MBC Fills Its New Studios With Rosco LED Technology

The Middle East broadcaster MBC Group has opened new studios in Dubai, UAE, and in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both studios utilized cutting-edge technology – including Braq Cube WNC LED Fixtures and almost 4 km of RoscoLED Tape VariColor – to seamlessly integrate ancient traditions of Islamic architecture and contemporary design into their state-of-the-art broadcast facility.

MBC Dubai Studio City

MBC group recently converted a soundstage in Dubai Studio City into a TV studio complex that complements its headquarters in Dubai Media Center. The multi-level, 20,000-square-foot facility consists of three broadcast venues dedicated to news, sports, children’s, and daytime programming.

Broadcast studio design for MBC Dubai Studio City featuring color changing, backlit panels using LED tape from Rosco..The VariColor RoscoLED Tape backlights the scenic panels in cyan, as well as providing the white glowing border around the monitors.

Through its Dubai-based distributor, Oasis Enterprises, Rosco provided nearly 3km of RoscoLED Tape VariColor and several Braq Cube WNC LED fixtures for the new MBC studio in Dubai. Oasis Enterprises was responsible for the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of all the Rosco products in the facility and shared photos and testimonials about the project.

Broadcast set design for the new MBC studios inside Dubai Studio City featuring color changing panels backlit by LED ribbon from Rosco..The VariColor RoscoLED Tape was used to backlight the wall panels in lavender & white.

Reels of RoscoLED Tape VariColor were installed to illuminate the set in vibrant, changing colours – creating a bright and modern look, while at the same time highlighting its classic Islamic design. The team at Oasis Enterprises chose RoscoLED Control Boxes to supply the power and control data because the unique Plug-&-Play connectivity between the RoscoLED Tape and the Control Box reduced their installation time by eliminating a lot of the in-the-field soldering.

Photos that show how the LED tape from Rosco was installed to create the backlit panels for the MBC Studio City set design.Behind-the-scenes photos of the studio's color-changing panels - backlit with RoscoLED Tape VariColor.

The project was featured in an article from NewscastStudio, who reported that the MBC set design was based on two traditional Islamic concepts – tessellation and subtractive form. Tessellation is an arrangement of shapes closely fitted together in a repeated pattern without gaps or overlapping. This can be seen, for example, in the repeated X-pattern seen throughout the set, as well as the diagonal lines found in the backlit walls.

Textured wall panels backlit in red & white with RoscoLED Tape Varicolor

Subtractive forms were used to remove portions of planes in the set design as a way to alter its original shape and create segmentation. Throughout the MBC Dubai set there are openings, such as video walls and monitors, that break up the brightly lit planes of the textured walls.

Example of how the backlit panels in the MBC Dubai Studio City set design were broken up by video monitors.The video wall next to the stairway breaks up the pattern of the textured, backlit walls

The project was also written up in BroadcastPro Magazine, who reported that “lighting plays a significant role in these studios. The Braq Cube provides a smooth effect for low-ceiling applications, while the flicker-free RGBW strip from Rosco illuminates the decorative set.”

The low-profile Rosco Braq Cubes were used to light the kitchen set inside MBC Dubai Studio City.Rosco Braq Cube WNC fixtures illuminate the low-ceiling kitchen-set on the right

 

MBC Riyadh

Video courtesy of Joe Bou-Mikhael via Facebook

MBC also recently opened a new sports broadcast studio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for their MBC Pro Sports channel. This studio features similar backlit panel design elements to the Dubai Studio City project. Using nearly 1 km of RoscoLED Tape VariColor, supplied and installed by Oasis Enterprises, MBC Group created bright, color-changing backlit surfaces to provide a modern aesthetic for this state-of-the-art broadcast facility.

LED tape from Rosco was used to backlit the color changing, backlit panels in the set design for the MBC Pro Sports studio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.RoscoLED Tape VariColor fills MBC's Riyadh studio with bright vibrant colour

Karim Abdel Massih, Lighting Systems Manager from Oasis Enterprises explains why he chose RoscoLED Tape for the MBC studios: “I like the RoscoLED strips and the idea of RGB+W. I never hesitate to use Rosco products because of the support I get, especially from Andreas Dessloch (Rosco’s Director of International Business Development), to make the job successful and my customer happy.”

A reel of LED tape from Rosco.

If you are looking for an LED tape solution for your next studio design, be sure to visit the RoscoLED Tape VariColor web page and explore the products MBC Group used inside its new studios.

Photos courtesy of Oasis Enterprises

 

 

 

Tatiana Massano August 29, 2017 Questions?

About Tatiana Massano

Content Marketing Specialist: Based in the Madrid office, Tatiana is ideally positioned to share inspiring stories of how customers use Rosco products to accomplish their ideas in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.