SIS LIVE delivering six new SNG vehicles for Sky News

SIS LIVE has detailed an agreement with Sky News for the provision of six new Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) vehicles, which will deliver HD contribution feeds from breaking news events across the UK.

SIS LIVE has been Sky News’ SNG provider for many years offering the technology and expertise required to capture and transmit award-winning news coverage from all over the UK, 24 hours a day. This service includes: the design, build and maintenance of a dedicated SNG fleet; the provision of satellite capacity and uplink/downlink services; and a capable team comprising camera operators, satellite engineers and all necessary support functions.

The six trucks are based on the compact Mercedes Benz Vito vehicle and use the very latest satellite technology. The DriveForce antenna is claimed to feature the best wind performance on the market and its reduced weight allows for more broadcast equipment to be installed in a smaller 3.2T vehicle. This not only avoids the 56mph speed restriction of the larger vehicles allowing the swiftest response to breaking news stories, but also provides a more comfortable ride for reporters and operators. On board equipment includes HD, SDI, fibre and wireless camera inputs as well as highly specified vision and audio mixers, and the infrastructure for the installation of future IP solutions.

The design and careful selection of technology enables a lone operator to manage the whole broadcast and transmission process.

David Meynell, managing director of SIS LIVE, says: “I am delighted SIS and Sky news have reached an agreement on the build and delivery of a new fleet of automated DriveForce uplinks. We have enjoyed an amazing partner type relationship for many years and I am proud that our uplink systems and people support such ground-breaking news coverage.”