‘Good Morning Britain’ selects Sony DWX systems

ITV’s flagship breakfast programme, Good Morning Britain, has upgraded to Sony DWX digital wireless microphone systems.

Working with pro audio hire specialist Better Sound, ITV chose DWX for the show’s new studio facilities.

On moving studios in 2014, ITV decided to reassess the audio technology supporting the programme. Keen to invest in a digital solution, ITV was on the lookout for equipment that could operate stably within a lower frequency range than the previous solution. In addition, the new audio kit needed to be flexible and reliable enough for work outside of the studio as well.

Working with Better Sound to compare multiple manufacturers, ITV selected 14 DWT-B01 wireless belt-pack transmitters, seven DWR-R02D dual mains receivers and two DWM-02 handheld wireless microphones. Operating within one 8MHz band, the 14 channels of DWX provide Good Morning Britain with the reliability and sound quality demanded of national programming, Sony says.

“Being familiar with the excellent sound quality of the Sony ECM-77B lapel microphones, we opted for wireless microphone equipment that matched this performance," said Paul Nooney, head of sound for Good Morning Britain. "The system installed by Better Sound gives incredible range and stability across the production floor, but we also enjoy fantastically sharp audio when shooting outside of the studio complex or on the Southbank. Having that flexibility is invaluable.”

Brian Clarke, senior manager at Better Sound, added: “The excellent transmission range and signal stability of the DWX series make it ideal for the intense and varied workload of a daily production schedule. With its flexibility and reliability, Sony’s DWX series is fast becoming the audio technology of choice for television programming.”

Sony DWX is designed to enable wireless transmission that is highly tolerant to analogue interference, broadcasting 24-bit/48-kHz digital audio in a specific frequency bandwidth, while also transmitting and receiving digitally modulated and encrypted data to minimise the risk of interception. Using Sony’s original WiDIF-HP codec, it delivers a dynamic range of more than 106 dB and a frequency response of 20 Hz to 22 kHz.

The range includes handheld and belt-pack transmitters, as well as portable and rack-mount receivers, for use with a number of capsules and lavalier microphones. Plus, by using UHF antennas and remote control units the user has the ability to control up to 82 transmitters using the Cross Remote function.

pro.sony.com