DUBAI—The NEP Group has announced the acquisition of Seven Production, the Dubai-based film and broadcasting independent production company.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In making the announcement NEP reported that the acquisition reinforces its investment and presence in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and is part of NEP’s ongoing expansion in the region, including a new fleet of mobile units, and the recent hires of Waleed Isaac as president for NEP Middle East and Asia and Mohammad Hammoud as chief commercial officer.

The addition of Seven makes NEP Middle East and Asia one of the largest companies of its kind serving broadcasters, production companies, event organizers and government entities in the region. The company will continue to offer a wide range of live production services including outside broadcast (OB) trucks, satellite trucks, flypack systems, connected production facilities, a network of studios in the Middle East, 4K/HD ENG broadcast cameras and equipment, flexible wireless solutions and other services including crewing, live webcasting, Host Broadcast support and systems integration.

“For NEP, this is an exciting expansion in a high-growth market that taps into Seven Production’s deep experience and knowledge,” explained Martin Stewart, CEO of NEP Group. “This partnership marks a significant investment for us in the Middle East, allowing us to deepen and expand our support for broadcasters, leagues, rightsholders, and producers who need a trusted partner equipped to meet their demands.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Seven to the NEP family—our companies are a perfect match,” added Waleed Isaac, president of NEP Middle East and Asia. “Culturally, we share having a strong focus on listening to our customers and shaping our approach to innovation based on what our customers need. We also understand their need for consistent international delivery with localised expertise. This deal positions us to deliver that seamlessly from day one.

Seven Production will become a part NEP’s Middle East and Asia regional grouping, with Pierre Tabet, managing director of Seven Production, continuing as managing director of the NEP Middle East business.

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Mobile production truck provider Live Media Group has added a 72-dual fader Calrec Argo Q and a 48-fader Argo S console to its new MU-16 mobile unit.

Designed and built exclusively for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the vehicle debuted with the July 6 episode of “AEW Collision” on TNT from the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.

The new truck is equipped with dual Argo control surfaces and doubles as a Calrec IP ImPulse core for redundancy. It marks a milestone for the Columbus-based mobile facilities company, which moves to a native internet-protocol production environment for the first time.

“The fact that the Argo and the ImPulse cores are ST 2110 IP-native was a big factor in our decision to go down this route,” Live Media Group sound engineer Kevin Norris said. “It totally removes the need for any of the conversion or audio bridging we have required on our previous installs, which saves us space and simplifies all our interconnections.

“We’ve worked with Calrec for many years, and our operator base knows the console workflow well,” he added. “Not only do we find them easy to drive, but our relationship with the team at Calrec means that we’re able to plan hardware adjustments in advance.”

The truck runs two Argo surfaces from one pair of redundant ImPulse cores. Its Argo Q surface operates as the main mixing console. The compact Argo S serves as a subconsole.

“We’re also operating two complete IP networks: one for all the Calrec AoIP I/O boxes connected to the truck and a second 2110 network with EVS Cerebrum control and Arista MCS as the Software Designed Network,” Norris said.

More information is available on the Calrec and Live Media Group websites.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif.—Mobile TV production facilities provider Game Creek Video is nearing completion of its fifth 4K UHD mobile unit within the past 12 months equipped with Riedel Communications’ IP gateways for inter-truck connectivity, Riedel has announced.

Game Creek video is using the Riedel MediorNet FusioN standalone IP converters to drive SMPTE ST 2110-based signal processing for each production vehicle.

The 53-foot-long expandable units are entirely IP-based facilities. Game Creek Video rolled out the first two production units, Bravo and Columbia, in late 2019. They were followed this year by Gridiron A and B and Celtic. Gotham is currently being completed.

Fox Sports will use Bravo and Gridiron for NFL and college football coverage, while CBS Sports has reserved Columbia and Celtic for its NFL and college basketball broadcasts. MSG Networks will use Gotham for its New York Rangers hockey and New York Knicks basketball coverage.

"With Bravo, we were taking a significant new direction in our facility design by trying to achieve full IP workflows within the footprint of a single mobile unit,” said Game Creek Video Engineering Project Manager Keith Martin.

“Naturally, that meant finding robust and effective solutions that could also run as cool as possible and meet the space constraints and weight restrictions of a 53-foot truck," he said. 

