Gearhouse Broadcast France launches new 12-camera flyaway HD production tools
Gearhouse Broadcast has announced the launch of two identical 12-camera HD all-in-one flyaway production units. Building on Gearhouse’s heritage of delivering portable production solutions, the new lightweight modular units provide up to ten workstation positions for operational and technical crew within a small footprint. They can be deployed anywhere in the world and are ideally suited for live sports and entertainment productions, or to enhance existing production or studio set-ups, claimed Gearhouse.
Jonathan Endley, business development at Gearhouse Broadcast, told SVG Europe: “Although the flyaway units will be based at Gearhouse Broadcast France in Paris, they will be used around the world at events where customers need to deliver a quality production, but are limited by space and potentially budget. We have designed the flyaways with footprint and weight in mind, so they are cost effective to transport, and can be easily installed in locations such as stadiums and arenas where it would be difficult to take and set up an OB vehicle.
“The primary markets for the new flyaways will be sporting world tours, live esports events, smaller federations looking to grow their sport, and music and entertainment festivals,” continued Endley. “They offer the opportunity for customers to tap into Gearhouse Broadcast’s experience in delivering technical facilities, crew and services at major events, so they can take their own productions to the next level in terms of quality and efficiency.”
The flyaways are fully integrated to include video and audio distribution and routing capabilities, camera control, communications systems and master control rigs. A high specification of design and build, they support up to 12 Sony HDC-1700 cameras, and two EVS XT3 Channel Max servers, with various sound and talkback possibilities.
Endley stated: “Because keeping the weight of the flyaways to an absolute minimum has been central to our thinking, we used a Ross Video infrastructure for the vision workflow which includes the Carbonite Black production switcher and Ultrix router, because its solutions offers a lot of functionality for the compact size. The beauty of the Ultrix router is that it handles video, audio, frame sync and audio embedding and de-embedding in a single box, which is ideal when rack space is at a premium. The audio workflow is based on the Yamaha CL1 digital mixing console, which is paired with a MADI router and three stageboxes. The new Gearhouse flyaways have 15 workstations and come complete with RTS intercom systems.”
The new customisable flyaways come in robust 32RU or 20RU flight cases, depending on requirement. Their modular design means that the systems can be scaled up or down as needed, and come with detailed technical drawings so that the infrastructure can be seen at a glance. Gearhouse also provides extensive onsite support and experienced production crews if required.
On the uses of flypacks versus OBs, Endley stated: “flyaway systems are ideal when they’re going to be located inside a venue for an application like esports or a music or entertainment festival, or going on the road for a multi-location tour. The flexibility they offer is particularly suited to something like esports where there might be different aspects of a production that have to be incorporated, such as the in-game, and what’s shown within the arena.
“A flyaway can be set up so that the productions are run separately, but everyone is working within the same room. They’re also great when it comes to consistency of output, because no matter the location, the crew can use the same equipment and workflow, so there’s no time spent having to get acquainted with a new set-up,” he said.