Studio Berlin Upgrades Production Infrastructure With RAVENNA-Networked Lawo AoIP Technology
Once logged in you can set content preferences to let us know what you are interested in and whether you want to receive email from us.
Already Registered? Login
Picture credit: Studio Berlin, Matthias Hitz.
As part of the “Ü6 Renewal” project, Studio Berlin has replaced its long-standing Ü6 HDTV outside broadcast (OB) truck, in service since 2006 for countless TV productions, with a modern, permanently installed control room at its Hamburg facility. Central to this new control room are innovative AoIP solutions from Lawo, combined with a RAVENNA network, significantly streamlining workflows, and greatly increasing production flexibility.
For many years, the Ü6 was a key asset in Studio Berlin’s OB fleet, used to broadcast major sporting and entertainment events. As the vehicle was permanently based in Hamburg and never moved, it served as a permanent control room for TV productions. Over time, however, the technology no longer met modern requirements, so Studio Berlin decided to retire the OB van and establish a permanent control room at the Hamburg site instead.
Lawo Technology at the Core of the New Control Room
The new control room is built around Lawo technology, embracing cutting-edge IP standards. At its heart are two Lawo mc²36 all-in-one audio mixing consoles with integrated Lawo A__UHD Core technology, providing immense processing power in a compact setup. Each console offers 256 processing channels and 864 channels of I/O capacity. With native IP connectivity and Lawo’s IP Easy™ technology, the consoles support seamless plug-and-play operation.
Alongside the mc²36 consoles, three Lawo A__mic8 stageboxes have been integrated into the system via RAVENNA. This IP-based RAVENNA network allows for flexible, lossless signal distribution, giving technicians the ability to access or feed signals from anywhere in the network.
A New Level of Flexibility
This upgrade has dramatically increased production flexibility. “Hamburg now has two identical control rooms that can operate simultaneously, something that was previously limited,” said Matthias Hitz, Technical Director at Studio Berlin’s Hamburg location. “Both control rooms can now handle any production independently of the studio. The RAVENNA network allows us to route signals flexibly between the control rooms and respond quickly to any audio requirement.”
Hitz added: “With these new solutions, we’ve not only met current needs but also positioned ourselves for the future. Lawo’s technology gives us the flexibility and IP-based solutions to adapt quickly and efficiently to future media production developments. We’re excited to continue our partnership and will keep relying on Lawo technologies moving forward.”
You might also like...
Live Sports Production: Camera To Truck
Much of the OB production infrastructure has moved to IP, but has the connectivity between the cameras and the OB or backhaul also migrated to IP?
Building Software Defined Infrastructure: Zero Tolerance Security
Software based systems bring immense flexibility but they also bring increased vulnerability and inevitable trade-offs between flexibility and security.
Live Sports Production: Exploring The Evolving OB
The first of our three articles is focused on comparing what technology is required in OBs and other venue systems to support the various approaches to live sports production.
Cloud Compute Infrastructure At IBC 2025
In celebration of the 2025 IBC Show, this article focuses on the key theme of cloud compute infrastructure and what exhibitors at the show are doing in this key area of technological enablement.
Monitoring & Compliance In Broadcast: Real-time Local Network Monitoring
With many production systems now a hybrid of SDI & IP networking, monitoring becomes a blend of the old and the new within a software controlled environment.