Al Araby TV is the first major network in the Middle East to be equipped with IP-based lighting technology across the entirety of its new headquarters in Doha, Qatar. Following a move from London, the news channel’s complex at Lusail City comprises three state-of-the-art production environments, a 430 square meter newsroom, a 290 square meter morning studio and a 235 square meter blackbox studio. To design and engineer an advanced, IP-based lighting network for perfect production conditions within the three studios, Al Araby relied on the experience of Ideal Systems Group and ARRI Solutions.
ARRI Solutions designed and engineered the IP-based lighting network supporting Al Araby’s three studio environments
ARRI Solutions, a dedicated team within ARRI focused on designing and delivering innovative production infrastructures, supported by Al Araby project team members Sriram Ramamoorthy and Sabri Mansouri, handled consultation, planning and installation of the studio lighting network. The core aim was to deliver a robust and reliable workflow that could be fully integrated into the overall broadcast infrastructure.
“By working in close collaboration with the project team of Ideal Systems, we were able to identify a number of opportunities throughout the workflow for efficiency and reliability via IP connectivity,” explains Jörg Pohl, Director ARRI Solutions. “This approach enabled us to design a cost-effective solution that fully serves the broadcaster’s needs, whilst retaining the highest quality lighting expected by Al Araby TV for all of its programming output.”
The highly flexible studio lighting design includes ARRI SkyPanels for optimal light distribution
The lighting design for the studio complex specified ARRI SkyPanels throughout the three environments, complemented by industry-leading profiler, moving head and effect lighting fixtures. This ensures optimal light distribution and quality to support broadcasting requirements into Ultra High Definition (UHD) and beyond. The lighting network is based on TCP-IP protocols from the control board to the luminaires.
Al Araby TV will also be equipped with ARRI LightNet, a unique software platform that offers centralized monitoring, management and fault detection for broadcast studio lighting networks. Data from all devices on the network, from fixtures through to network switches is displayed in real-time on a single interface, maximizing efficiency for broadcast engineers working in busy studio environments.
Al Araby is the first Middle Eastern broadcaster with a fully IP-based lighting network, enabling total integration into the broadcast infrastructure
“Al Araby TV has a long-standing relationship with ARRI Solutions, having worked closely on our London studios, so we were assured from the start that the team had the experience and insight to help us reach a new level of reliability and control,” concludes Ali Husseini, Director of Broadcast Operations & Visuals Al Araby TV. “With a lighting control infrastructure based solely on IP, we’re able to achieve system-wide increases in flexibility and reliability across our new facilities, essential elements for a busy news broadcasting environment such as ours.”
