OSLO, Norway—NEP Europe has redesigned its EU-03 outside broadcast (OB) unit to help broadcasters and rightsholders across Europe scale live coverage more efficiently and reliably.

The modernized unit manages broadcast tools using a software platform, providing customers with the ability to scale up or down depending on the needs of each event. The upgrade also includes a full SMPTE ST 2110 IP transition and supports the growing demand for reliable, high-quality 1080p HDR productions, NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, said.

The revamped EU-03 introduces a more software-enabled production environment to the European market. It supports use of license-based broadcast tools to scale dynamically based on production requirements. This flexibility gives customers more options in how productions are delivered and enables teams to configure the right blend of software and traditional hardware workflows for each project, it said..

EU-03’s software-defined approach—using a common processing platform that can host different applications over time—also helps future-proof the unit, allowing new production capabilities to be added through software updates instead of major rebuilds, it said.

“Our clients want the freedom to produce more content in smarter ways without taking risks on quality or reliability,” said NEP Europe president Lise Heidal. “EU-03 gives customers more flexibility in how productions are delivered, backed by the operational discipline and resilience NEP is known for.”

EU-03 will primarily serve customers in the Nordics, launching in April with coverage of the Norwegian Football League, among other projects.

The unit is also designed to support remote production workflows, connecting directly to NEP’s production hub in Oslo. This enables certain production roles to be handled from the hub when appropriate, helping reduce travel, simplify logistics and improve overall cost efficiency while maintaining the delivery standards expected for high-profile live events, it said.

“EU-03 is built to scale from smaller shows to major events, while helping customers optimize footprint and associated costs,” said Eirik Nakken, director of technology for NEP Norway.

“Across Europe and around the world, we’re investing in this software platform-based approach, combining the flexibility of modern software workflows with the proven resilience and redundancy required for mission-critical live events. We’re very proud of the innovative solutions we’re providing to our customers.”

The EU-03 upgrade strengthens NEP’s ability to deliver end-to-end services—from capture and production to distribution and operational support—while giving customers more choice in how productions are staffed and operated, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

MELBOURNE, Australia—NEP Australia, part of NEP Group, has launched a new OB facility that targets the broadcast industry’s shift towards hybrid workflows combining new software solutions with traditional hardware.

NEP Australia’s newest OB introduces an intelligent technical design for major event productions across leagues including the NRL, AFL and NBL—and is a significant departure from traditional OB infrastructure, according to the company. Named “HG 31” within NEP’s global fleet, the truck houses just three racks of IT and networking equipment, handling all video and audio processing, routing and monitoring.

Rather than relying on conventional onboard production infrastructure, all production operations are managed remotely through NEP’s connected hub ecosystem, including the NEP Andrews Hubs in Melbourne and Sydney, and NEP’s Production Hub in Auckland.

HG 31 supplements traditional hardware control surfaces with software-driven touchscreens, enabling agile workflows onsite synchronised with a full hardware-based mixing board or audio console in remote production control rooms. Production and engineering teams can move seamlessly between software and physical interfaces as workflows evolve, making it one of the most flexible OB units ever designed, NEP says.

This combination of a compact, lightweight, software-driven OB unit working in tandem with an offsite production facility marks an industry first for top-tier live productions. The approach further advances NEP’s strategy of delivering flexible, scalable, and software-defined media solutions that adapt to the evolving needs of broadcasters and rightsholders.

“This marks another milestone for NEP in the global development of our software solutions, giving broadcasters the flexibility to scale production processes and configurations up or down as needed, all within a single, easy-to-use platform,” said Dan Murphy, vice president of NEP Platform, who is leading NEP Group’s software platform development globally.

"NEP has a proud tradition of combining the best-in-class technology available to deliver the right solutions for our customers. The evolving world of software processing expands this capability, and we’re excited to give customers more freedom to choose the right tools for each production and adapt even more quickly as requirements change."

NEP’s development of software-led broadcast solutions began nearly a decade ago with the creation of TFC, NEP’s all-in-one broadcast control, orchestration, and infrastructure platform. Designed to manage the complexity of IP workflows, TFC brings hardware and software systems together into a single, intuitive control environment for live production teams.

Today, TFC powers live productions across more than 120 NEP facilities and OBs worldwide and is available industrywide for rightsholders, leagues, federations, news organizations, and streamers to deploy within their own operations.

MONTREAL—Television Mobiles (TVM), a leading independent outside broadcast provider, has completed a major refurbishment of its midsized OB3 unit with Grass Valley’s Sirius 800 SDI Router at the heart of the unit’s routing backbone.

The investment supports TVM’s continued focus on reliable, high-capacity serial digital interface (SDI) workflows for live sports and events and remodels the truck’s core routing infrastructure.

Headquartered in Ireland, TVM delivers outside broadcast services across a broad production portfolio, including domestic coverage of GAA (hurling and Gaelic football), English Premier League soccer and major international events, such as the 2024 Paris Olympics, where its fleet supported swimming coverage.

Refurbishing OB3 required a complete rebuild of the truck. Central to the project was a full upgrade of the unit’s routing infrastructure. TVM sought a modern SDI platform that would support existing operational workflows while fitting within the physical constraints of a compact, high-capacity OB unit. TVM selected the Sirius 800 SDI platform to satisfy its need for reliability, flexibility and high performance in fast-turnaround environments.

“We took OB3 off the road for a full rebuild, a key component of which was installing a new routing system that was robust, simple to service and aligned with our established SDI workflows,” Bart Arnold, managing director at TVM, said. “The Sirius 800 SDI met all of our requirements. Grass Valley delivered on schedule, and their support throughout the installation allowed us to get the truck back on the road in time for the start of the GAA Club Championship season for TG4 [the free-to-air Gaelic-language public-service broadcaster].”

The Sirius 800 SDI serves as the central routing backbone for OB3, providing a stable SDI infrastructure that integrates seamlessly with TVM’s existing Grass Valley equipment. The compact footprint of the truck required detailed planning to ensure the router and associated cabling could be integrated efficiently.

Grass Valley and TVM worked together to finalize layout, commissioning and testing within a compressed delivery window. Despite the challenges, the truck successfully returned to service on schedule for TG4’s football coverage at the start of the GAA season.

More information is available on the company’s website.

MONTREAL—Grass Valley has delivered a 4K Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) outside broadcast (OB) truck to Guangdong Radio and Television (GRT), in partnership with Beijing Sailing Hightop Technology Development.

