Mobile TV Group Taps Joseph Electronics for Fiber Booth Kit in New 4K Truck

Joseph Electronics (JE), the premier one-stop shop for the broadcast industry and provider of fiber termination and custom fiber solutions, announced that Mobile TV Group has purchased a full-size fiber booth kit for use with 39 Flex, its newest purpose-built 4K outside broadcast (OB) truck. The custom-built JE booth kit is the first for the powerhouse OB company. The kit’s first show was the 2016 Masters Golf Tournament, which was also the first live 4K broadcast in the United States.

“A fiber booth kit is something we never had before but have long needed,” says Peter Wehner, director of engineering at Mobile TV Group. “In the past, when clients had an announcer booth that was farther away than our copper cables could reach, they had to rent a fiber booth kit separately. Now we can offer clients a complete package befitting our expertise and reputation in outside broadcast.”

Joseph Electronics Fiber Booth Kit

Mobile TV Group’s fiber booth kit contains eight bidirectional HD-SDI video feeds, eight IFBs, four partylines, and two 1 Gigabit Ethernet connections.

“We buy most of the fiber-related materials to build and maintain our trucks from Joseph Electronics, so when we had a last-minute request for a fiber booth kit, there was no question who we would call,” Wehner says. “Not only could Joseph Electronics supply the kit quickly, but they could guide us through unfamiliar territory. They helped us dial in the requirements for the kit and get the most bang for our buck. And since space is always at a premium, they also helped us put everything we would need into a small footprint.”

Mobile TV Group’s 39 Flex 4K Production Truck

The new truck, 39 Flex, has covered mostly golf, concerts, and Canadian Football League games so far, with the fiber booth kit in use about half the time. Mobile TV Group has retrofitted some of its other trucks to be able to use the kit when it’s not needed in 39 Flex.

“Working closely with customers to design and build custom solutions — and do it quickly when needed — is one of the things our team enjoys most,” says Yohay Hahamy, president of Joseph Electronics. “Mobile TV Group is a valued customer, and it’s an honor to have been a part of its historic UHD broadcast.”