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Industry Served

Audio / Visual Equipment

Challenge

Deliver flawless sound while there is the potential of power fluctuations, causing unacceptable noise and skips in the sound.

Solution

The UPQ™ system was connected to the critical sound equipment, ensuring the highest quality sound.

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The Challenge

Being able to flawlessly deliver sound to more than three billion television viewers and listeners around the world for a live broadcast event is imperative for independent sound engineer Edward J. Greene. With over 50 years of experience in sound mixing at high-profile live events, such as the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, and the Grammy Awards, Greene is an expert in his field.

Meeting the demands of broadcasting high-quality sound on time and on demand does not leave time to deal with power fluctuations or outages. During rehearsals for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony, however, spikes, dips and frequency variations in power created unacceptable noise and skips in the sound. Greene’s mixing console and digital recorders were also left unprotected and vulnerable to the damage power fluctuations can cause to sensitive electronic equipment.

The Solution

Working as a volunteer at the Olympic Games, Doug Robinson, system engineer for Power Innovations, worked with Greene to ensure the highest quality sound. Robinson connected the critical sound equipment to a Power Innovations Uninterruptible Power Quality™ (UPQ™) system.

“The UPQ system made a difference in the quality of sound coming from my electronic equipment,” said Greene. “Immediately, because of the perfect power provided by the UPQ system, the noise and skips were eliminated and the imperative superior sound quality was produced.”

Excessive noise and skips caused by poor quality power were eliminated completely, and audio feed was flawlessly delivered to the television networks broadcasting the event globally. In addition to providing perfect power, the UPQ system also supplied battery backup to equipment when the power failed during rehearsal.

Primetime Emmy

In September 2002, Greene received his 16th Emmy, this time for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special at the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Power Innovations’ UPQ system not only contributed to this Primetime Emmy, but Greene continues to use the system to protect his equipment and to ensure that high-quality sound is transmitted from all high-profile live television events he produces.

Additional Benefits

UPQ systems can be remotely monitored and managed using a UPQnet-agent II™. Through the UPQnet-agent II—via a network, an IP address, or a dial-up connection— a comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and secure Web page provides vital information from the system. The UPQnet-agent II also sends TRAP and email notifications.

Power: The Critical Need

In the corporate world, as well as in the consumer community, predictable, pure electric power is a necessity. Current utility power is not reliable and sometimes not present. Without clean, consistent power, today’s technologies cannot function properly, and operations and service are compromised or cease.

Fluctuations in power supply – spikes, dips, brownouts, noise, and frequency variations – can all lead to a crippling loss of data resources. The effects of these problems range from erratic operation through hardware damage to irreversible losses of mission-critical data and operations.

Competing Technology

In the past the number one issue in dealing with power was the backup of equipment in the event of power failure. The basis of typical UPS machines and generators on the market today is still backup power; however, hospitals need a new level of power generation and management tools that extend and enhance this most critical medical resource. Power Innovations’ UPQ systems address today’s number one power issue—power quality. While UPQ systems efficiently handle power backup, they are also designed to accept the power that is available, regardless of quality, and then isolate, filter, and regulate that power to provide pure, clean, reliable power to connected equipment.

Power Innovations

Launched in 1997, Power Innovations has pioneered a revolutionary set of solutions to generate, store, and manage AC power. Power Innovations’ mission is to provide and manage continuous high-quality power in conjunction with, or even independent of, utility services worldwide. Power Innovations is helping forward-thinking companies accomplish this goal through a new class of technology called Uninterruptible Power Quality (UPQ).

Today, Power Innovations’ UPQ systems, coupled with its UPQnet-agent II™ IP management tools, assist organizations of every size in addressing the key issues surrounding power management. On its own, this is an area of tremendous need and opportunity that has Power Innovations poised for long-term success.

Power management is just one arm of Power Innovations’ long-term strategy. The company is involved in the development of a spectrum of solutions for power storage. Ultimately, Power Innovations will premier revolutionary solutions for the generation of new power. Together, these three areas are the foundation of Power Innovations’ long-term strategy.