Beijing, China The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing is the latest icon of modern architecture. The structure is a 200,000m² dome with a shell made of glass and titanium that is surrounded by a man-made lake. Inside it contains three performance venues including an opera hall, music hall, and theater hall that seat 6,500 people in total.
The inaugural concert was held in December 2007, and RTS was right there ensuring flawless communication. The ultra-modern facility used a combination of wired digital matrix and synthesized dual-channel wireless components that integrated seamlessly as one harmonious intercom system.
At the heart of the system was an array of Zeus II matrices. The Zeus II is ideally suited for theaters and other performance venues because it combines the redundancy and programmability of the top-of-the-line ADAM frame in a more compact and cost-effective package. The RTS Zeus II matrix intercom system provides 24 channels of high-quality audio and supports any of the RTS Digital Matrix Intercom line of keypanels, or four-wire inputs and outputs.
Each channel is capable of supporting any of the RTS Digital Matrix Intercom line of keypanels, or four-wire inputs and outputs for program, partyline and IFB feeds.
The Zeus II is unique among the cost-effective matrices because it supports RTS Intelligent Trunking. The array of Zeus II matrices utilized by the National Centre for the Performing Arts were trunked together using a MTM-2000 mini trunkmaster. As with the Zeus II, the MTM-2000 is a scaled-down solution that still provides the robust functionality of a top-end frame.
The RTS trunking system manages intercommunications between separate intercom systems using intercom ports that have been reserved and interconnected between the intercom systems. Keypanels or other data devices can then communicate with various destinations in other intercom systems via the reserved intercom ports. (This is different from bus expansion, in which the bus systems of two or more frames are interconnected to form one system with decentralized hardware.)
User stations that were applied include KP-32 Classic series keypanels, BP-325 wired beltpacks, and BTR-800/TR-800 wireless base stations and beltpacks. The National Centre for the Performing Arts chose the high-end BTR-800 system because the massive titanium structure presented unique challenges for wireless transmission, and users could not risk dropped communication during a performance.
For wired communication, the dual-channel BP-325 is the favored beltpack among theaters. Utilizing the latest in space age materials, RTS Two-Wire Intercom beltpacks are mechanically engineered to be brutally rugged and dependable. Unique audio circuitry is perfect for either high- or low-noise environments while maintaining maximum voice intelligibility. The beltpacks were specifically designed with theaters in mind and are ideal for discrete communication.
The National Centre for the Performing Arts is a strikingly modern facility that attracts performers and patrons from around the world. As the audience enjoys the precisely choreographed show on stage, behind the scenes RTS ensures they don’t miss a beat.
For more information, visit the RTS Intercom website: www.rtsintercoms.com