HD Studio Upgrade for London Stock Exchange

London Stock Exchange

What we did

LSE contracted broadcast solutions specialists Gravity Media to complete an HD Studio Upgrade of broadcast facilities located within its iconic premises in the heart of the City of London.

The systems integration project included the design, supply, installation, test and commissioning of all the broadcast equipment and interconnections required to upgrade the LSE studios to a fully HD production facility.

The LSE’s broadcast facilities include four studios, all of which are available to hire. These are primarily used for the reporting of live financial and business news for television and radio, the production of video content and media training.

What we used

Gravity Media’s expert team have a reputation for delivering innovative, flexible broadcast solutions that make use of the latest advancements in broadcast tech, whilst remaining both cost-effective and completely reliable.

This approach was applied to the LSE upgrade, which featured the first UK installation of a Ross Ultrix routing system, combined with a Ross Carbonite production switcher.

The four separate studios within the production facility were set up as follows:

Studio 1 – accommodates up to five people and comes with a wraparound video wall, LED colour changing set and four Sony HD Cameras, three of which are mounted on pedestals.

Studio 2 – a chroma-key green studio complete with a remote operated HD camera, ideal for down-the-line interviews with broadcasters.

Studio 3 – offers a live view of London’s Paternoster Square that can be captured through a remote operated HD camera.

Studio 4 – a flexible space ideal for pre-recording content.

Incoming and outgoing fibre lines to BT Tower were also installed for enhanced connectivity.

Outcome

The LSE HD Studio upgrade was completed on time and within budget. Importantly, the upgrade process was carefully managed to minimise the impact on day-to-day operations at LSE.

Commenting on the project, David Phillips, Gearhouse Broadcast’s business development director for systems integration noted the SI business was changing. “Vendors need to be more flexible in their approach to projects, both operationally and commercially,” he said.

“The scale of our business meant we were able to provide temporary solutions to LSE during the installation process to keep them on air. It also enabled us to be able to deal with any potential delays from third party equipment suppliers by temporarily bringing in stock from our own inventory if necessary.”