Mianyang Radio and Television facility-wide monitoring system

Mianyang Radio and Television

I. Background Introduction

The audio and video process system of the new Mianyang Radio and Television building comprises subsystems including the studio system, the Master Control Room (MCR) system, and the playout system. Each subsystem is equipped with comprehensive signal routing and switching equipment as well as signal monitoring devices, capable of independently fulfilling its respective technical functions. The studio system handles program production, while the MCR and playout systems provide unified scheduling of station-wide audio and video signals and program playout.
Compared with the previous-generation system, the new system features a significant increase in equipment, more signal exchange paths between subsystems, greater demand for external signals across subsystems, and more interconnection and conversion requirements among different signal formats. This imposes more complex and variable demands on system control. At the same time, broadcast operations face pressure from multi-channel consolidation, unattended playout and MCR rooms, and reduced staffing requirements.
Given these characteristics, Mianyang TV required an intelligent centralized Monitoring System for signal flow monitoring and equipment supervision, safeguarding safe and high-quality program playout.

II. Features of the Station-Wide Monitoring System

Drawing on over a decade of monitoring project experience in the broadcasting industry and proven deployments at multiple TV stations, our company successfully won the bid for the Mianyang TV station-wide Monitoring System.

Station-wide Monitoring System functions:

The system encompasses monitorable hardware and software, providing coverage from individual device monitoring points to signal lines, forming functional domains across the entire system. These domains interweave with multiple detection layers including temperature, humidity, power supply, network communications, IT infrastructure (such as servers and firewalls), and video recording and monitoring across equipment rooms and studios. Together they form a dense, three-dimensional monitoring framework that maximizes safe and high-quality program playout.

Station-wide Monitoring System features:

1. Centralized monitoring with a comprehensive overview;
2. Unified alarm management with intelligent processing;
3. Intuitive interface with diverse display options;
4. Secure, convenient, and easily expandable.

III. Application and Architecture of the Station-Wide Monitoring System at Mianyang Radio and Television

Based on the audio and video system divisions and business system deployment at Mianyang TV, the station-wide Monitoring System consists of five parts: MCR system equipment monitoring and alarm, playout system equipment monitoring and alarm, 80 news studio equipment monitoring and alarm, 120 variety studio equipment monitoring and alarm, and 260 variety studio equipment monitoring and alarm.
Given the actual conditions at Mianyang TV, only one Monitoring System host is deployed in the MCR, while independent network equipment and interface conversion devices are configured within each studio system. All systems are interconnected via Ethernet, and station-wide equipment monitoring and alarm information is transmitted over the network to the MCR Monitoring System host.
The station-wide Monitoring System topology is as follows:

Figure 1: Overall architecture of the station-wide Monitoring System

IV. Technical Highlights and Workflow of the Station-Wide Monitoring System

The following section uses practical examples to illustrate the technical highlights of the station-wide Monitoring System and how it assists engineers in troubleshooting alarms across the station.

1. Technical highlights

(1) Comprehensive monitoring coverage
The system supports not only common SNMP devices but also various non-SNMP interface devices including Switchers, Tally hosts, and temperature/humidity sensors, achieving seamless supervision of all system equipment.

Figure 2: Monitoring System coverage of non-SNMP device types

(2) Real-time monitoring and logging of key device parameters
Parameter logging refers to the collection of device parameters. The Monitoring System can log specified parameters and generate fluctuation curves and reports over defined periods (days, months, or even years), serving as a basis for system/core equipment status statistics, trend analysis, and early warning.

Figure 3: Matrix power supply temperature fluctuation curve

The chart above shows the power module temperature fluctuation of the core Matrix in the Mianyang TV MCR over a specific period. During this time, the equipment room air conditioning stopped for several minutes. The chart shows the power module temperature gradually rising when the air conditioning was off and returning to normal after the air conditioning resumed, demonstrating the critical role of air conditioning in regulating equipment temperature.

(3) Intelligent alarm linkage with strong extensibility

For the three non-24-hour studios at Mianyang TV, when a studio is inactive, the Monitoring System detects this and intelligently disables related alarms to prevent false alerts. During studio downtime, the system reduces or suspends inspection cycles to conserve resources, enabling intelligent alarm triggering, dynamic allocation, and optimization of inspection resources. This is essential for a Monitoring System running on a single Server, as it reduces the burden on duty personnel, allowing them to focus on active systems and respond to emergencies more quickly and accurately.

