Sony and TVN set live production milestone with new 4K HDR OB truck

TVN MOBILE PRODUCTION, one of Europe's leading providers of mobile television services, has partnered with Sony Professional Solutions Europe to expand its Outside Broadcast (OB) fleet and meet new live production demands. In collaboration with partners and third-parties, Sony has designed and integrated Europe’s largest 4K HDR OB truck for TVN. The technically advanced vehicle will be used for high-quality UHD, HD and mixed productions. It features a workflow developed jointly by Sony and TVN and is optimised for all production formats and standards (both SDR and HDR).
The technical concept and design of the new truck have been developed to support the operational experience and practical requirements of TVN and provide the right infrastructure that will help them achieve the most efficient SR Live workflow for HDR delivery.
With a long history of developing Outside Broadcast trucks, including the world’s first purpose-built 4K/IP OB truck for TV Globo, Sony was chosen for its expertise and to build a custom-made solution for TVN that would meet its unique operational requirements and create a flexible, efficient live production environment.
Designed for two simultaneous live productions
Thanks to a networked system, the position of the Chief Engineer in the central control room allows remote access and configuration of all production systems via a central web interface. The vehicle layout provides two identical large production galleries, available for different clients, allowing them to simultaneously produce two large-scale live productions from one truck. This is facilitated by a double-expanding coach design throughout the full vehicle length. Combined with a ground-breaking approach to vertical and horizontal hydraulics, the design allows the vehicle to accommodate the huge amount of equipment when the vehicle is closed.
The room design also allows better communication between production staff, while providing more than 100 square meters of interior space, including 41 comfortable pre-configurable workstations. In addition to the TVN-Ü6 truck itself, an associated tender vehicle offers further production space, including two separate control rooms and additional service workplaces – all can be flexibly configured and used as video or audio control, editing or editing rooms.
"Thanks to the many successful years of partnership with Sony, we are in a strong position to meet the highest requirements and demands of programme providers when it comes to producing complex events", says TVN Managing Director Markus Osthaus, pleased with the completion of the ambitious concept. "With the TVN-Ü6 we will be able to offer the perfect, most advanced production tools while setting the standard in the premium segment. This is a truly innovative addition to our OB truck portfolio and helps customers produce several programmes and feeds in parallel without having to forego comfort and flexibility."
Combining expert design with the right blend of technology, TVN-Ü6 will make better workflows and operations a reality. Underpinning the new OB truck are two powerful Sony XVS-8000 multi-format video switchers, offering impressive flexibility and operability for high-end production. Featuring a total of ten native M/E's (Mix/Effect) in UHD and up to forty M/E's in HD, they enable simultaneous 4K and HD operation as well as powerful 4K features. The camera control room of the new OB vehicle accommodates up to 30 HDC-4300 UHD cameras, while Sony BVM-X300 4K OLED reference monitors offer unprecedented image reproduction.
Norbert Paquet, Head of Product Management at Sony Professional Solutions Europe, says: "We want to enable live production customers to re-establish themselves in the post-digital age. Our long history in broadcasting means we know the operational, technical and business needs of our customers inside out, and can provide solutions to help them go make tomorrow. With its new state-of-the-art OB tuck, TVN will be positioned to best respond to the demands of modern broadcasting and take its live production output to the next level."
Flexibility, long standing expertise, and the ability to provide full 360-degree project management in collaboration with numerous partners made Sony the ideal partner for TVN project.