MBC brightens up with new lights

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The studio is equipped with 2K and 1K lights as well as 28 fluorescent cool lights.

MBC recently upgraded the lighting solutions at one of its studios in Dubai Media City. Dubai-based systems integrator, Oasis Enterprises, undertook the project, which included the lighting installation as well as the entire infrastructure necessary to support it.

"As Al Arabiya [MBC's news channel] has grown and the number of local productions, talk shows and other programmes on the channel have increased, we felt that it was essential to have a studio that could hold multiple sets and create different ambiences," says Bachir Roukoz, lighting engineer at MBC. "We decided to go with DeSisti lighting as we have used it in all of our studios and have had a good experience with them," he adds.

The lighting installation as well as all of the other support jobs around this including the entire containment, the electrical wiring, cabling, mechanical work, ceiling grid and DMX networking for the 250m^² studio was done by Oasis Enterprises. "Whenever we do a lighting installation, we often undertake the project as a turnkey job," says Basel Aref, manager, Professional Projects Division, Oasis Enterprises. "This job was completed in two phases. The first phase had to be completed in just ten days because MBC was going on air with one of the sets. We supplied the equipment and got the first phase done in just 10 days. The rest was done within the next two weeks," he adds.

The installation included the deployment of a Sensor Plus dimmer from ETC. This is a dual-module dimmer. It has 48 modules, each of which can support two channels. "This dimmer can support 90 channels. We chose this rack because it is compact, very heavy duty, an intelligent dimmer and reliable as well. What makes it intelligent is the fact that it can communicate with the control desk through the DMX network to give error reports," explains Roukoz. This dimmer has removable modules, which means the end user can mix between the relay modules, which includes the moving heads and the colour changers, and the dimmable modules.

"Most of the major TV stations in the Middle East have begun to use this dimmer because of its efficiency as well as its cost-effectiveness," claims Aref. "As a result, it has gradually become the standard solution for most TV stations."

The studio is also equipped with ten 2K and twenty 1K lights as well as 28 fluorescent cool lights. MBC has also invested in 40 manual pantographs.

Unlike the rest of the world, where most broadcasters prefer automated pantographs because they are cheaper in the long run, Middle East customers prefer manual pantographs because manual labour is a lot cheaper," explains Aref.

As with most projects in the Middle East, the biggest challenge that Oasis Enterprises faced was time. "Since MBC was going on air with one set, it was crucial that the lighting was ready for that bit," explains Aref. "This meant getting all of our equipment on time from the UK and Italy. At the same time, we also had to work in parallel with the set designers and other contractors because everyone was working towards a common deadline," he adds.

Another significant challenge was power, according to Aref. As Dubai Media City was not initially designed to house studios, getting adequate power has often been cited as a problem by new TV channels. Roukoz, however, waives this off as a minor problem. "If you want more power, you can buy more," he says.

Training again was minimal for this project, according to Aref. "Usually, end users need to be trained to use a control desk but we didn't install one here so all they needed to be trained on was the dimmer," he explains.

Aref adds that industry-standard lights and dimmers do not need to be upgraded annually. "You can run them well for about four to five years as MBC has done before you upgrade to newer systems. This studio, for instance, was started when MBC opened its office in Dubai Media City around five or six years ago so it was time for an upgrade."

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