Al Arabiya sticks with ETC for flagship upgrade

Leading TV news channel Al Arabiya has recently upgraded to using ETC’s flagship Eos Ti lighting control desk at its broadcast studios in Dubai. The broadcaster had previously been using the manufacturer’s ETC Eos Classic to light the studio of Al Arabiya, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week live on air without any technical faults. The new Eos Ti was selected to bring the studio the latest technology and more powerful hardware, and was installed by ETC dealer Oasis Enterprises, which has been in partnership with Al Arabiya since 2008, supplying and installing technical equipment to the TV channel.

‘As our channel runs 24/7, it is crucial that there are no errors with lighting, vision mixers or consoles,’ explained head of news resources at Al Arabiya, Mahmoud Issa. ‘We need to be equipped with the best and ETC’s Eos console is one of the best so far.’

The TV company is also equipped with ETC dimmer racks, Eos Remote Processor Units and Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr Daylight HD and Source Four jr lighting fixtures. ‘The Eos family software platform and the Lustr Series 2 output perform extremely well,’ noted Safwan Harcouss, lighting manager at Al Arabiya. ‘We are very happy to have them in our studios and look forward to investing in more in the future.

The Eos lighting console was reportedly the ultimate choice for Al Arabiya for several reasons: the Eos operating system’s magic sheets allows the TV company to coordinate multiple studios at a time and the built-in blind mode makes it ‘easy and practical’ to work with. The training offered by Oasis Enterprises to staff at Al Arabiya was also extremely valuable and beneficial for the new employees that the firm regularly hires. ‘They offer us a great service and are always available whenever we need them', commented Mr Issa, on the relationship with Oasis.

Going forwards, Al Arabiya plans to network the entire building that they are currently in, using the Eos Ti control desk. The team will set up the desk in ‘The Gallery’, a central space in the broadcasting area, ensuring ultimate lighting control across all studios.