OB van for mobile UHD/HDR productions
High specification OB van relies on space-saving IHSE KVM solution
The Customer
TVN LIVE PRODUCTION is part of film and television production company TVN Group based in Hanover. The company has offered mobile TV services to major European TV broadcasters and production houses for over 40 years and has amassed a fleet of modern, well-equipped OB vans. Its mobile production units are used at Champions League football matches, music festivals such as the Wacken Open Air and major TV show events.
The Challenge
To meet the increasing demand for high-resolution UHD and HDR TV production TVN constantly develops and builds state-of-the-art OB vans. Its latest mobile production unit Ü7 was specified with the latest professional broadcast technology, including 12 cameras with the capability to support aditional special cameras as well as Dolby surround monitoring options and an integrated satellite uplink. The space saving, low-energy requirements of the three-in-one OB van, SNG and set-up van, saves CO2 and can operate in the smallest TV broadcast compound.
A particular challenge in the original design specification was the need to provide a compact control room to accommodate 13 fully functional and well-equipped production workstations.
The Solution
A compact Draco tera flex KVM matrix switch with 32 freely assignable inputs and outputs connects all production workstations with the broadcast devices, servers and tools in the central equipment room of the vehicle. These include several EVS servers, Avid and Adobe Premiere editing systems, a Lawo mixing console and a Riedel communications system.
The Ü7 is designed for highly flexible operation in a wide variety of tasks in both single-director productions and large-scale domestic and international productions supporting HD, UHD and HDR. The KVM system is instantly reconfigurable to preset configurations to minimise set-up time.
The Benefit
From their own workstation, production staff can access all required tools and servers in real time via the KVM switch, share content and select any of the sources required for the production at the push of a button.
With the Ü7 we can fit into even the tightest TV broadcast compound and work with great versatility and flexibility.
– Christoph Moll, Technical Director of TVN Live Production
As the source devices are installed in the separate central equipment room, individual workstations comprise just basic control devices and monitors, requiring minimal space and preventing untidy and confusing desktops.. Time-consuming and disruptive position changes are eliminated by the real-time KVM switching capability. The ability to select all connected devices immediately from their own workstation allows production staff to concentrate on their own specific tasks without distraction.
An optional Draco SIRA CON unit connected to the matrix enables secure external access to the KVM system via IP; for example for system administration and maintenance work.
The IHSE KVM system enables us to use the Ü7 in a highly efficient, functionally versatile and flexible way for all live production tasks.
– Felix Rumpf, Managing System Engineer at TVN Live Production
Following on from the positive experience, simple installation and system expansion, TVN has now equipped other OB vans in its fleet with IHSE KVM systems. The KVM matrices of individual OB vans can be seamlessly linked to one another using integrated grid cards, enabling cross-van access to sources in larger productions with several mobile units.
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