Hitachi Kokusai Electric Turkey Showcase New Broadcast Production Vehicle Concept

Visit Hitachi Kokusai Electric Turkey at BroadcastAsia at Booth 1U4-07

On its booth at Broadcast Asia (1U4-07 (Level 1), Hitachi Kokusai Electric Turkey (HKT) will showcase a new concept in versatile, cost-effective outside broadcast (OB) production facilities. Designed and built at the company’s state-of-the-art engineering facility in Istanbul, Turkey, the vehicle offers a flexible mobile digital production environment complete with advanced digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) capabilities.

Based around a Mercedes Sprinter 516 CDI truck, the standard vehicle goes into HKT’s workshops where it undergoes a transformation into a mobile facility capable of meeting the full live production requirements of sporting, cultural, music and current affairs events.

Equipped as standard with a 40,000 BTU air conditioning system, the vehicle copes easily with the harsh weather conditions experienced frequently throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia.  Not only is the equipment cooled but the crew is looked after too - each vehicle comes with fridge and coffee makers fitted as standard.

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Inside the compactly designed production facility there are six operator positions and 139 RU of equipment racking. The HD-ready production system supports eight cameras with a 2-ME, 24-input multi-format live switcher and 34x34 3G/HD/SD router. Thanks to the vehicle’s ultra flexible routing and switching environment it is child’s play to interchange the slo-mo, graphics and server positions in order to suit any kind of production.

In addition, two 46-inch monitors are equipped with multiviewer systems so all picture sourcing, monitoring and referencing can be performed on-board the vehicle. Motorized drums and a sliding mechanism at the back of the vehicle make sure that cable laying and re-wind are simple operations which take the minimum time necessary.

A neat feature of the HKT mobile production unit is its advanced DSNG capabilities, which are facilitated by a PALS PKM-120 Ku Band Motorized Antenna located on the vehicle’s roof. In addition, a 400W XICOM high power amplifier (HPA) is installed within the roof-mounted Antenna Pod in order to avoid extra heat generation in the van. Using PALS’ smart operating system, the antenna can be controlled by any smart phone or Wi-Fi tablet.

“Our expert team of design engineers have brought together the most advanced broadcast technology from many vendors in order to create a unique mobile production proposition in terms of size, versatility and sophistication,” commented Cemal Yilmaz, General Manager at Hitachi Kokusai Electric Turkey. “This month our company celebrates its first birthday and already we are generating interest from broadcasters who are interested in our production solutions, especially this extraordinary production vehicle.”

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