Archive: News & Press Releases

09/2006

IBC 2006: Two New HD OB Vehicles with AURUS and NEXUS

Amsterdam, in September 2006: At this year’s IBC in Amsterdam, the Belgian broadcaster RTBF presented their two new HD-enabled OB trucks to the public. The two vehicles exhibit a highly efficient and compact design. The hd8 accommodates eight workplaces and supports up to six cameras while the hd22 has 22 workplaces and up to 24 cameras. Both vehicles are equipped with digital audio-mixing/routing units by the SALZBRENNER STAGETEC MEDIAGROUP.

A key factor for opting for AURUS and NEXUS were the convenient SDI and HD-SDI boards. So about half of the  embedders and de-embedders existing on the truck are now provided by the NEXUS system.

“A specialty about our OB trucks is the fundamental wiring concept,” says RTBF's strategics projects & TV outside-broadcasting manager Alain Ausloos about the difference to conventional vehicles. “Whether video or audio: All signals are transmitted from the trucks over optical multicore lines.” This was a major advantage of AURUS and NEXUS because optical transmission is a standard feature.

Intercom signals, too, can be forwarded transparently via the NEXUS, so subscriber units do not require dedicated lines. And this is not where integration of the intercom system ends: The audio-control workplace does without a standalone subscriber unit as the AURUS has been equipped with the intercom interface that was introduced at last year’s IBC. It offers the user all the functionality of a traditional third-party subscriber unit – fully integrated into the console interface.

The trucks have a tapeless design; standard player formats are integrated more or less for transfer purposes only. After returning from an outside event, the recordings of the trucks will be transferred via network into the broadcasting centre. This future vision was another reason for requiring optical connectivity for all components.

Other highlights of the vehicles are the space available inside and their excellent room acoustics. The larger one, in particular, provides true surround monitoring in a spacious audio-control cabin.

One more special feature are the custom-made racks for mobile NEXUS Base Devices. The interface the space-saving NEXUS connectors to XLR ports and other terminals common in live use.

Including the two new set-ups, RTBF meanwhile owns three AURUS and five CANTUS consoles plus about 30 NEXUS Base Devices.