The handover ceremony, attended by senior executives from GRT, Sailing Hightop and Grass Valley, marks a milestone in China’s evolution toward next-generation IP-based broadcast technology.

During the ceremony, a Sailing Hightop spokesperson expressed appreciation to all project partners, noting that seamless collaboration across system design, integration and commissioning ensured the project was completed on time, on budget and to the highest standards.

According to a GRT spokesperson, the new OB unit will enhance the broadcaster’s ability to produce and transmit large sports and entertainment events in 4K UHD, providing strong technical support for the upcoming events.

The OB truck is the first native-IP UHD system in China and represents a transformative shift away from traditional baseband infrastructure. By adopting a fully IP-based architecture, the unit delivers new levels of flexibility, scalability and efficiency for live production, Grass Valley said.

Equipped with Grass Valley’s LDX 135/150 cameras and the Grass Valley K-Frame CXP switcher, the system supports 4K and 8K live production with high dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut (WCG) capabilities, while its distributed workflow enables real-time remote collaboration and future cloud deployment via GV Orbit SDN and AMPP (Agile Media Processing Platform). The design also maximizes space and energy efficiency and enables multi-platform content delivery through native landscape and portrait conversion, the company said.

“This project is a powerful example of what’s possible when innovation, collaboration and vision come together,” said Alain Wang, Grass Valley sales director for China. “We’re proud to support Guangdong Radio and Television and Sailing Hightop in delivering China’s first native-IP UHD OB truck, a future-ready solution that sets the standard for 4K and 8K live production in the region.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

Brutal güet, a Swiss broadcast services provider, has rolled out a state-of-the-art outside broadcast (OB) vehicle built on a Lawo AoIP (audio-over-internet protocol) infrastructure to power IP-based workflows.

The new vehicle is outfitted with a Lawo mc²56 MkIII production console with 48 faders, running on a redundant A__UHD Core licensed for 256 DSP channels. The core itself features a software-defined architecture providing up to 1,024 DSP channels within a compact 1RU housing. With native support for SMPTE ST2110, AES67, and RAVENNA, the system enables fully IP-based signal processing, Lawo said.

“The combination of the mc²56 and HOME [Lawo’s cloud-native control and management platform] has fundamentally streamlined our production workflows,” brutal güet Chief Operating Officer Jonas Zubriggen said. “We can configure complex setups in no time, automatically integrate devices into the network and react flexibly to new requirements—without manual IP configuration or lengthy prep work.”

The setup offers brutal güet maximum operational reliability and scalability, qualities that are essential for productions involving complex audio configurations and simultaneous multilingual broadcasts, it said.

“With Lawo, we can reliably manage parallel commentary feeds in German, French and Italian—all from one compact yet powerful vehicle,” Zurbriggen said.

The Lawo console supports demanding live productions and immersive audio workflows and offers snapshot automation, loudness metering and direct integration of Waves plug-ins, the company said.

Lawo’s A__stage80 and A__stage48 I/O units provide signal distribution. The A__stage80 offers 32 mic/line inputs, 32 line outputs, and eight AES3 stereo I/Os. It also supports SMPTE ST2022-7 seamless protection switching for redundant networking. Both are equipped with Class-A microphone preamps, MADI interfaces and dual IP ports.

The Lawo HOME platform manages brutal güet’s AoIP infrastructure. It automatically detects compatible devices, integrates them securely into the network and enables centralized configuration via an intuitive interface. HOME supports NMOS IS-04/05, IEEE 802.1x and RADIUS. With the new HOME 4.0 release and the HOME Pass licensing model, infrastructures can be scaled precisely, it said.

Broadcast Solutions designed the OB vehicle based on brutal güet’s operational requirements using its Streamline concept. The interior layout follows a clear workflow structure: the front section houses the video control area featuring a Sony MLS-1 video switcher for UHD/HDR productions, along with slo-mo and multifunction workstations in an expandable bay.

The center section accommodates the Lawo mc²56 MkIII console, installed perpendicular to the driving direction to maintain direct line-of-sight between the audio engineer and the director. A side window further enhances communication. The rear section includes camera shading and technical control workstations, along with server racks and the HI human interface control software system providing centralized process automation.

“We’re new to the OB truck business, but from the outset we wanted to make a clear statement about quality,” Zurbriggen said. “With Lawo, we’ve found a solution that not only meets our current needs but is also fully scalable for the future.”

More information is available on the Lawo and brutal güet websites.

Beyond Productions turned to EMG/Gravity Media Australia to deliver the broadcast technology and production services for Cold Chisel’s recent live performance at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.

The concert production is at the heart of “Cold Chisel: The Big Five-0,” a feature documentary that premieres May 11 on Australia’s Seven and 7Plus. EMG/Gravity Media deployed one of its state-of-the-art outside broadcast (OB) trucks, 12 cameras and a crew of 48 to deliver a front-row seat at the concert.

The documentary celebrates 50 years of iconic anthems burned into Aussie culture, including songs like “Khe Sanh,” “Flame Trees,” “Choirgirl” and “When The War Is Over.”

With exclusive interviews, archive footage and rare photographs from the band, “Cold Chisel: The Big Five-0” helps explore the lasting impact of the band. “Cold Chisel: The Big Five-0” is a Beyond Productions feature documentary produced in association with the Seven Network. Writer/producer Paul Clarke is a renowned filmmaker with previous award-winning and celebrated work.

“We approached this production in a non-conventional way, using film cameras around the stage, OB long lenses, IMAG cameras, lots of Steadicam shots in the audience, fly cams and drones and the latest minicams around the band,” Clarke said. “From the start to the end, Gravity kept solving all the problems. Their team was incredible, and we have a Cold Chisel moment in a bottle that will last for decades.”

More information is available on the EMG/Gravity Media Australia website.

MONTREAL—Grass Valley and F&F Productions have announced that a suite of Grass Valley solutions are being deployed on F&F’s latest 2110 IP 4K remote production truck, the GTX-21.

The new GTX-21 (A, B and C Units) follows on from the GTX-20 as F&F’s second 2110 IP truck and will feature cutting-edge Grass Valley technology including a Kayenne Switcher, GV Orbit orchestration platform, GV Routing, and KIP-X240 Multiviewers. Grass Valley is also supplying a large Cisco IP Spine and Leaf Core as part of the build.

