As the world’s top athletes compete in Beijing this summer, audio distribution systems from Peavey MediaMatrix® are providing audio networking and sound reinforcement for the 2008 Olympic Games at several major sports venues across China.

Peavey MediaMatrix NION® Series processing nodes—bundled with NWare™ software, the modern industry-standard software for audio and communications system design—are tasked with distributing the event announcements and background music for Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, where the men’s USA Team will be led by NBA stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and the Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Court, which will host world-class competitors such as Venus and Serena Williams.

With more than 1.8 million square feet, the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium has three underground floors and four floors above ground, with a total capacity for 18,000 spectators. MediaMatrix CABâ„¢ 4n CobraNet break-out boxes convert the uncompressed digital CobraNet audio to analog audio and distribute it, while XControl® 4×4 remote panels bring intuitive and flexible control of paging and overall system management.

Both the Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Center, which seats 10,000 spectators, and equestrian events held at the Hong Kong Jockey Club also feature Peavey MediaMatrix NION audio distribution systems. In the Beijing Shooting Range Hall, a fully integrated MediaMatrix Miniframe™ II 180c serves as the main audio processing and distribution system, while a selection of eighty Crest Audio® Pro 200™ Series amplifiers helped power the opening ceremonies at Beijing National Stadium.

Peavey MediaMatrix is the audio backbone of thousands of commercial installations around the world, including the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the U.S. Capitol and the new Beijing Capitol International Airport, the world’s largest airport. MediaMatrix NION is built on an embedded Linux operating system architecture designed for stable, efficient and robust performance, and is bundled with NWare software, a Windows-based interface that works with multiple NION nodes across an Ethernet network as well as third-party control and SNMP management tools.

Peavey recently released NWare version 1.4.2 for MediaMatrix NION, which is fully compatible with the Windows® Vista® operating system and adds support for network time protocols that allow NION to sync with network time servers or an Internet-based atomic clock. In addition, NION nX, n6 and n3 nodes now ship with upgrades in flash memory up to 2 GB to enable additional storage of audio, project files and background music loops, plus enhanced efficiency for messaging, audio playback, recording and multi-tasking within the NION system.

Founded in 1965, Peavey® is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of musical instruments and professional sound equipment. Peavey has earned more than 180 patents and produces more than 2,000 products, which are distributed throughout the United States and to 136 other countries. Peavey and its MediaMatrix®, Architectural Acoustics®, PVDJ®, Crest Audio® and Trace Elliot® brands and affiliates can be found on concert stages and in more than 5,000 airports, stadiums, theme parks and other venues around the world. To find out more, visit www.peavey.com.