ABS HD unit supports Pacific Northwest

Advanced Broadcast
Solutions (ABS) has completed a multi-format HD mobile production truck
designed to offer customers the ultimate in cost and workflow
efficiency.
Since hitting the road in
mid-May of this year, the truck has already been used by KHQ-DT, in Spokane,
WA., to produce its first live HDTV telecast—“The Lilac Parade”—a unique annual
event held on May 17. And on May 31st, the truck was used by KGW-DT, in Portland, OR,
to produce “The Starlight Parade,” another local event broadcast for the first
time in HDTV. KGW-DT also booked the ABS truck for coverage of two other
live, local HDTV live events – one that took place on July 4th and the other
occurring on Thanksgiving in Portland.

“We’re finding that there
is strong demand for this production truck because it fills a need very
cost-effectively,” said Mark Siegel, president of ABS. “Broadcasters
would never be able to afford to build their own multi-million dollar HD mobile
unit. Nor can they pay the exorbitant rentals that truck vendors typically
charge major networks to use their trucks to cover major sporting events in
HDTV.”
The ABS truck, which is a
24-foot mobile unit, was designed specifically to support the needs of
broadcasters in the Pacific Northwest region;
however, the truck’s market also extends to production companies, houses of
worship, and theatrical and musical event producers.
Because of the equipment
choices that ABS made for the truck, a small crew of operators can manage all
of the tasks associated with a live HD production. The efficiency of the
workflow and ergonomics of the gear make it possible to hold the line on crew
costs without compromising the quality of the production.
The truck is outfitted with
three Thomson LDK-4000 Triax HD cameras, and a full complement of Canon lenses.
It includes a Broadcast Pix Slate 5016 2 M/E production switcher with
integrated clip store, Inscriber TitleMotion Pro CG, still store, and six
keyable DVE’s on each key channel. There is also a Roland RSS M-400 48-channel
18-bit digital audio mixing console, with four stereo EFX processors, 12
31-band global equalizers, independent channel audio processing, and a fully-configurable
multi-viewer LCD monitor system. The truck also includes a Edius HD nonlinear
edit package; Sennheiser microphones, live streaming encoder and Clear-Com
Eclipse 24 channel intercom with IFB.
“Our objective in building
this truck is to offer the broadcast community the means to create compelling,
original HD content that will enhance the value of their program offerings and
ultimately boost their profit margins,” said Siegel. “This truck offers
broadcasters a cost-effective solution for developing their own unique media
properties that they can distribute and monetize repeatedly through on-air
advertising, DVD release, streaming media, and other innovative business
models.”