F&F Productions is a leading provider of high definition and 4K remote production facilities for premier sporting and entertainment events across North America. Its signature GTX series fleet has delivered live network coverage for major events such as the Super Bowl, U.S. Open Tennis, the World Series, Stanley Cup Finals, NCAA Men’s Final Four, The Masters, The Kentucky Derby, and NASCAR.

The two companies have a long-standing relationship with Grass Valley solutions forming a core part of F&F’s existing mobile units.

That relationship was expanded for the build of the GTX-20, F&F’s first 2110 IP truck, laying the ground for the current collaboration taking place on the GTX-21, which will be the most advanced 2110 IP production vehicle on the market, the companies reported.

“Grass Valley has been an integral partner in helping us build our next-generation mobile units,” says Marc Orgera, President of F&F Productions. “To realize our ambition in building the most advanced, state-of-the-art vehicle possible, we required a total 2110 IP solution using the most advanced technology, something that we know and trust that Grass Valley will always deliver. Their comprehensive suite of IP solutions, combined with their deep industry knowledge, support, and our existing work together made them the ideal choice to power the GTX-21.”

In particular, Orgera believes the advancements in Grass Valley’s IP router technology will have significant benefits for F&F’s operations as it grows. “The IP router technology is really advanced and can comfortably accommodate the increased bandwidth and engineering needs of our growing infrastructure,” he said. “We have a great relationship with Grass Valley, and our continued partnership will be very important as we collaborate on ways to make the router more user-friendly and efficient.”

The two companies said that the GTX-21 is being designed to produce the largest sports and entertainment shows across North America. The deal was finalized in December 2024 with the GTX-21 A, B, and C Units now in the build phase. Grass Valley’s engineers are working together with F&F’s team on delivering the new truck, with expected completion later this year.

“Designing and building world class OB vans is uniquely challenging as they are rolling production facilities, but the GTX-21 brings the added complexity of being fully 2110 IP enabled,” explains Alex Keighley, Grass Valley’s senior vice president of sales for North America. Grass Valley has also worked with Cisco on supplying the large Cisco IP Spine and Leaf Core.

“Our team of engineers have a great relationship with F&F’s director of engineering Don Adydan and his team, and we are working closely together on the GV product design and build of materials to meet all F&F’s requirements, including the large Cisco IP Spine and Leaf Core. We’re looking forward to delivering what will be the most advanced remote production vehicle in the North American market,” Keighley noted.

The deal is further evidence of Grass Valley’s market leadership as a specialist partner in live production innovation, and strengthens its position both in the North American market and as a leader in the delivery of fully integrated, scalable, and future-proof 2110 IP solutions.

Grass Valley is demonstrating the GV Media Universe at NAB Show 2025, April 6-9, in a new location in the North Hall, Booth N506

AUSTIN, Texas—Systems integrator BeckTV has announced that it will be showcasing its facility design, engineering, and installation expertise and services, with a particular focus on its work for sports venues and TV stations at the 2024 NAB Show. 

During the show in Las Vegas between April 13-17, BeckTV engineers will be on hand in Booth C4035 to review the newest technology and trends, along with best practices in system design and integration.

In announcing its NAB Show plans, the company said it offers complete space planning, design, engineering, purchasing, and integration services for nearly any budget — all available in a one-stop shop. The company also has extensive in-house metal, composite, and wood fabrication capabilities to create truly customized solutions.

"With the increasing adoption of SMPTE ST 2110 and AES67 and the push for ever-higher resolutions, broadcasting and sports facilities are looking to modernize their infrastructures or build brand-new ones to take advantage of the latest technological advancements," said Matt Weiss, vice president of business development at BeckTV. "I'm happy to say that BeckTV has been behind many of those projects. They are perfect illustrations of our skill and expertise, which will be on full display at NAB. Any broadcast or sports production engineer who's planning to upgrade will really like what they see."

Over the years, BeckTV has implemented innovative technology for nearly every type of installation, including broadcast and network television stations, cable and satellite facilities, network operations centers, sports and mobile trucks, professional and university stadium venues, and houses of worship, the integrator said.

The company's projects run the gamut in terms of size and technology — from sports stadiums and large network builds to the smallest call letter stations, and from classic baseband video systems to sophisticated SMPTE ST 2110 deployments.

In the recent past, BeckTV has been responsible for infrastructure upgrades and/or new builds for prominent sports venues and several broadcast stations. Sports projects include M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens; Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers; the UFC Apex; Citi Field, home of the Mets; Lower.com Field, home of the Columbus Crew; and Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. Among its many accomplishments, BeckTV has designed and built the most advanced 4K HDR 2110 deployments in sports and is responsible for the only installed 8K replay systems in NFL venues. 

The company has also worked with major station groups, including Hearst, Tegna, Gray Television, and Griffin Media, completing projects for stations from complete greenfield builds to major system upgrades.

Besides its work with on-site broadcast facilities, BeckTV is also known for its work on outside broadcast (OB) trucks, such as a recently completed flagship OB truck for Ross Production Services. 

As part of its OB work, BeckTV said it can manage an OB truck project and conceptualize and finalize design and documentation of all major broadcast systems, including every individual wire to be installed in the truck. BeckTV can prewire and label all cables at its facility for delivery to the project site. Then, after receiving an empty truck, a BeckTV installation crew can completely integrate all equipment, running the wires, racking the gear, doing all the power and cabling, and performing comprehensive testing to ensure the final system operates as planned. Finally, a BeckTV project engineer and a technician can be on hand to provide event support during the truck's first show, the company said. 

More information about BeckTV is available at www.becktv.com. 

SYDNEY—Event production and OB solution provider Innovative Production Services has acquired a state-of-the-art Lawo mc²36 audio production console for their 4K ONE Outside Broadcasting (OB) Truck. 

“We're thrilled to partner with Lawo to enhance our audio production capabilities,” said Jeremy Koch, director of Innovative Production Services. “The Lawo mc²36 console is a game-changer for us, offering unparalleled flexibility and sonic precision. It's the perfect fit for our mission to deliver flawless audio experiences to our diverse range of clients.”

After extensive market research, Koch said that they had identified Lawo as the premier choice to fulfill the audio production needs of their 4K ONE OB truck. The Lawo mc²36 is an all-in-one console at heart, boasting 256 DSP channels, both at 48kHz and 96kHz. It delivers the same superb convenience as its larger siblings: all industry-standard audio inputs and outputs are built-in, with native IP connectivity at its center, the company said. 

