Clear-Com Expands Communications Horizons at Prolight + Sound 2009

FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- Clear-Com Communication Systems, a Vitec Group brand, will exhibit at Prolight + Sound 2009 (Hall 8, Booth K54) the latest intercom solutions for helping live performance industry professionals expand their communications capabilities. New at this year's Prolight + Sound are Clear-Com's Concert Version 2.0 and the FreeSpeak Version 2.0 and Tempest2400 digital wireless systems. For the first time, the company will also demonstrate Concert's new IP-based linking capability to the Eclipse series of digital matrix intercoms.

Clear-Com Concert Version 2.0

Concert V2.0, the latest incarnation of Clear-Com's software-based intercom system, introduces a new “soft-panel” user interface that emulates a traditional intercom station, offering similar benefits and look-and-feel to those of a hardware counterpart. When used as a stand-alone intercom system, the new soft-panel offers standard intercom functionalities such as push-to-talk, monitor and latch-to-talk keys for communication with other Concert users, as well as connection to predefined conferences. User availability via the “presence awareness” feature is now colour-coded.

Concert V2.0 can directly connect to the Eclipse matrix system (upgraded version 5.1) with an IVC-32 high-density card over Ethernet. Each IVC-32 provides 32 IP connections and up to four IVC-32 cards can be slotted into a single Eclipse frame, allowing up to 128 new Concert soft-panel users to be added onto the intercom network without the need for new infrastructure and hardware investments. Due to the affordability and flexibility of this hybrid approach, budget-conscious broadcasters are able to extend their communication systems across a broader set of users.

FreeSpeak Version 2.0

The new FreeSpeak V2.0 features increased beltpack capacity (from 10 to 20 beltpacks), Interrupted Foldback (IFB) functionality and improved group operations between beltpacks, wireless party-lines and other external inputs. Users can access three configurable IFBs, making it possible to assign IFB keys to any number of beltpacks, which can then be programmed to act as IFB talent receivers or as the originator of the interrupts.

Tempest2400

Tempest2400 rounds out Clear-Com's family of wireless offerings. This 2.4 GHz digital wireless system brings maximum versatility, functionality and mobility for a broad range of indoors and outdoors live production applications. Through four-wire and two-wire connections, Tempest can interoperate with other Clear-Com intercom systems, as well as those from other manufacturers. Each base station can operate up to five wireless belt-stations (beltpacks), and by stacking up to 10 base stations together, a total of 50 independent wireless belt-stations can be integrated into a single intercom system. Multi-studio facilities will find the iSelect feature handy, allowing the belt-station user to move from one studio to the next by quickly switching to a different base station in the new studio. State-of-the-art 2xTX transmission voice data redundancy sends each packet of audio data twice on different frequencies, and through different antennas, which assures uninterrupted, high-quality audio communications.

“A major focus for us this year is accessibility,” says Jake Dodson, Vice President of Product Management, Clear-Com Communication Systems. “In the mission-critical world of live production, simple, ready access to a specific function on the intercom or a user located in another part of the venue can mean the difference between success or disaster. The enhancements to Concert's user interface, as well as the new connectivity between Concert and Eclipse are just some examples of how Clear-Com takes these important factors into account. It truly offers users the possibility of unlimited communications.”

ABOUT CLEAR-COM

Clear-Com, a brand of the Vitec Group plc, is the global leader of professional communication solutions for broadcast, live performance, military, government and commercial markets. For more than 40 years, Clear-Com's signature products such as Encore Party-line, Eclipse Digital Matrix, CellCom/FreeSpeak Wireless and IP Communications systems have revolutionised broadcast stations, production trucks, houses of worship and performance venues. Recognising Clear-Com for its history of intercom innovation, production teams around the world achieve ubiquitous communication with products to promote easy interoperability and global connectivity. More information can be found at www.clearcom.com.

ABOUT THE VITEC GROUP

The Vitec Group plc is acknowledged as a global leader in the supply of equipment and services to the broadcasting, entertainment and photographic industries and has established a reputation for technical excellence and superior engineering along with an astute business strategy which has seen it grow by acquisition. Innovation is a cornerstone of the Group's activities and the organisation is committed to a policy of continuous product development. With revenues (2007) of £274m and over 2,200 employees world-wide, its products are distributed in almost 100 countries, through a strong, fully-resourced distribution network or direct to the end user or corporate customer. More information can be found at www.vitecgroup.com.

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