McCann Erickson

Feltech Design and Install a Post Production Facility for McCann Erickson

In the Autumn of 2005 McCann Erickson, the international advertising agency, approached Feltech to design and install a complete post production facility at its head office in London. Known as ‘Chrome Digital’ the facility is comprised of five non linear edit suites, based on G5 Mac’s using Final Cut, a digital audio dubbing studio, a large screen HD client viewing room with full surround sound, all of which is connected to multiple source devices in a central Master Control Room (MCR). 

Like many facilities, McCann Erickson had a requirement for new state of the art digital technology, combined with the need to use existing analogue equipment and archive material on older formats. Because of this a Leitch Integrator Gold matrix was chosen as the heart of the system. This multi-format unit will allow the cross conversion of SDI video with embedded audio, to be routed to an analogue VTR and analogue signals to be routed to digital ingest devices. Linked to the matrix is a Leitch RS422 router to allow remote control of VTR’s. Each Edit Suite has a matrix control panel to allow complex switching from the editor’s desk. This seamless conversion coupled with the remote control, means that the bulk of the equipment can be housed in the MCR. To allow total flexibility the matrix signals pass through an array of digital and analogue patch bays. To cater for the diverse needs of its clients, McCann Erickson have had to install many different format VTR’s, from digital Betacam, Mini- DV, DVCam, DVD Duplicators, Beta SP, Hi and Low Band Umatic, SVHS and even a VHS copy bank. There are also standards converters to allow NTSC material to be imported or exported for US clients. As time moves on it is expected that the machines will all become digital.

The Mac workstations are all linked via a high speed SAN, which allows multiple instant access to material. These Mac’s are integrated to the system using AJA Kona cards to provide multiple I/O in different formats from SDI and AES to composite and analogue. A GPS receiver provides an accurate time reference for the Mac’s and a master station timecode generator.

Edit Suite Two

Keeping the majority of the equipment in the MCR allows for a comfortable, un-cluttered work-space in the Edit Suites, allowing the client to do their creative work unfettered. However,  

McCann Erickson are in the business of the way things look, so the MCR was not a hidden-away machine room but a main feature of the installation, with everything on view behind a glass wall.

Feltech worked closely with McCann Erickson to produce a layout which would be functional and aesthetically pleasing. The use of and SDI multi-viewer connected to a plasma screen, allows the simultaneous monitoring of multiple signals, which can be set to show the live output of all the suites. This has a far better effect than assorted rack mounted monitors.

MCR

The Facility was completed on time and on budget.

Project Manager: Greg Moores. Ffor more information contact greg.moores@feltech.co.uk or 01727 834888

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