Figure 4: External alarm intelligent linkage flowchart

The Monitoring System achieves intelligent linkage with studios through status acquisition and transmission devices, applying different alarm strategies during studio active and inactive periods. This enables real-time monitoring of studio equipment while reducing duty personnel workload and achieving precise alarming.

2. Workflow

(1) Starting the Monitoring System
The interface after the Monitoring System starts is shown below:

Figure 5: Monitoring System default startup interface

The main display area shows the station-wide audio and video system Topology Diagram by default. Any alarm in any subsystem is reflected on this Topology Diagram, demonstrating the centralized monitoring capability.

(2) Detecting alarms
After startup, the Monitoring System automatically inspects all station equipment. If a device alarm is detected in any subsystem, the corresponding Topology Diagram displays a flashing alarm indicator, prompting the user to take action. In the figure below, the 260 studio Topology Diagram shows a flashing alarm, indicating an alarm within that studio.

Figure 6: System inspection, alarm detected

(3) Viewing alarms
The Monitoring System provides three alarm display modes: alarm list, system Topology Diagram, and Equipment Room Diagram.
The system Topology Diagram shows the logical role and function of the alarming device within the overall system, helping users analyze the potential impact of a device failure on the entire system.
The Equipment Room Diagram shows the physical location of the alarming device, enabling users to locate and address the faulty equipment immediately. Here, the Equipment Room Diagram view is selected for alarm display.

Figure 7: Intuitive display of the physical installation location of alarming equipment

In the Equipment Room Diagram, the Monitoring System locates alarming equipment using a three-point positioning method: rack, Chassis, and Module Card, allowing engineers to identify the fault source at a glance.

(4) Handling alarms
When opening the alarm information for a Module Card device, the Monitoring System provides the alarm cause and a recommended resolution. Users can follow the suggested resolution to handle the alarm. The Monitoring System knowledge base supports dynamic updates, enabling users to accumulate O&M knowledge through real-world problem resolution.

Figure 8: Alarm description and resolution

(5) Learning and improvement
The Monitoring System also associates technical documentation with each device type, facilitating user learning and skill development.

Figure 9: Device documentation for learning

V. Social and Economic Benefits of the Station-Wide Monitoring System

1. Social benefits

The goal of the new Mianyang Radio and Television building's audio and video process system is to build a broadcast-grade HD/SD-compatible TV program production and playout system that is technically advanced, safe, reliable, efficient, flexible, and highly expandable, reaching top-tier domestic production and playout standards and meeting the needs of various program formats at Mianyang Radio and Television. In particular, as new buildings for municipal-level radio and TV stations continue to be completed and commissioned across China, this project can serve as a benchmark for the development of broadcasting systems at the municipal level.
The Monitoring System is responsible for aggregating, displaying, intelligently processing, and performing location analysis of station-wide audio and video monitoring information. Through system inspection, fault handling, remote device Control, and equipment replacement and deployment logging, it helps users manage station-wide equipment operation status in a scientific and effective manner. The knowledge base module supports manual updates of alarm resolutions and device documentation retrieval and browsing, providing the entire technical team with a knowledge-sharing platform that fosters mutual improvement while building a valuable O&M knowledge repository for daily station operations.
As one of the most important auxiliary systems, the Monitoring System safeguards safe and high-quality program playout at Mianyang Radio and Television.

2. Economic benefits

(1) Reduced labor costs
The Monitoring System frees technical personnel from labor-intensive equipment inspection routines. There is no longer a need to assign additional staff for on-site inspections across all studio equipment rooms, thereby reducing labor costs.
(2) Shortened system maintenance time
When a device failure occurs, playout and MCR engineers can use the detailed fault information and precise location provided by the Monitoring System, in conjunction with the station-wide intercom system, to remotely guide fault resolution using the system's professional resolution plans. This improves maintenance efficiency and reduces the personnel and time required for repairs.
(3) Early detection of potential issues
Whether a Chassis power supply has been triggering frequent alarms in recent weeks, a Matrix has been repeatedly switching between primary and backup control Module Cards, or a Chassis temperature alarm count is significantly higher than usual, the Alarm Statistics query function of the Monitoring System gives users a comprehensive understanding of past system events, enabling early warning and preventing unnecessary losses.