteways and Summit. They have completed the work as per our plans.”