Outside Broadcast Van: The Swiss Army Knife of Video Production – More Than Just Broadcasting
An outside broadcast (OB) van, this mobile video production unit, is much more than just a vehicle. It’s a Swiss Army knife in the world of video production, offering countless possibilities from sporting events to news broadcasts and corporate events.
Why choose an OB van?
- Versatility: An OB van isn’t limited to a single task. From video refereeing (VAR) to pre-event broadcasts and even open studio control, it can fulfill almost any video production need.
- Cost-effectiveness: Instead of renting separate equipment and crew for each production, an OB van provides everything in one place. This can result in significant cost savings, especially for smaller productions.
- Mobility: The OB van goes where it’s needed. This is especially beneficial for events that don’t take place in a studio environment, such as sporting events or outdoor concerts.
- Professional quality: The state-of-the-art equipment found in OB vans guarantees excellent picture and sound quality, which is essential for professional video production.
The OB van as a Swiss Army knife: more than you think
An OB van is not just a broadcasting tool, but a multifunctional video production unit. Here are a few examples of what else it can be used for:
- Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Our slow-motion and replay system allows us to provide video referee services for a wide range of sports. We can generate video referee images by controlling and processing the signals from existing TV production cameras or from a completely independent remote camera system installed by us. We also provide monitors and intercoms for proper communication with the operators. Our system can handle slow-motion, fast-motion replay, frame-by-frame stepping, and in addition to recording per camera, we also solve the export of incidents into separate videos.
- Pre-event broadcasts: For longer sporting events where, for example, the finals are broadcast on TV, we can cost-effectively handle the broadcast of the preliminary, qualifying, or youth sections before the “TV crew” moves out, so that the event can receive an increasingly high level of broadcasting as the main event approaches.
- Mobile Front of House (FOH): Due to its video technology equipment, it is perfectly suitable as a temporarily deployed video and event IT technical station.
- Media team van: Due to its flexible interior design, a smaller news crew or event media team can also work in it. It provides a comfortable workplace with cooling, heating, monitors, chairs, a table, internet, and a network for editors, photographers, editors, and reporters.
- Dual-venue broadcasting: Due to its technical features and technical structure, it is also suitable for producing a full-fledged broadcast with two camera parks from two different locations at the same time. (E.g.: two sports fields next to each other)
- Open studio control: In many cases, the size of open studios does not allow for relocation and production needs to be supplemented. Our OB van is perfectly suited for this task: its small size is paired with great knowledge.