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Poland’s Biggest Broadcaster On Air with ETC Lighting
Poland’s broadcasting market is one of the largest in Eastern and Central Europe and Telewizja Polska (TVP SA) is one of the largest stations in Europe, with an average of 8m viewers worldwide. So to keep up with an ambitious production schedule, TVP has invested in a variety of lighting equipment by ETC.
Impressed by the calibre of lighting control on the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest, which was done with four ETC Congo consoles, TVP decided to acquire its own Congo. TVP’s studio in Poznań employs a range of moving lights including Clay Paky CP Colors, Robe ColorSpots and ColorWashes, as well as other lighting equipment similar to that used at Eurovision, so TVP technicians were confident that the Congo would be compatible with their lighting inventory and could easily handle the station’s changing demands.
According to Janusz Plewiński, the general lighting operator for TVP in Poznań: “Congo is a good choice for mid- to large-sized studios, particularly because the console doesn’t use a touchscreen. Its versatile faders and keys allow quick shortcuts to help lighting designers keep up with the busy world of broadcasting.” Congo’s ‘zoomable’ channel views are another helpful feature for television studios, as well as the zoomable Channel Layout function that allows users to draw their own live displays using standard channel symbols or icons. This can look like the light plot in the studio or could be arranged in any way that the user wants for ease of use.
TVP technicians appreciate Congo’s optional Polish language interface, which makes the system even easier and more accessible.
TVP also values Congo’s synchronised backup, which enables another console to take over for the main console – safeguarding against any lighting interruption, especially while TVP is live on air. TVP can also count on 24-hour support offered by ETC and Polish dealer Prolight if any issue should arise.
Also on hand at TVP are four ETC SmartFade lighting control consoles, part of ETC’s Smart Solutions family of compact lighting gear. The SmartFade consoles are used for some of the smaller shows recorded at TVP, and they also serve as backup consoles for bigger shows. TVP lighting general manager Bogdan Straszewski says: “Our lighting technicians like the SmartFade consoles because they are lightweight yet powerful and are very easy to use.”
TVP also employs 12 Source Four Revolution automated luminaires at its main studio. The Revolutions are used to handle the quick turnaround time between shows. Instead of having to refocus dozens of conventional luminaires, TVP’s lighting technicians only need to program the Revolutions using their console.
TVP also owns an ETC Expression 400 console and 40 Source Four Zoom luminaires.
Created in 1937, TVP was the first television channel in Poland. Destroyed in 1939 by the advancing German army, the studio officially reopened in October 1952. TVP now operates four national channels including TVP1, TVP2, cultural station TVP Kultura and sports station TVP Sport, as well as a variety of regional channels, and its international channel, TVP Polonia, geared toward the millions of Poles currently working outside of the country.
3rd May 2007
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