Powered by Lawo’s A__UHD Core software-defined processing technology, the console delivers  the flexibility offered by IP technology combined with intuitive tools that make setup and management as simple as baseband. The console is fully geared to manage any kind of remote application and provides easy deployment for on-site scenarios, including effortless point-to-point connectivity for A__stage IP stageboxes.

“We're honoured to be selected by Innovative Production Services to provide the audio production backbone for their OB truck,” said Keith Prestidge, APAC Sales Director at Lawo. “The mc²36 console is engineered to meet the rigorous demands of live event production, offering unmatched reliability, scalability, and sonic performance. We're confident that it will elevate the audio production capabilities of Innovative Production Services to new heights.”

Professional Audio & Television, Lawo’s exclusive distribution partner in Australia and New Zealand, supported and facilitated the acquisition of the Lawo mc²36 console for Innovative Production Services. Providing their own Lawo mc²36 console for testing and various demo sessions, Professional Audio & Television ensured a seamless procurement process and supported Innovative Production Services comprehensive research to evaluate their investment prior to purchase.

Innovative Production Services will showcase their 4K ONE OB Truck, including the new Lawo mc²36 console at MET Expo 2024 from March the 5th to March the 7th at Royal Randwick, Sydney. To register visit metexpo.com.au.  

More information is available at www.lawo.com.

The boards of EMG and Gravity Media have announced the completion of a definitive agreement to combine their businesses.

The combination of the two companies creates one of the world’s largest broadcast technology and production organizations.

The new entity, which is yet to be named, will include more than 100 outside broadcast trucks and flypacks and 40 studios and production facilities across Europe, the Middle East, United States, and Australia.

It will also have 30 offices across 12 countries, with a total of  2,000 permanent employees and access to a global network of freelance personnel.

The new entity will be led by Shaun Gregory, the current CEO of EMG, as its global chief executive officer. John Newton, founder, CEO and majority shareholder of Gravity Media, will serve as executive chairman.

Speaking to TV Tech sister brand TVBEurope as part of a media briefing, Newton and Gregory revealed the deal was officially signed before Christmas and has passed all regulatory hurdles.

The two companies first began discussing the merger pre-Covid, added Newton, and resumed negotiations last year.

“This is a non-cash transaction, which is why it’s a merger,” he added. “It takes the best of both businesses. There is a scale difference. The EMG business is bigger than the Gravity Media business, but all of the existing Gravity Media and EMG stakeholders are now in the new combination.”

The merger provides a much bigger and more stable company in an environment in an industry that’s been through some difficult times, added Gregory.

Asked what it means for staff, Newton said he doesn’t see much crossover between the two businesses. “One of the reasons for doing the deal is that the geographic markets are quite separate,” he added.

“Gravity Media has a big position in APAC, a bigger position in the U.S. than EMG. Obviously, we have some overlap in the U.K. but Gravity’s U.K. business provides slightly different services to EMG. There’s a good story for the aggregation of those services from glass to eyeball as such. We’re production and content, and media services and facilities. So that’s a combination of creative elements and also technical elements as well.”

In terms of geography in the U.K., Newton said he expects that in time all of the new entity’s production staff will move into Gravity Media’s White City production center, while the OB trucks and back-off staff will likely move to one single location, “if a location that can accommodate the scale of what’s needed can be found.”

“We’re always looking to improve, optimise and have an efficient business,” added Newton. “So just because there’s a merger, there doesn’t always have to be fallout from that.

“If you look at our industry, generally, all of our competitors are suffering from the same challenges that we have. Hopefully, those bad days are behind us and we’re going to start to see credit markets settle, inflation coming back under control, and that’s going to drive a growth phase. We want to take the best of the services that we have globally, offer them to our current markets plus new markets, which will mean we’ll be looking for more staff in those areas where we don’t work.”

According to Gregory, the merger allows the new entity to aggregate component parts of both businesses, enabling it to offer customers more services. “This industry is not behind the times, but I think it’s not mature, and there’s an opportunity to take a more proactive role,” he explained.

“There’s a kind of gap in the market for an Amazon of this sector, a truly digitized business that connects both people and customers around the world. There’s a real opportunity for someone to step in and provide that real customer-facing point where you can just do something differently.”

BINGEN, Germany—Broadcast Solutions, one of Europe’s largest media systems integration groups, will bring two of its recently completed outside broadcast trucks to IBC2023 between Sept. 15 to 18 at RAI Amsterdam.

The trucks can be seen in the outside exhibit area 0.A01.

One of the trucks is a large articulated truck custom built for SuperSport; the second unit is a fixed-chassis 12 camera unit based on the Broadcast Solutions Streamline family to be delivered to Remotion. 

During IBC2023, Broadcast Solutions will also be demoing its innovative meshLINK wireless transmission system.

SuperSport IP2 is the second unit supplied to the South African broadcaster, following the IP1 unit in June of this year. The company’s intelligent design process allowed it to pack as many as 19 workplaces into the single-expanding trailer.

The SuperSport IP2 is fitted out with Sony cameras and production switcher, Calrec audio, Vizrt graphics and EVS replays. Internally, IP2 is all IP, with SNP processors from Imagine Communications for SDI/IP conversion.

Like the SuperSport vehicle, the second OB truck from Broadcast Solutions on display at IBC, the Remotion S8L, is fully Ultra HD capable. 

The Remotion S8L unit is built on an 18 ton MAN chassis, with bespoke coachbuilding and internal layout to support 10 to 12 workplaces, including cameras by Grass Valley, a Sony production switcher, Lawo audio console and Riedel intercom. Despite extended delivery times for the basic vehicle, thanks to the flexible standard format, Broadcast Solutions was able to complete the project in less than 11 months.

Both vehicles use the hi human interface management layer from Broadcast Solutions. This radical new approach to system control, which emphasizes simple and intuitive operation as well as comprehensive automation, will be demonstrated on the Broadcast Solutions dedicated hi human interface stand inside IBC2023, 10.D41, the company said. 

During IBC2023, the company will also be demonstrating the meshLINK high quality wireless video transmission platform in the outside exhibits area. 

Developed by Broadcast Solutions, this transforms wireless camera planning and execution through the use of an IP mesh network. Each unit acts as a transmitter, receiver and repeater at the same time, and multiple cameras operate on the same frequency. It provides excellent image quality through the use of H.265 encoding, at up to 4k Ultra HD, with connectivity either over 12G SDI or 2SI.

The outside exhibition location will also include partner companies Thum + Mahr, Birds Camera Solutions and TVC.

