Enlighten Digital Selects Brand’s Cables to Suppport Massive Install That Streams World-Renowned Symphony to Outdoor Audiences
MIAMI — As one of the world’s top concert halls, Miami’s New World Symphony (NWS) is renowned for its famous conductors, specially invited fellows, superior educational program and, most of all, its spectacular WALLCAST®. A massive, outdoor 7,000-square-foot exterior projection wall, WALLCAST and the accompanying SoundScape Park enable the concert hall to share its live performances to a wider range of the Miami community, which proved especially important throughout the pandemic. NWS Co-founder and Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas opted to stream the WALLCAST performances with 4K, ultra-high definition quality. Thomas turned to Orlando-based Enlighten Digital to help fulfill his vision. The integration company selected Canare’s 12G-SDI/4K L-CUHD Series cables to ensure a brilliant display and smooth streaming experience for audiences.
New World Symphony Campus
“This project was a huge undertaking for New World Symphony, and for us,” says Rob Ross, president, Enlighten Digital. “We rebuilt their full core infrastructure to 4K and used Canare cables in a single-wire 12G environment, to deploy about 20 cameras. It is one of the largest build-outs of its kind in the world. We are really proud of this accomplishment and couldn’t have done it without Canare.”
Ross and his team selected the Canare 12G-SDI/4K cables in 5.5mm (L-3.3CUHD) and 7.7mm (L-5.5CUHD) varieties. “These have been our primary cabling solution recently,” explains Ross. “Even if a client isn’t currently incorporating 12G/4K, we know that they will want to go UHD at some point soon. Not only that, but the cables are great for even standard high-definition installations.”
Canare’s 12G-SDI/4K L-5.5CUHD Series cables have a maximum transmission distance of 100m (L-5.5CUHD), while the L-3.3CUHD reaches a max of 58m. Also available in a 9.0mm variety (L-8CUHD), which reaches 143m, the L-CUHD cables feature copper foil and high-density tinned copper braided shielding. In addition, they have a highly foamed multi-layer PE insulation and a flame resistance UL 1666 Riser rating.
Ross explains how necessary reliable, rugged cables were for the project, especially to keep up with the high level of activity. “During streaming, there are approximately 10 people involved in the production and as many as 700 camera moves and switches in one performance,” he says. “It requires a dozen or so racks of equipment, all in full UHD 4K, to fulfill all of the NWS’ needs. NWS will also soon install new high-end UHD projectors, so they will be full 4K from recording to projection. We used Canare cables to further ensure that this integration goes smoothly. The only way we could achieve such a high-quality in everything is by using Canare,” he continues. “Canare cables are, hands down, the most trouble-free solution with guaranteed performance that I’ve ever used, and I’ve installed many, many rolls of cable throughout my career.”
To oversee the project, Ross enlisted the help of his long-time colleague, Jamie Gurevich, of Florida-based Sunshine Audio Video. Gurevich served as project manager, sourcing the crews and ensuring the integration went as smooth and visually exciting as possible. “With the new integrations, especially now, the colors just jump out at you from the WALLCAST,” he says. “The sound for this system is also amazing. There are approximately 153 speakers, so it’s a fully immersive sound system. And now, we have the stunning visuals to go with it. It’s really a great family night and makes for an incredible experience.”
As for the other parts of the system, NWS installed Hitachi 4K cameras and supplemental Panasonic AWUE150 4K PTZ cameras. According to Ross, by integrating those into the full environment, NWS can have up to 20 different cameras in a production, which is an unprecedented amount, but necessary to catch all of the action of the musicians in play.
NWS also tapped Enlighten Digital for assistance with building out its distance learning program, during which conductors from around the world train and conduct NWS musicians in the U.S. While this was an existing offering at NWS, the pandemic brought to light a greater need for the concert hall’s educational department. “They all have highspeed internet to where there’s very little latency, and Canare cables once again were our go-to solution,” says Ross.
Enlighten Digital and Sunshine Audio Video recently teamed up again to install a very similar system at the San Francisco Symphony. Ross and Gurevich praise Canare’s support for playing such a massive role in both installs. “They have been super to work with,” says Ross. “Their guidance has been great, especially when we’ve had technical questions along the lines of ‘how far can we really run using one cable or how far can the 12G signal go?’ You don’t see that in a lot of cable companies.”
First opened in 2011, New World Symphony was the result of a collaboration between Thomas and the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry. Touted as a “laboratory for generating new ideas about how music is taught, presented and experienced,” NWS features multiple flexible spaces and leading-edge media capabilities. It has hosted musicians from all musical genres, including Yo-Yo Ma, Audra McDonald, Gloria Estefan and Pitbull, along with a wide array of conventions and festivals.
Enlighten Digital offers a wide range of corporate and broadcast, production, presentation, imaging, security, streaming and videoconferencing products to support the various industry requirements. The company also offers an array of system design and installation services, from upgrading an existing facility, to a brand new design and build.