AMSTERDAM--Grass Valley and Arena Television will showcase a new IP-enabled truck at at IBC2018 at the RAI in Amsterdam. At the Grass Valley stand in Hall 9, Arena will demonstrate how its new OBZ end-to-end IP UHD HDR truck uses IP-based infrastructures and workflows to produce in live OB production environments.

“As broadcasters, OB and production companies seek to future-proof their businesses and leverage greater flexibility and efficiency, IP delivers the capability and agility they need for mission critical live UHD HDR production,” said Mark Hilton, vice president, Grass Valley Live, Grass Valley. “We are very proud to be showcasing our partnership with Arena Television at IBC 2018 to give visitors insight into how IP revolutionizes the OB environment, optimizing it to meet the needs of a shifting market.”

Watch the display in Hall 9 beside the Grass Valley stand 9.A01.

LONDON—Arena Television has rolled out new IP-based UHD HDR trucks, OBX and OBY, that is stocked with gear from both Barnfind and Lawo. The OB truck features Barnfind’s BarnOne and BarnMini products, as well as Lawo’s VSM control system.

Among the Barnfind products installed in Arena’s new truck is the BarnMini-07 CWDM multiplexer, which transports signals from the OBX truck to remote positions. The Barnfind products allow the operators to mix video, Ethernet and HDMI on a single platform and configure the internal router.

Lawo’s VSM is being used as the overall control system for OBX and OBY, as well as the upcoming OBZ truck. The VSM system provides bi-directional connections with plugs acting as both inputs and outputs. VSM is able to handle all routing routines as a virtual router. The system can also recall different multiviewer layouts if required.

Arena is currently using the OBX truck for English Premier League coverage, with the OBY truck being deployed for additional services. OBZ is expected to be made available in early 2017.

MONTREAL—Featuring a fleet of more than 20 outside broadcast (OB) trucks to cover sports and other events across the U.K., Arena Television has announced that it will add three more that will embrace 4K UHD and IP-based production. To support these new trucks, Arena has selected equipment from Grass Valley.

The three OB trucks from Arena—OBX, OBY and OBZ—will feature GV’s LDX86N series native 4K cameras with XF Fiber base stations. In addition, the trucks will include one Kayenne K-Frame Video Production Center switcher with two panels; two GV Convergent IP/SDI router control and configuration systems with SDN license; iControl customized end-to-end facility monitoring; Densité 3+ FR4 frames with IPG-3901 high density SDI/IP gateways; and GV Node IP processing and edge routing platforms with Kaleido KMX-4911 cards.

The IP workflow utilizes SMPTE ST 2022-6 as well as video and audio IP standards such as VSF TR03/04, which GV supports through the AIMS initiative. Arena is running 4K UHD over 10GigE with GV’s 4K one-wire system that uses Tico compression. OBX, which is the first of three to be equipped and ready for use, is future ready for emerging formats, including HDR; OBX runs UHD 2Si for monitoring and can integrate Quad-Link if required.

Arena will release the OBY truck later in 2016, with OBZ set for 2017.