“We are showing two outside broadcast trucks at IBC this year, because we continue to see strong business in sport and entertainment,” said Stefan Breder, CEO of Broadcast Solutions. “Through our Streamline products and our bespoke designs we meet any requirement, from a simple SNG van to the biggest truck in the world.

“Those same system integration and construction skills are also used in the many fixed facilities we build for our clients,” Breder added. “We draw on our long and successful experience to understand our clients’ real requirements and develop technology-agnostic solutions that best meet their commercial, creative and engineering needs. IBC is a great opportunity to showcase our skills and discuss future projects.”

Visit Broadcast Solutions at outside area 0.A01 and stand 10.D41 at IBC2023.

To find out more about the company’s products and services visit www.broadcast-solutions.de. 

LUTON, U.K.—Nixer Pro Audio has expanded its range of AoIP (Audio-over-IP) monitors with the introduction of a compact version of its popular RL64 AoIP monitoring and mixing engine.

Shipping now, the RLC64 is designed to help broadcasters operating in Outside Broadcast (OB) and other live production environments, to move to IP infrastructures. With a depth of just 120mm, the 1U dual-purpose confidence monitor and audio mixing engine is ideal for IP-based OB vehicle and flypack installations, the company reported. 

“As our customers migrate to IP infrastructures, they need reliable and proven equipment that integrates seamlessly into their existing spaces - especially when it comes to fixed install and OB retrofits,” says Nick Fletcher, founder and CEO of Nixer Pro Audio. “Our RLC64 Ravenna does exactly that. Because it is fully AES67 and ST 2110 compliant, and with its NMOS integration, the unit provides wider interoperability between vendors to minimize manual stream configuration.”

Designed to operate across both Dante and Ravenna IP-based networks, two versions of the RLC64 are available: the RLC64 Dante AES67 model and the RLC64 Ravenna AES67/ST2110 model. The RLC64 Ravenna is also NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 compliant to enable device discovery and connection management across a variety of IP endpoints. Both models are capable of creating a mix of up to 67 input sources in advanced broadcast workflows.

The space-saving RLC64 maintains the same straightforward user interface and features as Nixer Pro Audio’s original RL64, providing sound professionals with high quality confidence monitoring, fault finding and extensive mix facilities; but its compact form factor ensures easy installation even within the confines of tilted or shallow racks that are synonymous with outside broadcast and event-based production, the company explained. 

It is designed to allow users to easily identify sources and potential issues and quickly navigate to any audio device on the network. The RLC64 menu is presented on a 6.6inch LCD screen delivering quick source touch screen navigation for access to all input sources in banks of 16 to give intuitive access to the full range of features. 

Displaying comprehensive metering, routing and status information from a central position on the front panel, the RLC64’s screen can also be set to listen mode whereby touching a channel instantly routes to the LR output, ensuring confidence in audio signal integrity wherever it sits in the signal chain, the company said. 

With two modes of operation, the RLC64 can create a mix of up to 64 x channels over a 1Gb AoIP connection, while an additional 2 x AES inputs and 3.5mm mic provides a total of 67 x input sources. Its mix mode allows for panning and level control on every channel, which can be configured as mono or stereo, while the main output has a 3-band EQ and Limiter.

With switchable metering between EBU or SMPTE standards, audio monitoring can be accessed via the RLC64’s integral full range drivers, a 3.5mm headphone socket or AES outputs via XLR connectors. Supporting multiple sample rates across 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz and 96kHz for maximum interoperability, the device also features full redundant power connectivity across a DC input socket or PoE on the primary RJ45 connector. 

Firmware updates can be applied on the fly via a dedicated USB micro-AB connector on the front panel.

“IP infrastructures are proving to offer more flexibility, smaller footprints and reduced costs,” continues Fletcher. “Our RLC64 will make it easier and more cost-effective for broadcasters to make the transition to IP so they can take advantage of all these inherent benefits. Plus, its plug and play operation with super-intuitive UI ticks all the boxes for audio professionals in high pressure environments.”

LONDON—NEP has announced that it worked with BBC Studios Events on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, providing facilities for the host broadcaster's operation. 

NEP said that it delivered the outside broadcast services across five separate events, including the BBC Platinum Jubilee Concert and Pageant. 

The NEP outside broadcast trucks used in the event included Venus, Sargasso, and Voyager. They provided coverage with a range of cameras. 

The BBC was the host broadcaster. NEP operations for the BBC were overseen by project manager Richard Lancaster. 

It was “an honor for NEP and the entire team to be entrusted with the broadcast technical facilitation of such a momentous occasion by our partners at the BBC Studios,” said Simon Moorhead, managing director, NEP UK Broadcast Services. 

The bank holiday weekend started with the Queen’s birthday parade on Thursday, followed by the lighting of the Jubilee beacons.  Saturday hosted the centerpiece event of the weekend - the BBC Platinum Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace. 

Collaborating with BBC Events, BT Broadcast & Media delivered host connectivity. 

NEP Connect provided camera crew and connectivity to BBC Studios Kids & Family for live inserts into CBBC Mash-Up and Blue Peter with presenters and Stanley the iconic puppet monster interviewing all the guest artists backstage at the concert.

Creative Technology provided the technical delivery of the Buckingham Palace projections and main stage LED screens for the celebrations. Custom graphics displayed across the screens by NorthHouse Creative, with camera imagery provided by NEP for the broadcast production. The LED screens were also used for the Trooping of the Color on Thursday, the Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s on Friday and the pageant on Sunday.

The weekend was rounded off by the Jubilee pageant on Sunday afternoon. NEP provided the broadcast coverage from the show. 

LOS ANGELES—Live Media Group Holdings (LMHG) has acquired Lyon Video, a video broadcasting (Outside Broadcasting) and production company based in Columbus, Ohio. The transaction closed on March 1 and marks LMGH’s fourth acquisition in the past three years.

Founded in 1986, Lyon Video maintains a fleet of 11 production trucks, including three that support native 4K/UHD production, and seven B-unit trucks that provide additional space for graphics, slow-motion replays, or second-screen production. The company also provides production crewing, equipment rental, turnkey live production solutions, production facility design, and streaming services including its own LYON CLOUD streaming video platform.

Brad Sexton, President and CEO of Live Media Group Holdings, said the company will continue to operate as Lyon Video, and there will be no changes to the leadership team, company structure or operations.

