Shure Incorporated

 NILES, Ill., Aug. 6, 2013—Broadcasters today are challenged by RF-intensive production environments where there is little room for error. This is particularly the case for SBS Medianet, a television broadcaster located in Digital Media City, a business complex in Seoul, South Korea   jam-packed with broadcasting stations and media companies. SBS Medianet recently selected Axient® Wireless to combat its crowded RF space and keep broadcasts running smoothly.

Given SBS Medianet’s location and inherent interference challenges, the company sought to install a wireless system that could withstand its special network configuration, while maintaining seamless live broadcast throughout its six newly-built studios. Given its reputation for delivering flawless wireless performance by automatically detecting and avoiding interference, Axient was a natural choice. SBS Medianet worked with Sama ProSound to install 42 channels of Axient in six studios that broadcast simultaneously. With Axient, the technicians were able to control all of the studios from one control center, without interfering with the current IP set-up.

“Axient’s advanced frequency diversity technology ensures stability across our network’s RF operations,” said Lee Chae-Hyung, audio engineer at SBS Medianet. “With another broadcast station in our building and four companies within a 1,000-foot radius, we needed an intuitive solution that could switch frequencies seamlessly from one central desk. Additionally, with Wireless Workbench® 6 software at our fingertips, we have complete visibility and control over Axient—including remote adjustments to linked transmitters for instant changes to frequency, gain, and RF power, in addition to the RF mute via the ShowLink® Access Point. All in all, Shure Axient is the only system designed with the level of sophistication needed to meet our demanding RF requirements.”

Like other broadcasters, SBS Medianet also started experiencing problems with LED noise. During internal testing of various wireless systems, Axient outperformed other wireless systems and best addressed the LED noise issues. Hojo Jeong, broadcast sales associate at Sama ProSound commented, “During initial testing we found that Axient was more immune to RF noise than any competitor system. In a live broadcast situation, where we only have one chance to get it right, we needed a workflow that we could trust and Shure Axient has exceeded our expectations.”

Shure Axient is designed to deliver clean, uninterrupted audio for mission-critical microphones, even in the presence of direct interference. The system constantly scans for problems, always maintaining a list of back-up frequencies to provide a clean and compatible frequency whenever required. Using a data backchannel, Axient uses its unique frequency diversity feature to seamlessly switch channels before interference becomes audible, either automatically or through manual alert. The system also precisely tracks battery life in hours and minutes to within 15 minutes’ accuracy.

When asked how the team at SBS Medianet is responding to Axient, audio engineer Jang Sung-Chae’s response was enthusiastic: “All of our engineers are very satisfied with Axient’s overall performance, from sound quality to other features such as Interference Detection and Avoidance, transmitter remote control, and Wireless Workbench 6 (WWB6) software. Our engineers are very tech-savvy, and like to control hardware by software. In my opinion, no other company offers such a robust and effective software solution like WWB6.” 

For more information on Shure's Axient wireless systems, visit: www.axient.net.