Toronto, Canada (December 20, 2021)—Sportsnet Studios, a new immersive facility in Toronto, Canada, has opened with two Calrec Artemis consoles with AoIP ImPulse cores and Gateway technology at its heart.
The Calrec technology is an integral part of the audio workflow to provide Sportsnet with the flexibility it needs to facilitate expansion in the future. As unveiled in October 2021, Calrec consoles are being used for every NHL on Sportsnet broadcast, including Hockey Central pre-game shows, plus other live Sportsnet programming.
Sportsnet Studios is part of sports media brand Sportsnet, which is part of Rogers Sports and Media (RSM). Calrec’s Canadian partner SC Media played a pivotal role in the project.
Jim Morrison, P.Eng, strategic advisor, media/snr. media architect for RSM and technical lead on the project said, “We are familiar with Calrec from our first Calrec console installed at Rogers Sports and Media some years ago. We started down the SMPTE 2210 IP path back in 2017 and these innovative new sports studios were the logical next step. From a technical standpoint, Calrec supports AoIP very well, which fits within our media over IP strategy. Using Calrec stage boxes provides full flexibility when working in the non-IP environment as well.”
RPS is All in on Calrec
Housed within two distinct areas, Sportsnet Studios is comprised of two spaces, Studio 31 and Studio 32, which are SDI-based with conversion to IP at the edge. They provide an enhanced sports experience for fans with virtual reality sets, augmented reality, 22 set monitors, a 50-foot curved LED wall, 13 cameras, two IP-based production control rooms and more.
To support Sportsnet Studios, the two Artemis consoles and ImPulse cores are spread across three separate buildings and over multiple floors. There are two audio control rooms and several Calrec stage boxes deployed between the two studios. Each audio room has its own signal breakout from AES, Dante (used for intercom), and analog signals. Each room is also integrated with the existing Calrec console and studio boxes, used elsewhere in the facility, via a Calrec H2-IP Gateway.
