Performing arts venues have become a destination for memorable entertainment experiences. Technological advancements have helped elevate the in-venue experience, enabling complex projection mappings through to more immersive audio and video. On the backend, they’ve also helped venues like The Star Theatre at The Star Performing Arts Centre (The Star) in Singapore deliver high-fidelity event and performance recordings to clients who use their space. Systems integrator Broadcast Engineering Services (BES) worked closely with the venue to upgrade its legacy video ingest system with a new HD and 4K recording pipeline, comprising AJA Io 4K Plus and Io X3 I/O devices integrated with ToolsOnAir’s just:in mac multi-channel video recording software.
“The Star came to us looking to revamp its HD recording pipeline, but with support for 4K, as it anticipates future client demand for higher resolution files. Having deployed AJA’s I/O devices and just:in mac across other installs, we knew the combination would suit their needs,” explained BES Project Director Brian Li Chuan. “Beyond meeting their technical specifications, the setup was attractive to their team because it would allow them to ingest multiple HD and 4K ingest sources using a Mac Studio for a really cost-efficient solution for multi-channel HD and 4K capture.”
The technology deployed across productions at The Star varies depending on the artist, group, or event. With 15 cameras in-house, the venue AV team typically leverages anywhere from two to all 15 cameras and a switcher for each event, from which HD signals are sent through to Io X3 devices and ingested into just:in mac for recording. Occasionally, clients bring their own cameras and ancillary equipment, in which case, the signals are patched into the theatre control room and similarly fed through an Io X3 and recorded via just:in mac. If a client requests 4K, The Star can ingest signals through its Io 4K Plus units. After each event wraps, its team hands over the files to the client, so they can use the recordings however they see fit.
“Having a single interface powered by AJA I/O gear and just:in mac, where The Star’s AV team can manage multiple concurrent camera recordings, has been a game changer. It’s now easier for one team member to stop, start, and pause recordings from one central interface, whereas before the team had to switch between multiple PCs to do each recording,” explained Li Chuan. “With just:in mac, The Star’s AV team can also easily listen to audio feeds coming through the recording system from different sources to ensure everything is in sync. The Io X3 and Io 4K Plus also make it easy to select and assign various recording profiles across sources, including MP4, Apple ProRes, and more.”
Shen Li of The Star, added, “We couldn’t have asked for a more seamless implementation than what Brian and his team have provided with the AJA gear and ToolsOnAir. The GUI is so straightforward to use, and if our client’s team prefers to take over the control room for an event or performance, it’s easy for them to dive in and start working with the technology. We also love the speed that the Thunderbolt connectivity on our AJA devices provides.”
Anticipating what comes next, BES and The Star are exploring how the facility might transition from baseband video to SMPTE 2110 in the future. With a proven track record of helping clients leverage the latest technology to evolve their venue AV alongside emerging trends, Li Chuan concluded, “While we’re proud of our achievements to date, our work is never complete. We’re already thinking about emerging trends and how we can better prepare our clients to get ahead of them. AJA technology, given its reliability and versatility, is inevitably part of those discussions.”
