Outside Broadcasting ; What’s Inside?

“Outside Broadcast” is referred to all the procedures and activities needed for a Radio/TV production or broadcast from outside the main studio area.

In outside broadcasting all the required installations, equipment and devices are set up and prepared in the exact place of the event for recording or contributing the live streams to the main Radio/TV control room or the on-air antenna.

Any important event which is impossible to be held and captured inside the central studio location, can be considered and planned for outside broadcast like sport events, direct on-site reports, music concerts, seminars, political meetings, …

The most important component of outside broadcasting is the mobile production unit; A package of integrated tools and devices for producing a live or recorded Radio/TV program. This package includes broadcast cameras, large monitors, audio capturing devices, AV distributor modules, switchers, intercom devices, signal processing and contribution modules in addition to all the related professional operators for handling the production workflows.

The Mobile Production Unit and the staff are transported by OB Vans or OB trucks which are considered for housing, protecting and keeping them ready for urgent operations.

Although any event can be recorded, captured and broadcast by OB equipment, but often they are used for very important and large events which are planned and considered as a live on- air program for large groups of audiences.

What equipment and devices can be found inside an OB vehicle?

In depends to your specific needs and requirements and also to the scale of the productions and their specific complexities. Generally, and basically, the following devices and equipment can be found in an OB vehicle.

1. High quality video cameras in various types: broadcast cameras, PTZ cameras, 4k/FHD or even flying or robotic cameras, … The types and the number of theses cameras depends to the production plan, the scale of the project, the importance of the event and other requirements

• Camera control unit (CCU): devices for controlling different parameters and functionalities of the broadcast cameras including color balance and correctives focus settings,…

• Video production switcher (vision mixer): equipment for switching among different video sources in the final output signal lines.

• Audio mixer: devices for mixing and controlling audio source coming from microphones booms,…

• Microphones: in different types for audio recording and streaming

• Intercom systems: a professional audio communication system for all the live production personnel to be in touch together at the same time. (like camera operators, directors,….)

• Character generator and graphic generator (CG and GG) For creating texts and graphics, inserting logos and blending them with the final output signal.

• Multiviewer: A system for live production content monitoring and selecting the desired video sources for the output signal line.

• Media storage servers: for storing recorded and archived videos in addition of playout servers, (reserved) clip servers and …

Moreover, in most of OB vehicles there are electric power switchers, lighting facilities, signal contribution equipment like SDI over fiber modules, air-conditioning control(for protecting heat-sensitive modules), server racks and other installations.

Outside broadcasting advantages

Outside broadcasting is fully functional for both radio and television live productions.

In radio live productions, the audio and music quality and also the sound effects are essential items to absorb the audiences. Imagine a radio interview with a super star that is being broadcast from a featureless simple studio and the same interview in a live event with full of real sounds, music beats and other related sounds in the background. Which one is more interesting? The low-level and monotonous audio in the studio or the endless excitement and eagerness plus high-level audio in the real and live event’s location.

Exactly the same point is for television live production.

When we use outside broadcast, we create more attractive programs by using real and stunning on-site backgrounds comparing to the mocked up and simulated graphics in immovable studios.

The most important advantage of outside broadcasting:

• Real-time and live content
• impressive performance
• real time insight of important happenings

 Types of OB vehicles:

Generally, in news production, small OB vans are used which is designed for one or two production operators. These small vans involve simple and basic equipment for handling a few audio sources and switching among a small number of broadcast camera streams.

OB trucks

OB Trucks are larger and more equipped compering to vans. They support more input and more output signal lines and lets broadcasters perform heavier real-time audio-video processing.

How Samim Group helps you to have a more efficient OB System?

By Samim professional solutions and products, Radio/TV stations can equip their OB systems and create a resilient broadcast production infrastructure upon their specific needs and requirement.

Samim can be everywhere in the SDI signal chain; from ingest till delivery, and makes the production workflows efficient and reliable.

Our wide range of products include modular distributors, converters, processors, IP gateways, audio communication means, Fiber Optic contribution platforms, signal switchers and routers, control panels and lots of other hardware.