ProjectBuilders OB14 on display at IBC
ProjectBuilders, the in-house systems integrator for Belgium’s Videohouse, has outfitted IHSE’s KVM switch solutions to support a radical design concept developed for their new OB14 broadcast production truck. Rather than a simple replication of previous designs, the company decided to use a KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch system to distribute the different operational areas across all operator workstations – no matter the location. The goal of this new thinking was to create an optimum and future-proofed working environment with maximum flexibility to meet the varied demands of outside broadcast operations throughout its working lifetime and allow it to maintain a leading position in a competitive market.ProjectBuilders and system consultant, Crosspoint, outlined the criteria for OB14 and prepared the engineering designs for implementation. Chief among these was a separate internal corridor through the truck. “Outside broadcast trucks are busy, with people coming and going all the time,” explains Michiel Spaepen, project manager at ProjectBuilders. “By separating internal sections operators don’t need to pass through the main production area making it quieter and less disruptive.”
The design team also considered ways to maximize the flexibility of the truck so that it would be attractive to broadcasters of outdoor events of almost any size and type. Equipment racks were designed with sliding trays that are accessible from outside the vehicle. “This allows the truck to be configured with the necessary equipment for an individual task, allowing us to share equipment easily amongst the fleet and reduce the overall stock level of expensive devices,” says Spaepen
An IHSE Draco tera compact KVM switch gives staff direct access to servers and production equipment from individual workstations. Operators can easily switch between source devices, such as the system control servers, character generators, rasterizers, EVS servers and SloMo devices by hotkey selection whenever they need to. Spaepen added, “Maximum flexibility is achieved by allowing every operator position to be set to a personal preference. The Draco tera delivers instant switching of sources without video or data latency; essential in live broadcast production, creating a truly flexible and efficient workflow.”
The 32-port Draco tera compact switch provides access from 16 individual servers and computers to 12 operator workstations over a dedicated Cat7 network with USB 2.0 support. Extra pairs of KVM fiber cross-repeaters enable remote connection of peripheral sources or displays up to 10 km away. “Operators aren’t aware of the KVM switch; it simply operates in the background delivering the instantaneous connection and switching of sources they demand in a live broadcast environment; exactly as it should be.” Said, Gert Vandoninck of Crosspoint.
Videohouse has plenty of experience at building OB units. The company, created in 1980, is a big name in the European television facilities world. A member of the Euro Media Group, formed from the 2007 merger of United Broadcast Facilities and Euro Media Television, Videohouse built its first outside broadcast unit, OB1, in 1988.
The new outside broadcast truck, OB14 built for Videohouse by ProjectBuilders, and featuring a 32-port Draco tera compact switch along with many new innovations will be on display in the outside exhibit area at IBC , booth OE110. The full range of IHSE KVM solutions for broadcast applications will be demonstrated at booth 7.B30.