Last year, when they decided to upgrade one of their SNG trucks (DNK-47) from SD to HD, the Odense based facility moved its commentator intercom onto a Clear-Com platform and added a BroaMan Mux22 transmission device for signal routing.
This has enabled them to transport multiple data and video signals down a single fibre in the SNG truck, including HD-SDI, RS422, Sync and Ethernet network, using Dante as their audio platform.
TV 2 project manager, Kim Hansen, explains, "For years, the truck has been a key component in our technical setup for major sporting events (such as Tour de France, Handball World Cup etc.) where it acted not only as SNG, but as a small OB truck."
This latest upgrade involved stripping the truck of cables and equipment, leaving only the HF installation intact. "We then had to identify and purchase all components - very little could be re-used as it was SD equipment."
The truck had originally been equipped with a fibre stage box but this could only handle SD. "So in the upgrade we had to find a new solution," admits Hansen. "We were recommended BroaMan by some of our colleagues, and then saw the units for the first time at IBC 2014.
"After a positive demo and some further investigation, we quickly saw that this would fulfill our needs, and the decision to adopt this platform was quickly endorsed by the technical engineers on the project."
The system consists of four Mux22 boxes which are configured as two independent chains, where each chain has a box in the SNG truck, while the other is placed at a venue position. "In effect, this provides us with an advanced stagebox solution," continues the TV 2 project manager. "We've made the interconnection between the boxes, with standard camera fibre cables, which means that we can use the same type of cable for BroaMan as for our cameras. This makes rigging easy, and we avoid the necessity of carrying dedicated spare cables just for BroaMan."
In terms of network, the system is designed to carry three independent Ethernet connections via BroaMan, two 100Mbit links which are used for data network, and a 1Gb link which is used for Dante audio.
The advantages of the new studio design are evident. "In previous times, we would have pulled a vast amount of single or multi-par cables from the truck and to venue positions. This has been greatly simplified with the Broaman and Dante setup, as many signals are now run via single fibres. Having a fibre based solution means that we can run signals over greater distance - giving us even greater flexibility."
The newly-configured truck was completed on 2 December, and only a few days later it covered its first job - the 2014 European Women's Handball Championship in Hungary.
"The Broaman system has proven very useful, and as a central component in the SNG truck it has been used on every production so far. It is really proving its worth as an advanced stage box solution," Kim Hansen says in conclusion.
(Jim Evans)
