Advanced Television

Riedel, Media Tailor deliver broadcast and AV infrastructure aboard Royal Caribbean ship

January 27, 2026

Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a broadcast, AV, and communications infrastructure aboard Royal Caribbean International’s newest vessel, Star of the Seas.

At 248,663 gross tonnage, Star of the Seas shares the title of the world’s largest cruise ship with her sister ship, Icon of the Seas. Designed to deliver large-scale entertainment experiences at sea, the vessel features over 30 theaters, live performance spaces, and multimedia venues, as well as ice and water-based entertainment arenas. The media infrastructure spanning all these entertainment venues and a centralized broadcast center is built on a fully decentralized Riedel MediorNet network, seamlessly controlled through Riedel‘s hi human interface platform and complemented by a Riedel Artist, Bolero, and PunQtum intercom ecosystem.

The broadcast center houses two production galleries and a main rack room for signal routing, recording, playback, post-production, and graphics. Over 20 MediorNet MicroN UHD, MicroN, and Compact nodes deliver distributed routing, signal processing, and multiviewing capabilities across the ship — reducing cabling, saving space, and ensuring reliability at sea.

“Creating a broadcast and AV environment of this scale requires a unified system that functions as one,” said Tuomas Niemelä, Business Director of Shipbuilding at Media Tailor. “That’s what Riedel enables. The decentralized Riedel architecture allows operators to route video, audio, and data in real time across the entire vessel with incredible efficiency and resilience — which is vital when you’re working in the middle of the ocean.”

As the central control platform for all AV, broadcast, and entertainment systems, Riedel’s hi human interface control system provides intuitive control and seamless system management. Deployed with three servers and four dedicated hardware panels, hi extends its reach throughout the ship via software panels accessible from PCs and iPads in entertainment venues and control rooms. In addition to system management, hi also unifies the ship’s MediorNet and Dante networks by routing all Dante audio, automatically converting embedded SDI audio, and grouping related video and audio signals into unified port containers. This gives operators greater flexibility to manage routing and monitoring across venues, whether they’re supporting live entertainment, video playback, or shipwide communications. At the same time, hi manages GPIO-based automation, linking directly with the ship’s PA/GA system to trigger functions like automated muting or signal rerouting during safety announcements.

Complementing the video and audio infrastructure is Riedel’s Artist intercom system, featuring an Artist-1024 matrix, over 50 SmartPanels, 55 Bolero wireless beltpacks, and PunQtum wired partyline systems. Together, these components form a unified, scalable communications ecosystem for production crews across the ship.

“Our collaboration with Media Tailor and Royal Caribbean goes back more than a decade,” said Philippe Genar, Regional Sales Manager at Riedel. “Each project pushes the boundaries of what’s possible at sea, and Star of the Seas is a perfect example of how Riedel technology — combined with Media Tailor’s innovative design and media technology expertise — delivers seamless connectivity, operational efficiency, and an exceptional entertainment experience in the maritime sector.”

“Media Tailor and Riedel have once again provided an integrated broadcast, communications, and AV infrastructure that offers unmatched flexibility and operational efficiency across our vessel,” added Christopher Vlassopulos, Manager Newbuilding, Royal Caribbean. “Their expertise gives our teams the confidence to produce spectacular live experiences for our guests, every day, anywhere in the world.”

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