“Lyon Video has built their brand and its amazing reputation over the past 36 years. Their relationships with clients across live events, sports and broadcast markets have been earned through high-quality, high-profile productions,” Sexton explained. “The reasons for the purchase were simple: Lyon Video’s assets are phenomenal, their engineering team is one of the most talented in the industry, and the Midwest location allows LMGH to continue to support client projects across the country.” 

Lyon Video is another complementary company that will help Live Media Group Holdings—which was founded in 2008—continue to expand their national presence and strengthen live production and broadcast offerings, the company said. Lyon Video joins Live Media Group, Live Mobile Group, TNDV and Harb Production Services and represent one of the largest mid-level unit production companies in the United States, according to the company.

“This acquisition is an exciting move forward for Lyon Video,” added Chad Snyder, President of Lyon Video. “By joining Live Media Group Holdings, we become part of a larger team dedicated to delivering live broadcast excellence. Our new home with LMGH will allow us to expand our services and depth of offerings to our clients.”

Ardea Capital Partners and the Private Credit business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Goldman Sachs) led the investment round of Live Media Group Holdings. 

Marc Saiontz, CEO of Ardea Capital Partners (ACP) commented, “Live Media Group Holdings is well positioned for exponential growth across an industry that is continuing to evolve. We are very impressed with the management teams associated with all of the companies within the LMGH portfolio,” he added.

Taylor Mefford, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs stated, “Live Media Group Holdings has a very unique consolidation, roll up strategy that will resonate within an industry that continues to look for new production and technology solutions.”  Financial terms associated with the acquisition were not disclosed.

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—Game Creek Video has integrated the TSL Products MPA1-MIX-DANTE audio monitoring solution into its GCV Anywhere remote OB truck interface, TSL announced today.

“TSL audio monitors are reliable and sound great. TSL offers both analog and digital connectivity options,” said James Piccirillo, broadcast network systems manager at Game Creek Video. “We love how we can monitor up to 128 audio channels if necessary, and it’s easy to use and interface with. All of the sources can be customized, making it a flexible and intuitive solution for anyone using it.”

The GCV Anywhere remote kits, developed during the height of the pandemic, allow production teams to produce and control live broadcasts while off-site to promote the safety of production teams.

The TSL Products MPA1-MIX-DANTE is designed for outside broadcast or headend use where fast audio QC of multiple sources is required. With the unit, custom mixes can be created on the fly using independent source gain encoders from any combination of the 64 Dante/AES67 and 64 MADI sources available, the company said.

The monitor includes a source label and a monitor mix label display so operators can access and monitor audio sources as well as accurate peak metering, it said.

All of the user features of the TSL MPA1-MIX-DANTE are accessible via a web UI with a built-in web server designed to enable remote configuration and monitoring of networked units, making it a versatile solution for any remote setup, the company said.

The monitoring solution offers an easily accessible front panel display, which includes pan/balance information and efficient audio monitoring of up to eight unique audio sources. Source labels can be automatically read from the Dante network or manually entered using the web UI. 

The MPA1-MIX-DANTE includes a high-quality internal full range loudspeaker system, a 1RU lightweight case that is 100mm deep and SNMP support, it said.

More information is available on the TSL Products website.  

THAMES DITTON, England—NEP UK has acquired multiple Imagine Communications Selenio Network Processor (SNP) appliances and is installing them in four of its largest outside broadcast trucks to provide a seamless, automated workflow for delivering 4K, UHD and HD with standard and high dynamic range (SDR and HDR).

“We have adopted the use of the SNP as a high-density signal conversion engine,” said Chris Cannon, director of technical operations at NEP UK. “Given the tight confines of an outside broadcast truck, we really appreciate we can get eight UHD conversion channels in just 1 RU, and that include signal format conversion as well as SDR-HDR conversion—the latter through the built-in conversion pipeline or through customer-defined LUTs.”

“We set and forget the SNPs. They perform well, take up little rack space, consume less power and deliver the full variety of HD, UHD, SDR and HDR outputs we need,” he said.

The SNP is a software-defined IP and SDI signal processing device. Each 1RU device has four independent processing blocks. Each block can adopt personalities defined by the software. Applications are available on individual licenses, so users can define the exact function they require and reconfigure the SNP as tasks demand. This makes them particularly well-suited to outside broadcast production, Imagine Communications said.

NEP UK ordered a mix of licenses for signal format conversion, including HD, 3G and 4K as well as dynamic range conversion between SDR, HLG, PQ and Slog3, it said. 

More information is available on the company’s website.

PITTSBURGH—Call it an outside broadcast, a remote, a field telecast, or live event coverage, the origination of programing from outside the confines of a television studio had been part of the medium since the commencement of regular TV broadcasting schedules in the 1930s. The viewing of such activities as boxing matches, ball games, beauty pageants, parades, political conventions, and the like as they happen and from where they are happening has always held a certain fascination for the public; an experience different from that in carefully planned and orchestrated studio productions, especially those that are recorded and heavily post-produced.

One of the largest of those entities making possible such outside broadcasts is the NEP Group (formerly NEP Broadcasting LLC), a Pittsburgh-based organization that has grown by leaps and bounds since its rather humble beginnings more than three decades ago, when it took to the road with a single remote truck, and operated as an adjunct to a TV station serving northeast Pennsylvania.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Mike Werteen, global president of NEP Broadcast Services, recalled the live production giant’s rather inauspicious startup.

“Towards the end of 1978, Tom Shelburne built the first mobile production truck for WNEP, an ABC affiliate located in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.,” he said. “The truck’s first show was an NCAA women’s basketball game at Penn State University, covered for TCS [Total Communications Systems], WNEP’s first client.”

This first truck—later dubbed “Sharpshooter 1”—would become NEP’s entryway into the sports broadcasting arena, transitioning from pickups of Penn State games for TCS to coverage of a variety of other sporting events. In the 1980s, NEP acquired the holdings of TCS and relocated to Pittsburgh. (Present-day trucks are still “Supershooters,” but this is usually shortened to “SS—”SS18” or “SS21.”)

Fast forward 35 years, and NEP is now the definitive name in live production, not only in the United States, but globally, with offices in two dozen countries and nearly 4,000 employees. And while live event coverage is still its forte, the company also offers services in system integration, ENG, visual special effect creation, post production, playout, media management, and more. To get an idea of the overall scope and reach of NEP’s operations, the organization has produced television coverage of live events in more than 80 countries spread across all seven continents.

THE PATH TO THE TOP

Asked about the NEP’s meteoric growth, Werteen said that the event which really spawned the company’s pathway to the top came in 1995 when it negotiated the purchase of NBC’s mobile production fleet. This set the stage for a pattern of television production-related acquisitions that has continued well into the 21st century.

