Broadcast and AV systems support.
Troubleshooting, changes, commissioning and training for production rooms built on Panasonic, Blackmagic, Ross, Vizrt, LiveU, Shure, NETGEAR and the other lines we work with, including rooms that combine several of them.
The work behind a support call.
Most requests are about how the products in a room work together. Typical work, with examples of the equipment involved:
Signal paths
Tracing a missing or wrong source through cameras, converters, routers and the switcher.
For exampleSDI and NDI sources, AJA and Blackmagic converters, ATEM, Ross and TriCaster switchersConfiguration changes
Adding a source, an output, a macro or a camera preset to a working system, and testing it before the show.
For exampleswitcher macros, Panasonic and BirdDog PTZ presets, SKAARHOJ control panelsNetwork
Multicast, addressing and switch settings for NDI and Dante, agreed with your IT staff.
For exampleNETGEAR AV managed switchesAudio
Levels, routing and Dante subscriptions between the console, wireless microphones and the switcher.
For exampleAllen & Heath and Yamaha consoles, Shure and Sennheiser wirelessCommissioning
Bringing new equipment into a running room: setup, labeling and proving it in the workflow.
For examplenew PTZ cameras, a replacement switcher or recorderTraining and workflow changes
Operator refreshers and new-hire training on the system as built, and reworking the workflow when the program changes.
For exampleswitchers, replay, audio consoles and PTZ control
Systems we support, and the people who run them.
A township TV operation, supported and trained.
We upgraded the production truck with new SMPTE fiber, an ATEM Constellation switcher and Blackmagic fiber converters, camera control for four fiber camera chains, and Clear-Com throughout. We support the township’s studio and control room and train its staff on an ongoing basis.
Three rooms, five manufacturers.
Council chamber, zoning and planning rooms we designed, integrated and commissioned: Shure MXW wireless, Panasonic AW-UE80 PTZ cameras, TriCaster 2 Elite switching, an Allen & Heath SQ-5 on Dante and a Blustream matrix. We still support them.
Three ways to work with us.
Call when something is wrong, or set up ongoing help with a support plan or a block of prepaid engineering hours.
Per-incident help
Call the desk with the problem in front of you. We troubleshoot remotely where your IT allows it, and send an engineer when the fault needs hands. Paid per incident, with no plan needed.
Outside desk hoursFor scheduled evening and weekend productions, per-event coverage riders put an engineer on call for your defined window.
Varto OnAir support plans
OnAir plans are for systems that run on a schedule: council meetings, weekly services, a channel’s programming, a season of games. A plan is built around your system, mixed-brand rooms included, with the coverage confirmed for its equipment.
A plan starts with a conversation. We’ll ask about:
- The equipment in the room and how it is connected
- Who operates it, and how often it runs
- The events that cannot fail
- How your team wants to reach us
We propose the plan from there.
Professional Services Blocks
Prepaid engineering hours at a defined rate. Blocks come in three sizes and are valid for twelve months. Usage is tracked and reported, so you budget once and draw hours as the work comes up.
Hours go to qualified engineering work, such as:
- Operator training and refreshers
- Commissioning new equipment
- Configuration and macro changes
- Workflow changes when the program changes
- Troubleshooting
Renewing a plan or manufacturer coverage? Send us the details
Working with the manufacturers.
We work closely with the manufacturers whose equipment we sell and support. When a fault may need the manufacturer, this is what we do:
- Diagnose it firstEstablish whether the problem is the product, a setting or something elsewhere in the system.
- Prepare what their technical team needsModel and serial numbers, firmware versions, logs, and how the unit is connected in your room.
- Coordinate the case or repairOpen or follow the case with the manufacturer, and arrange a repair through their process.
- Explain your coverageWhat your warranty or the manufacturer’s support program covers, and what it does not.
Each manufacturer relationship is different. For other lines, warranty and repair follow the manufacturer’s own service process, and we prepare the case and follow it through.
With Vizrt, we are a Vizrt Platinum Partner: we sell and renew ProTek coverage, and we repair eligible Vizrt hardware on our own bench as a Vizrt Authorized Repair Center.
Vizrt repair and ProTekWhat people ask about support.
Which systems do you support?
Production systems built on the brands we work with, including Panasonic, Blackmagic, Ross, Vizrt, LiveU, Shure, Allen & Heath and NETGEAR, in studios, control rooms, council chambers and production trucks, and systems that combine several manufacturers.
Do you support systems you didn’t install?
Usually, yes. If something is wrong now, call the desk and we will work on the problem. For ongoing support of a system we did not install, we start with a site audit so we know exactly what we are standing behind, and the audit becomes your system’s documentation.
Per incident, a plan or a block of hours?
Per-incident help is available for systems we support, with no plan required. An OnAir plan fits when you want ongoing support built around your system and the events that cannot fail. A Professional Services Block fits when you have engineering work to schedule, such as training, new equipment or a workflow change.
Do you require remote access to our network?
No. We connect remotely only with your IT team’s permission, at an access level they choose and control, on terms they set in writing. Without it, we can still help by phone, from screenshots, logs and photos you send, and on site. With it, we can start remote troubleshooting faster.
Is this 24/7 support?
No. The desk runs Monday to Friday, 9:30 to 6:30 Eastern. For scheduled evening and weekend productions, per-event coverage riders put an engineer on call for your defined window.
Tell us about your system.
Varto designs, builds, repairs and supports broadcast and AV rooms from East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Prefer to talk? (888) 656-6233