CRYSTAL VISION HELPS LIVE AUDIENCE ENJOY BBC PROMS IN THE PARK (November 2004)

BBC Outside Broadcasts used Crystal Vision’s ViViD124 variable video delay line to enhance the Proms in the Park experience for the live audience in Hyde Park on 11th September. ViViD was used purely for the enjoyment of the crowd of 40,000 at the event in London and prevented audio and video images being out of sync and spoiling the event for the people at the back of the park.

The concert, which was hosted by Terry Wogan, included performances from The Corrs, the Royal Choral Society and Abba tribute group Bjorn Again. ViViD124 was then used again the next day for the same reason for 15,000 parents and children who attended the BBC Family Prom in the Park, also at Hyde Park.

Proms in the Park is part of the annual Proms concerts, the first of which took place on 10th August 1895. The aim of the Proms was, and still is, to use the best musicians in the world to showcase the broadest possible range of music, to as large an audience as possible. There are now more then 70 concerts a year, the majority of which take place in the Royal Albert Hall in London. In 1996, Proms in the Park was launched, which saw open air concerts taking place in locations throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These are timed to coincide with the Last Night of the Proms, an internationally televised event, which takes place at the Royal Albert Hall.

One of the problems with using London’s Hyde Park for concerts is its size: due to the speed of sound, the people at the back of the park will hear the audio slightly later than those at the front. This does not cause a problem when the stage is some way in the distance and it is impossible to see any synchronisation errors. However, at Proms in the Park, large monitors around the venue allow everyone to see the stage action as it happens. This means that for the individuals at the back of the park, the sound and images would be out of sync due to the delay in audio, which could be off-putting or even detract from their enjoyment of the event.

BBC Outside Broadcasts had used delays for live events before. For example it had used a Questech box to synchronise a live link-up between the UK and Kuwait for Songs of Praise, a popular religious music programme, during the first Gulf War. This enabled the people in both locations to appear to sing at the same time. However, this piece of equipment was large, which causes problems when space is tight such as in an outside broadcast van. It had also stopped working and was unable to be fixed, which meant that they needed a new solution for this event.

By using ViViD124, BBC Outside Broadcasts delayed the video feed to the monitors that were further back, to match the delay of the audio in those locations. ViViD124 is an SDI variable video delay line which offers up to 2.08 seconds in 625 line and 2.0 seconds in 525 line. The module does not just delay the image, but the entire video stream and embedded audio and ancillary data stays with the associated video. The compact board fits into all of Crystal Vision’s frames and can be mixed with both video and audio PCBs, fitting up to 24 in 4U, 12 in 2U, six in 1U and two in a desk top box. The 100mm x 266mm modular board was housed in an Indigo DTB desk top box with active front panel for control, in an outside broadcast van. The unit was ideal for the job. BBC Outside Broadcasts already owns a significant amount of Crystal Vision equipment.

Based at Whittlesford near Cambridge in the UK, Crystal Vision provides digital keyers and a full range of digital and analogue interface equipment including converters, decoders, encoders, distribution amplifiers and audio embedders to the professional broadcasting industry worldwide.