Mobile Studios Inc. has released its new PortaCast system it says is airline-friendly and can be checked as luggage. It consists of a suitcase-sized mini-flypack equipped with roller-blade wheels and pull-out handles.

Mobile Studios airline-checkable PortaCast System

The system was created in response to a growing need for ultra-portable HD/SD production gear that can be easily transported to remote locations.

Five different PortaCast "Paks" for switching/communications, audio mixing/recording, camera shading/engineering and cables are available individually or as a completely integrated PortaCast live production system.

• The PortaCast Director Pak provides switching and communications with audio mixing offered as an option.
• The PortaCast Audio Pak includes a full featured 12-channel Soundcraft MPM12 audio mixer with main and subgroup outputs and three aux buses.
• The PortaCast Recording Pak is a true DTE (direct-to-edit) DVR (digital video recorder) capturing real time SD/HD-SDI video to a 2 TB Removable Raid 1 dual storage unit.
• The PortaCast Engineering Pak provides camera control/shading via customer specified CCU/RCU "Paint Boxes" and a 1x8 SD/HD router switch.
• The PortaCast Cable Pak houses multicore A/V cable up to 300 feet or fiber cable as desired delivered on Hanay cable reels.

Each PortaCast Pak is completely integrated with overall dimensions less than the 100-pound, 80-inch limitation imposed by the major airlines for checked baggage. The cases feature heavy duty ATA-approved construction with all components shock-mounted.

Launch customer for the PortaCast system is Mexico's television network, TV Azteca. "We were looking for a compact system for remote newsgathering and the PortaCast system fulfilled our requirements; lightweight, IATA compliant, modular, ultra-portable and affordable," said Manuel Tovar, TV Azteca's new projects manager.