ADELAIDE CONVENTION CENTRE SELECTS RIEDEL COMMS

Situated at the heart of Adelaide’s iconic Riverbank precinct, the ACC opened as Australia’s first purpose-built convention centre in 1987. Each year, the ACC delivers approximately 700 individual events, welcoming 200,000 delegates and guests.

The ACC recently underwent a $397m redevelopment which included the addition of two new buildings (East and West) and saw the deployment of an expansive signal transport and communications backbone powered by Riedel’s MediorNet real-time media network and Artist digital matrix intercom system. MediorNet provides integrated, decentralised, and fully redundant signal distribution and processing throughout the Centre’s three buildings, with an available capacity of 1092Gbps and the ability to route more than 1000 simultaneous HD-SDI signals.

Riedel MediorNet represents a significant upgrade over the ACC’s previous infrastructure, which relied on analogue audio multicores, RGBHV video cabling, and DMX over copper cabling. The decentralised MediorNet backbone affords the ACC the ability to route any type of signal from any point in the venue to any other point or points in the convention centre without requiring staff to reconfigure any cables.

“Previously, running the signal cables to support a client event could take up to two hours. Now we’re able to configure the MediorNet components in just a few minutes,” said Matthew Stanton, Technology and Venue Operations Manager, Adelaide Convention Centre. “The time savings and reduced labour mean that we can offer more flexible services to our clients and accommodate last-minute requests, such as increases in signal counts. This kind of flexibility simply wasn’t possible with our previous infrastructure.”

Deployed in a decentralised configuration, the ACC’s MediorNet backbone ensures fully redundant distribution of all signals including video, analogue and digital audio, intercom, ArtNet lighting control, AV control system signals, and data for speaker support. Each of the three ACC buildings is outfitted with a MediorNet Modular mainframe paired with a MetroN core router. MetroN provides robust video router functionality with switching delays of less than 40ms, as well as high-speed re-routing. The frame can function within a larger MediorNet installation, interfacing with other MediorNet nodes via fibre.

The ACC also has 23 MediorNet Compact and Compact Pro stageboxes for portable signal distribution at locations such as stage floors, grids, and front-of-house positions. There are also five MediorNet MicroN high-density media distribution network devices for additional signal distribution requirements. One of the MicroN devices is configured as a dedicated multiviewer using the MediorNet MultiViewer App.

For robust crew and staff communications, an Artist 128 digital matrix intercom mainframe supports wired and wireless intercom beltpacks, with signals distributed throughout the three buildings by MediorNet. Riedel’s Performer Digital Partylines are carried over the MediorNet Compact Pros via native AES3 paths, which are all connected to the Artist matrix via MADI.

“The ACC is a dazzling showcase for everything that sets MediorNet apart from its competition — namely, decentralised signal routing, redundancy of core components, and the flexibility to set up point-to-point or point-to-multipoint configurations on the fly and with minimal effort,” said John Bell, Riedel Communications General Manager, Australia. “With the modularity and scalability to grow the system as the Centre’s requirements expand, MediorNet is a valuable competitive differentiator as the ACC continues to compete for global convention and event clients.”

Riedel: www.riedel.net