Fiji Parliament upgrades video monitoring distribution system with AJA

The integrator Gencom Technology has installed a scalable IP-based system that supports live captioning and translation in three languages. For 12G-SDI and HDMI conversion 2.0 transmitters and receivers are being used AJA Dante AV 4K.

To respond to the growing demand for live broadcasts and that are more accessible and inclusive of government procedures, he Paramento of File has collaborated with the systems integrator Gencom Technology to modernize your baseband audiovisual infrastructure.

Using transmitters and receivers AJA Dante AV 4K for the 12G-SDI and HDMI conversion 2.0 to/from Dante AV, The team built a scalable IP-based video monitoring distribution system that supports live captioning and translation in three languages.

The Parliament of Fiji first collaborated with Gencom six years ago to build a video production and distribution infrastructure from the ground up to enable free-to-air public broadcasting of general and committee sessions. Since then, the legislative body has turned to the Gencom team for ongoing support and technology recommendations.

Through periodic meetings, Both realized that the time had come to upgrade the infrastructure to meet transmission needs., live streaming and video on demand. As a first step, opted to replace the facility's original analog audio distribution system with a digital solution that supported real-time translation and captioning.

Fijians speak three different languages ​​during procedures, which can hinder inclusion and accessibility. The director of Gencom, Keith Bremner, knew his team would need to find a better way to help the Fiji Parliament team transcribe and translate those languages ​​into live subtitles, so that officials could speak freely in their native language.

“Through our conversations, It became clear that we would need to replace the legacy analog audio distribution system with a digital and more scalable one.. Dante Audio was the option, since it has become an omnipresent platform, compatible with many manufacturers, and its performance is exceptional”, explains Bremner. “Since translators and subtitlers also needed to be able to monitor the video, Dante AV and AJA's Dante AV 4K products proved to be the perfect complement. They have facilitated the transfer of audio and video from broadcast facilities to transcription and captioning booths, and anywhere on campus, through the red IP“.

Future-proof infrastructure

Gencom started the latest installation with a new fiber optic backbone network on campus to feed Fiji Parliament's IP network and facilitate audio and video distribution between buildings. Later, the team built a red and blue Dante AV network on top of it, protected and resistant.

To complete the design, Gencom installed several transmitters AJA Dante AV 4K-T in production and receiving control rooms Dante AV 4K-R at other campus locations. New technology has been integrated with existing production infrastructure, composed of several PTZ cameras that capture live legislative activities.

In the House of Parliament and two committee rooms of the premises, These cameras generate signals that are transmitted to independent control rooms, including a production control center. Over there, signals are divided into one main signal, with graphic overlays and sign language insertion, and sent to AJA Dante AV 4K for distribution across the campus network.

AJA Dante AV 4K-R, located in spaces where operators, translators, sign language professionals, subtitlers or other professionals who need access, receive these transmissions. Each translation or subtitling booth has two people who observe and listen to what is said in the chamber in vosa vakaviti (native Fiyian), Fiyian Hindi and English, and complete the translations. The broadcasts are subsequently broadcast to screens in the parliament chamber and through a public broadcast.

“Having a live image of what is happening in the chamber is essential for the translation and subtitling process, and that's where AJA Dante AV products come in handy. They facilitate and make profitable the distribution of video signals to different parts of the campus by the Parliament of Fiji using the Dante infrastructure”, Bremner points out.. “Integrating Dante control systems into your existing control systems allows us to easily create simple, large-button interfaces for operators., and even for operators without technical knowledge, making your work easier and faster”.

In addition to using AJA Dante AV 4K solutions, The Parliament of Fiji uses the HDMI to 3G-SDI AJA openGear OG-ROI-HDMI scan converter cards. Gencom installed them for the first time at the institution in 2020 to integrate videoconference broadcasts of members who were unable to attend parliamentary sessions in person.

With the first stage of the update completed, Gencom and Parliament of Fiji now focus on unlocking live and simulcast capabilities, and in guaranteeing adequate support to develop a video on demand catalog.