Partylines
Partylines provide a simple, yet easily scalable facility to enable multiple devices, inputs and outputs, to talk and listen to each other on a common communications channel. A minimum of two devices are required to create a Partyline but quite often, multiple devices will be connected to it. This method keeps the configuration simple but at the same time allowing more devices to be quickly added to include other members of the crew and other facilities as required.
A typical Partyline might consist of a Director, Producer, Lighting Director, and Camera Operator, and each would be made a member of the Partyline in Dashboard. The Director and Producer could use INF-MP-16 panels and the Lighting Director and Camera Operator could use beltpacks, such as the INF-BP-2.
Each member can talk and listen on the Partyline depending on the device they are using and whether they are an input or output contributor (or both). The Partyline icon can be dragged-and-dropped onto any key on a device. If the Partyline is added to key-1 of the Directors panel, the label will appear on its legend. If the Lighting Director pushes their Beltpack talk key, the legend on the Directors Partyline key will show the label of the Lighting Directors Beltpack.
Multiple devices can talk simultaneously on the Partyline. If they do, then all other devices will hear them. For example, if the Director and Producer simultaneously pushed their talk buttons, they will hear each other, and the Lighting Director and Camera Operator will hear both the Director and Producer. If all four push their talk keys, they will all hear each other.
Multiple Partylines can be created in the Telos Infinity intercom.
To simplify installations Partylines are often used on Telos Infinity INF-BP-2 Beltpacks. Each Beltpack is daisy-chained with CAT5 cable to link between up to 3 (PoE)and 6 (PoE+) Beltpacks together. Only one network port is required in this configuration.
Power for the INF-BP-2’s is provided over Ethernet using PoE. Care must be taken to make sure the combined power consumption of the INF-BP-2’s does not exceed that available on the switch. INF-BP-2 units negotiate with one another to ensure that the power required does not exceed the maximum available.
Using the example configuration earlier in the chapter, four INF-BP-2 Beltpacks are combined in a daisy chain configuration called PL1 which can also communicate with the Director.
Partyline Setup
The following Figures show how to configure the Partyline PL1. Each device wishing to communicate on the Partyline must be added to PL1. This is achieved using the drag and drop functionality in Dashboard.
Select “Partyline” on the bottom right corner, click on “Add”, a pop-up window will appear, enter the text “PL1” into the Name field.
Click “CREATE” on the pop-up window, this will close, and the icon “PL1” will appear in the Partyline window.
Drag each of the four Beltpacks from the Devices window to the Devices section of the Partyline window. All four devices will then appear in the Group.
Under the devices window, click on the Floor-1 icon to list the keys of the Beltpack.
Repeat each drag and drop for each Beltpack device so that Partyline appears on Talk-1.
The configuration is now complete. The label “PL1” should appear on “Talk-1” of each Beltpack.
Pushing Talk-1 on each of the Beltpacks will allow all four Beltpack users to talk and listen to each other.
In addition to the key assignments, the INF-BP-2 and BP-4 provides a “PGM”input. This is situated next to the key assignments on Dashboard and allows additional audio to be sent to the Beltpacks.
A Partyline can also be configured to work with panels such as the INF-MP-16. In this example, the Producers panel is added by dragging it from the devices window in the top left corner to the Partylines Source section, as described previously. The PL1 icon is then dragged to one of the keys on the Producers panel. When the Producer pushes the PL1 key to talk, each of the Beltpacks will hear them. And the Producer will hear each of the Beltpacks when they push to reply.
Each Beltpack can be configured independently.
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