Megahertz Enjoys Successful Year in Links Truck Build

Megahertz has been overseeing the design and production of all 45 vehicles, some of which are kitted out for UHD, at its facility in Ely since January 2015.

Included in these orders are 37 vehicles for the BBC made up of a mixture of regional TV newsgathering VSAT trucks as well as SNG trucks that will handle network news coverage from across the 15 regional channels in the UK.  The VSAT vehicles are designed to provide simple, reliable, safe and cost effective newsgathering facilities. A shoot edit operator will be able to gather live video, edit the video in the vehicle and be able to work remotely from the vehicle for a live TV contribution. Connectivity is via VSAT, bonded cellular or WiBE.

These vehicles are intended primarily for news and live outside broadcast events. Some of the regional news vehicles require simultaneous HD contribution to multiple destinations, while other feeds from the SNG trucks will go directly into London and are distributed across the six platforms including the SD and HD channels, mobile and online.

Megahertz has also received an order for five new fibre vehicles plus one hybrid fibre UHD uplink vehicle from BT TV Outside Broadcast (TVOB), the service provider arm of BT Media and Broadcast (M&B). This will refresh over 20% of BT M&Bs fleet of trucks. Additionally Megahertz has upgraded two existing BT TVOB vehicles to UHD.

These trucks, which are already in use daily by BT’s wide customer base of international broadcasters, are part of a fleet, which is designed and operated as fibre only. Hybrid fibre and satellite vans support the main production OB and send pictures back via fibre to BT Tower. They are used to cover numerous HD and UHD sports productions including the Premier League football, rugby and cricket.

“We have had a fantastic 12 months designing, building and delivering various DSNG vehicles to key customers such as the BBC and BT,” commented Jon Flay, managing director of Megahertz. “To maintain a leadership position in advanced systems integration and to meet the ever-changing demands of today’s market you need a broad and current skillset in your design and engineering teams, and a versatile and creative approach. Our team’s vast experience and our deep understanding of broadcasters’ mobile requirements have enabled us to stay ahead of the game and deliver these new vehicles.”

BT Media & Broadcast Global VP, Mark Wilson-Dunn added: “We are delighted to continue a long relationship with Megahertz as we take the delivery of live events forward with our pioneering work around 4K Ultra High Definition”.  

About BT
BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world.  It is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of five customer-facing lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Business, BT Consumer, BT Wholesale and Openreach.
For the year ended 31 March 2015, BT Group’s reported revenue was £17,979m with reported profit before taxation of £2,645m.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

About Megahertz
Megahertz designs, engineers and delivers turnkey systems to the world’s leading broadcasters, content owners and media service providers. As a leading systems integrator, its expert team of skilled engineers and solutions architects, drawn from both broadcast and IT backgrounds, ensures a creative, forward-thinking, independent and highly efficient approach. Megahertz provides dynamic and resilient systems for news and sport production, state-of-the-art studios and advanced file-based workflows, as well as fully equipped vehicles for outside broadcast and newsgathering. The company also provides consultancy, training and support services. The company has two UK locations, including an international sales office close to London Heathrow Airport and a 2000 square metre engineering facility. This allows Megahertz to carry out its own coachwork for vehicles and to pre-fabricate even the largest systems. With a reputation for excellence since 1982, Megahertz continues to deliver value-added engineering solutions worldwide.