“It has been steady, focused growth since then,” said Werteen. “Our growth outside of the U.S. started in 2005 when we acquired Visions and Roll to Record in the U.K. [now NEP UK], adding Global Television in Australia [now NEP Australia] in 2014, and adding major players in Europe and Asia Pacific in 2015 and 2016.”

These included Mediatec Broadcast (now NEP Europe), Broadcast Solutions (now known as NEP Broadcast Solutions), Dutch View (now NEP the Netherlands), as well as Mediatec Solutions and Infostrada].

“We have a phenomenal team around the world,” Werteen said. “All of our acquisitions have been a tremendous fit for us both business-wise and culturally. I am really proud of the dedication, integrity and ingenuity of our teams around the world.”

NEP’s most recent acquisition occurred late last year when it acquired Baltimore-based Broadcast Sports International, a Baltimore-based designer and manufacturer of wireless networks and high-end wireless A/V systems. “We’ve worked alongside BSI’s team for years and share a great deal of respect for their high-quality work and technology,” said Werteen.

When asked to comment on just how large a presence in the live production market NEP has, Werteen provided the following statistics:

“NEP has roughly 3,900 employees worldwide. We have 160-plus OB trucks on the road, 45 broadcast production flypacks, and a total of 44 studios and control rooms around the world. We have around 95 offices with operations in 24 countries. We have supported events in 87 countries to-date. We are a truly global company.

“We really pride ourselves in being able to support our clients as a trusted partner offering truly local service, backed by the full depth and scale of NEP’s resources, virtually anywhere they need to go.”

NEP’s expansion has also led the company into developing products for related areas.

“We have teams that have developed really innovative media solutions, including Mediabank [NEP’s cloud-based media asset management service],” Werteen said. “Our live events teams [Screenworks, Sweetwater, CT, Mediatec, Faber and Big Picture], collectively have around 40,000 square meters of LED product and 45 mobile LED screen trucks, as well as other display, projection, audio, rigging and lighting solutions.”

LOOKING FORWARD

With such an enormous footprint, are there any “worlds left to conquer” for NEP, and with the now-universal low-cost video capture, production tools, available to virtually anyone, coupled with the global distribution channel that the internet provides, Werteen was asked if there were any new directions that NEP might be taking.

“NEP is distribution-agnostic, so no matter what the technological advance or any evolution of distribution methods, we feel good about our role in helping clients deliver live production,” he said. “Distribution offerings have evolved over the past 40 years. Technology has advanced over the past 40 years. NEP has stayed relevant because we focus on the technological fundamentals that are important to us. We focus on staying ahead of the technology discussion, making sure advances are relevant and reliable. We focus on making sure technology advances meet a valid business case. Once those criteria are met, we focus on innovating or acquiring solutions.”

Asked if there were any new goals or targets in mind for the company, Werteen responded in the negative stating, “The only goals we concentrate on are servicing our clients and supporting our employees.”

Stinehour: NEP’s Growth ‘Mind-Boggling’

NEP’s influence in the world’s live television production market is the result of strong management skills and its ability to quickly integrate its expanding roster of acquisitions, according to Josh Stinehour, principal analyst at Devoncroft Partners LLC, a media technology sector research firm.

“NEP is almost the closest thing we have in our industry to ‘too big to fail,’” said Stinehour. “They’ve gotten so large that I don’t know that we could replace them if they disappeared, at least not without some huge wrenching in the industry.”

Stinehour credits NEP’s phenomenal growth to “strong operational and financial management,” and referred to the company’s business acumen in acquiring and bringing together, through mergers and acquisitions, the numerous live event production entities it now owns and operates has as “mind boggling.”

“Since 2012, NEP has made almost 30 acquisitions.”

So, just how big is big? Stinehour doesn’t even want to speculate about what would happen if NEP were to suddenly disappear from the live production scene.

“If you [conducted] an academic experiment and you had NEP shut their doors and mothball their equipment, it’s not clear to me that there’s enough slack capacity in the rest of the industry to continue on, at least not without major disruption,” he said. “They are truly that big and all-encompassing when you consider all the live events that they touch.”

He also offers high marks to NEP’s managerial skills for achieving a great degree of balance and stability in a market sector that is constantly in flux.

“For the most part they tend to surge and contract-–and I use those words broadly—at least in revenue terms—around the major events and where they are happening in the world,” said Stinehour. “They were very busy in Korea earlier in 2018 and very busy with the World Cup. They are going to track the major events and they’re going to have very good years, but then they have to manage the resulting drawdown when the big events aren’t taking place.”

He noted that in connection with this, NEP has been diversifying its range of activities to include other live events such as concerts or corporate events along with the sports pickups that have the company’s “meat and potatoes” business for a long time.

“It will be interesting to see how they fare in these markets,” he said. “Those markets have different dynamics than large sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup.”

VAN NUYS, CA--PSSI Global Services has partnered with OB vehicle builder Frontline Communications to build 16 new, state-of-the-art Ku-band SNG vehicles for use by PSSI News Group in exclusive partnership with CNN. The trucks replace 16 vehicles previously owned by CNN, which — having been absorbed into the PSSI Global Services fleet — are in the process of being upgraded and will soon be available to all PSSI Global Services clients.

The new PSSI News Group trucks include nine full-size Freightliner trucks and seven Mercedes Sprinters. Each is fully equipped with top-shelf broadcast equipment, including Ericsson AVP encoders and IRDs, Evertz Microsystems terminal equipment, Xenon digital routers, Hitomi MatchBox lip-sync systems, Panasonic video production switchers, and Vislink wireless RF camera systems. The new trucks are now in use by PSSI News Group engineers for CNN coverage in regions across the country, including Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, New York City, Dallas, Columbus and Miami.

The additional trucks PSSI Global Services acquired from CNN are already built for multipath news transmissions, with production switchers, extensive comms infrastructure, multichannel audio mixers, multipath encoding and decoding equipment, and more. 

Once PSSI Global Services’ upgrades are complete, the trucks will also have advanced compression, multiplexing and IP capabilities to support sports and entertainment projects, as well as news coverage. Each truck will be outfitted with high-throughput satellite modems with dedicated satellite capacity to enable a wide range of IP services, including internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), enterprise connectivity, and bandwidth for backhaul and multicasting.