“Not only do the Riedel MediorNet devices check all of those boxes, but as native IP and 2110 solutions they allow us to maximize all of the benefits of IP operations, including lower cost per path, reduced setup time, connectivity with our legacy assets and overall simplicity of deployment.”

The T2T interface of MediorNet creates seamless, vendor-agnostic connectivity between the new trucks and Game Creek Video’s legacy SDI-based fleet, thereby eliminating the need to convert SDI signals from electrical copper to optical fiber and back again, Riedel said.

Using a 25-gigabit Ethernet interface, the FusioN gateways can transport signals on the SMPTE ST 2110 network and then output them as CWDM-wavelength (coarse wavelength division multiplexing) SDI directly to legacy equipment in a baseband truck.

“The ability to not only interconnect any of our 2110-based facilities with each other, but with any of our traditional baseband SDI mobile facilities, brings incredible flexibility to each production and allows us to maximize the investment in our entire fleet of vehicles,” said Martin.

“But the main reason we leaned heavily into Riedel for the T2T interface is the incredible versatility of the solution. In a single box, we have a complete solution for handling SDI, CWDM wavelength and the other complexities of the deployment.”

More information is available on the Riedel and Game Creek Video websites.  

SEATTLE—Going live is the life-blood of local and network television newscasts. Though bonded cellular backpacks have taken over some of the truck-born liveshot duty, there is still a good business to be done in building news vehicles. A number of news trucks with cutting-edge capabilities are rolling out to stations.

Satellite antenna agility can be a real plus for an SNG truck, which is why Brighthouse Networks, with stations in Orlando and Tampa, came to Frontline Communications in Clearwater, Fla. for four dual-band Ford Transit vehicles that feature AVL’s 1.2 Ka-Ku antennas.

Stephen Williamson, director of sales for Frontline, explained the advantage of being able to switch between Ka and Ku satellite links: “You would normally use a Ka satellite in your local market. Space-time with Ka costs less, though it is slightly more affected by rain fade. But if you’re doing out-of-town or cross country liveshots, let’s say your Orlando station is covering a game in Atlanta, or a location where maybe Ka was not approved for, they would go to the Ku.”

Brighthouse Networks tapped Frontline Communications to supply four dual-band Ford Transit vehicles that feature AVL’s 1.2 Ka-Ku antennas.

He also noted that Ka is designed for spot news, where Ku is better suited for doing long, multi-hour type productions.

“The AVL dual-band antenna features an automatic sliding feed that allows the operator to switch from Ka to Ku and back with the touch of a button inside the truck,” Williamson said. This means “there is no need to climb on top of the truck to switch the feeds manually, a potentially hazardous task.”

ROUGH AND READY

In markets that experience extreme weather events, a rough-and-ready vehicle platform with agile connectivity can be a real advantage. Jacksonville’s WJAX selected a Jeep Wrangler with both a Ka satellite dish and LiveU bonded cellular transmission. “They wanted a cutting edge camera system,” said Frontline’s Williamson, so they integrated “a custom software-programmed Live & Drive package with four POV cameras plus a roof mounted PTZ camera, all controlled by a handheld router controller with integral joystick.”

“The talent can choose which camera goes on air, switching clean and quietly between each camera, and control the roof mounted PTZ, all in the palm of his hand,” Williamson said. “The truck was also equipped with both Ka satellite and local weather systems, which can be displayed on the large rear monitor along with any other video source.”

The truck also features a cellular Wi-Fi system to allow Frontline and WJAX engineers to have remote access to control, monitor and troubleshoot any networked equipment in the truck.

EXTREME ENG CHALLENGES

For KVII-TV in Amarillo, Texas, AMT built the station a Ka satellite cell-bonded hyper van that allows them to switch between the cell and satellite connection to fit what works.

With apologies to Texas, cellular network and satellite-wise, a lot of the state is out in the middle of nowhere. For the Texas Panhandle-located KVII in Amarillo, “they’re not necessarily on one of the spot beams for the ViaSat satellite, they’re kind of off-beam a little bit,” said Steve DeFala, director of sales for Accelerated Media Technologies (AMT) in Auburn, Mass. “And there’s a lot of Texas that’s pretty sparse for cell coverage. The market has extreme ENG challenges.”

