Gearhouse ramps up Australian sports capacity with new HD OB vehicle
Leading OB service provider Gearhouse Broadcast Pty has commissioned a new HD OB unit to service the Australian sports and entertainment television industry, which includes companies such as the Seven Network, Fox Sports, Granada Media and Fremantle.
Gearhouse works with many of Australia’s top broadcasters to deliver events including AFL, A League soccer and Super Rugby.
The new HD5 unit was designed by Gearhouse Broadcast’s team of senior broadcast engineers and was built and integrated at Gearhouse Broadcast UK head office in Hertfordshire. The systems integration took 14 weeks to complete and includes the latest in broadcast technology cameras, vision mixers, monitors, routers, communications, audio mixers and glue products.
The multi-purpose 13.6m long facility consists of an expandable production area with comprehensive vision, engineering, VTR and audio areas. In total, the truck can accommodate 36 dedicated staff in climate controlled ergonomic luxury, which was specially developed to cope with the extremes of the Australian climate.
It is capable of up to 24 x HD multi-format cameras plus radio cameras and 6 x POV cameras. It has a recording capability which utilises seven EVS XT3s and six HD CAM Recorders. The unit is fully equipped with a 64-fader MC56 Lawo Sound Desk, surround sound and Dolby Audio, Sony 7000 Vision Switcher with 80 inputs, 36 outputs and integral DMEs, and an N-Vision 8576 hybrid (video and embedded audio) router configured for 333 inputs and 540 outputs.
Additional features include 18 production wall monitors with quad splits to give up to 80 pictures, front and rear production desks for up to 10 production staff, front and rear EVS desks for up to nine operators, and extensive networking facilities.
Kevin Moorhouse, chief operating officer at Gearhouse Broadcast, commented: “Gearhouse Broadcast’s continuous expansion and investment has placed us as one of the leading outside broadcast facilitators in Australia.”