Future voice intercom technologies and architectures

The current expansion of broadcast channels is meteoric and continuous. It follows that the need for programming to fill them will also continue to increase, and much of that will continue to come from studio based and studio controlled environments. The associated voice communications systems are as vital as before, only they now are required to be bigger, wider area, easier to use, and increasingly available on a worldwide basis. Without these communications links, the whole system cannot operate effectively. The paper discusses the impact of digital technology on the current broadcasting studio production and transmission centre voice communications infrastructure. The influence of local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks are discussed, with the perceived need to keep communications simple. The move towards standard operating hardware and software platforms is explored, along with seamless merging of communications systems operation into open, user selected, and seamless voice signal routing through the various transmission media available today. Potential areas of integration with other platforms are explored. These can offer the user operator control, bringing the world to his fingertips through taking advantage of modern network communications systems and new operator interfaces. However, the need to minimise some of the problems and potential pitfalls is apparent, and consideration is made of the ongoing requirement for overall system reliability for this critical communication function.