AMT built the station a Ka satellite cell-bonded hyper van that allows them to switch between the cell and satellite connection to fit what works. In KVII’s case, AMT partnered with LiveU for the bonded cellular equipment.

DeFala said that with the ViaSat antenna, even though they’re not perfectly within the beam, “they get phenomenal coverage. They’re able to roll anywhere they want around the country.”

For the truck platform, the station chose a Dodge ProMaster City.

Though there are many alternatives to point-to-point microwave, that liveshot technology is not dead yet. AMT has partnered with General Dynamics for the radios in the company’s ENGenesis LTE IP-Based ENG BAS system. Jacksonville’s WJXT is the first station in the U.S. to utilize the system, retrofitting its existing ENG trucks.

“It’s a replacement of the traditional COFDM video microwave, and works in the 2-gig licensed band,” said AMT’s DeFala. “Basically, we took [General Dynamics’] cell phone radio and pushed it into the licensed 2-gig BAS band.” The microwave system utilizes the station’s BAS licensed frequencies, paired with LTE technology. “You can run multiple trucks off the same frequency, at the same time, off the same receive site.”

JVC recently introduced its ProHD Wireless Bridge, a video-over-IP system designed for multicamera live broadcasts and compatible with JVC’s ProHD and 4KCAM streaming camera models. The ProHD Wireless Bridge comes equipped with a WB-MCA100 camera transceiver module, which plugs into the camera’s USB connector and allows cameras to operate up to 2,000-feet from the vehicle-mounted base station.

The system provides a complete bidirectional ability from their trucks to their studio, and back again. “So every truck is an extension of their in-house LAN Internet network, their station IP network,” he said. “So every truck has an address, every radio that’s in the truck has an address, everything that’s in those trucks has an address. So you could sit in the station, you could sit in master control at the TV station, and not only control the radio frequency …you can control the decoder that is receiving off-air video, control the truck’s PTZ cameras.”

Next up for the WJXT is a weather truck. “They’re going to be able to get off air cue, and separate weather graphics that the weather guy can do directly from the remote location, with no delay.

BUILDING A WIRELESS BRIDGE

For those stations that want to outfit a news vehicle without special retrofitting, JVC recently launched its ProHD Wireless Bridge, a video-over-IP system designed for multicamera live broadcasts and compatible with JVC’s ProHD and 4KCAM streaming camera models.

The ProHD Wireless Bridge comes equipped with a WB-MCA100 camera transceiver module, which plugs into the camera’s USB connector and allows cameras to operate up to 2,000-feet from the vehicle-mounted base station. The platform can also be used with handheld JVC cameras when paired with a smaller radio module, allowing for a 400-foot range.

Remote broadcasting is available with the platform courtesy of a built-in encoder that features Zixi error correction and variable bit rate control. With the encoder, operators can also monitor connection and outgoing stream quality status through the viewfinder.

There is also a WB-CELL200 cellular uplink that can receive signals from one or more field cameras to create a virtual private network (VPN). A mobile access point (WB-MAP100) with a separate high-gain omni-directional antenna is also available to receive signals and deliver them to the cellular uplink.

Operators can combine the ProHD Wireless Bridge with JVC’s BR-800 broadcaster and BR-DE800 ProHD decoder to create a mobile back haul system.

WUPPERTAL, GERMANY – Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSTV) and New Digital Technologies Holdings have gone with Riedel Communications’ Artist digital matrix intercom, MediorNet Compact Pro media network and RockNet digital audio network to provide communication, fiber interconnection and signal exchange among production units for China’s first 4K OB truck, according to JSTV.

NDT installed three Artist 64 digital matrix intercom systems as well as key-panels and user stations, with a Riedel universal radio interface to linked wired communication and radio communication systems. Three MediorNet Compact Pro systems are installed in main OB truck, in a smaller OB truck and in the venue form a fiber ring that supports HD transport, MADI audio, GigE and communications during live production. With RockNet, JSTV crews are able to link Yamaha, Studer and Soundcraft audio desks through the MediorNet network. The Riedel equipment helps provide future fiber-based intercom communications expansion.

Riedel Communications designs, manufactures and distributes real-time video, audio, data and communications networks for broadcast operations.