References

BBC Sound 3 OB-Truck

Jack-of-all-Trades

A simple rule governs the field of broadcasting: No two things are equal! In compliance with this rule and with regard to O.B. Trucks, CANTUS and NEXUS allow for developing new ideas.

Talkback Taken Along

The NEXUS routing system, as an I/O matrix is an integral part of the CANTUS system. The NEXUS can even be extended and split to the spot using external base units and mobile fibre-optic wiring. It's no longer just microphone signals being forwarded within this network.

Today's technology allows talkback and external pager signals, red-light control signals for the cameras, timecode, and RS-422/RS-232 signals for remote-controlling external units to be routed with NEXUS. Even better, the days of multiple lines and unruly cables are over, today everything is connected by one thin lightweight fibre-optic cable.

Beyond the Horizon

Nowadays, hardwired fibre-optics can be leased in almost every large city. This cabling may also be used for outdoor broadcasting by extending the NEXUS network to multiple remote locations which, in turn, may eliminate the need for a second O.B. Truck. The German »hr« broadcaster in Frankfurt employed this concept in transmitting audio, talkback, and a ATM network in a passive wave multiplex on leased single-mode lines.

The Convertible

Thanks to its open-ended architecture, every CANTUS can be expanded to any number of inputs by simply adding an extra base device. This may even result in a base-unit pool of base devices distributed among several Trucks for every new production. If the base units are equipped with different types of I/O boards, they can even be used as format converters, thus solving the issue of Babel in digital audio.

Basic Rules for O.B.

Trucks The construction of O.B. Trucks is kept within definite bounds of gross weight and dimensions specified by law. Thus, the equipment must be compact and lightweight – just like CANTUS and NEXUS. The same is true for air conditioning and the power supply. The less power dissipated, the less heat generated, and therefore less air conditioning is needed. Cabling also affects the weight. However in a CANTUS/NEXUS installation only a single fibre-optic is required. Therefore, if one base unit is set up in the Truck's front control compartment, and a second is in the rear, the entire system can be connected with minimal effort and weight.