Many of the upgraded trucks are already complete and in use, including a Sprinter based in Los Angeles and several full-sized trucks with extensive production capabilities in Atlanta, Boston, Denver and Las Vegas. As the upgrades continue, PSSI Global Services plans to deploy trucks in Phoenix, Portland, Kansas City, Nashville, Charlotte and several other cities across the country.

PITTSBURGH—At the NEP Systems Integration Group, we design and build television production, mobile truck, and flypack systems for content producers whose needs change from show to show. We consider every design in light of space, size, weight, and power consumption—and also in terms of flexibility, which is why we equip many of our production systems with KVM technology.

For many of our mid-size mobile production units, we count on KVM switches and extenders from IHSE’s Draco tera and Draco vario. With a simple keyboard command, our operators, engineers, and producers can use their own workstations to connect instantly to and control another device within the truck—with no delay or visual artifacts. By defining and recalling specific connections on a per-show or per-day basis, operators can access just the equipment they need for any production.

Size, density, price point, and flexibility all make the Draco KVM systems a good fit for the mid-size truck niche. With the 6-U Draco chassis, we typically use a CPU card and an extender, or a second card for serial control for much of the equipment. We often just use two pairs of transmitters or two pairs of receivers, but we can get three of those pairs into a 1RU chassis that can go pretty much anywhere.

OPTIMIZED FOR REMOTE

Design engineer Martin Eibeck laid out the KVM system for EN3, our new, twintrailer mobile unit for network sports production. In a more traditional twin-truck combination, the A unit would handle record/replay in addition to production audio and video, but we designed EN3 so that operators in the B trailer can handle record/replay if needed. With an IHSE Draco compact KVM switch providing a matrix of 48 copper ports for A with an additional 16 fiber ports available for B, we use eight-channel Draco CWDM modules to mux and demux KVM signals between the record servers on A and the operators on B. Record/replay workstations are configured with Draco vario KVM DVI combination extenders. This creates a highly flexible mobile operation in which both units can be configured to meet a given show’s requirements; operators can move between B to A, plug their controllers into the KVM serial port, and simply recall their servers without changing wires or moving cables.

The KVM equipment has optimized EN3 for remotely integrated at-home production (REMI) and graphics remote integration (GREMI), two powerful and relatively new approaches that lessen the allow core crew working on site to set up and test the system and, as air time nears, switch all the KVM connections to the remote operators—replay or graphics operators or others — helping to run the show from the broadcaster’s fixed facility.

As we engineer ever-better workflows, we appreciate IHSE’s willingness to help us build each system the way we want it. (We’re not all that shy about making special requests that allow us to design and build facilities that stand out from the competition.) We enjoy a great working relationship with IHSE, and the company’s KVM equipment has served us reliably and well.

Joseph Signorino is vice president, systems integration for NEP US Mobile Units and can be reached atjsignorino@nepgroup.com

For more information, visitwww.ihseusa.comor call 866-721-0744.

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.—Live event production specialist CP Communications has purchased and deployed several VF-9000 bulk fiber transport systems from MultiDyne Fiber Optic Solutions to reduce configuration difficulties and ensure reliable connections for remote productions.

The company has installed the systems in its HD-11 and HD-21 RF production trucks. With the bulk fiber transport solutions, CP Communications has eliminated problems it formerly encountered with scalability, performance and technical limitations, MultiDyne said.

[Read: 2018 NAB Show: MultiDyne Unveiling Scalable Field Fiber Transport System]

With the VF-9000, a variety of new technical services are available, including support for native 3Gbps signal transport on the trucks. The ability to transport 3Gbps is a requirement for the high-profile sports productions CP Communications routinely handles for Fox, NBC and The Golf Channel. The VF-9000 allows CP Communications to accept native 3Gbps camera feeds over RF into its fiber transmission infrastructure. It is also downward compatible for standard HD feeds.

A key operational difference from its previous system is the flexibility to hot-swap, add or reduce SFPs to meet specific production requirements. The VF-9000 automatically recognizes SFP module connections as inputs or outputs, by format and by application. The architecture allows CP Communications to have an imbalance of input and outputs based on the needs of each production, instead of being limited to a certain number of each.

In addition to video and Ethernet SFPs, the VF-9000 allows production teams to transport MADI audio as part of the video feeds. With its automatic recognition capabilities, the VF-9000 then transitions to the proper setup upon coming online, eliminating additional configuration steps, MultiDyne said.

The compact 1RU VF-9000 units deliver robust multiplexer features, combining up to 18 signals over one single-mode fiber for efficient, high-density signal transport. As deployed in the trucks, the VF-9000 seamlessly integrates within the complete RF infrastructure, which includes a high-density routing system, mesh technology and wireless cameras and microphones.

It also connects to signal monitoring systems on both trucks, allowing operators to keep an eye on the health and performance of each feed and connection.

HEBDEN BRIDGE, ENGLAND—Outside broadcast services company NEP has announced it recently installed Calrec Apollo and Artemis audio consoles into a new OB truck. The unit has so far been used to cover both professional golf and Thursday Night Football.

NEP's operators use the Calrec consoles to handle the main mix and effects mixes.

The Apollo and Artemis consoles were installed in the B unit and handle the main mix and effects mixes. The Hydra2 also allows for full control of the preamps directly from the desk; it also networks the two desks together to enable source sharing.

The Calrec systems help NEP cover the entire golf course, as well as handle the wide range of noises and long hours of play during golf tournaments. The redesigned Hydra2 Fieldbox features looping network connections, which allow for the elimination of external battery-powered preamps and a reduction in the amount of copper cable required. The new OB truck carries about a dozen fieldboxes.

The new OB truck with Calrec consoles covered two golf tournaments in August and then transitioned to Thursday Night Football.

NEW YORK – Adder and Reality Check Systems are teaming up to supply technology for OB production trucks by combining RCS’ Bullet mobile graphic workstation with Adder’s KVM platform to improve the user experiences for OB truck operators.

The RCS Bullet is a plug-and-play, turnkey mobile graphics workstation that powers live graphics production anywhere. The necessary user interaction to operate the system is then supplied by Adder’s IP-based KVM technology, creating flexible resource allocation and allowing multiple users to access a single resource, or one operator to access multiple resources.

As outside broadcast production is moving more toward IP-based systems, Adder and RCS’ collaboration seeks to help facilitate that transition. Since mobile facilities can be used in a number of different applications and internal setups need to be reconfigured accordingly, the switching and extension capabilities of Adder’s IP-based KVM platform are particularly beneficial for such cases.

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.