Thunder City Pro Chooses Evertz Technology For Its First Small Format Mobile Production Unit

Thunder City Production Solutions has proved that it is entirely possible to have a Mobile Production Unit (MPU) in a small to medium-format vehicle by building exactly this for Florida Atlantic University (FAU). For FAU, the St. Petersburg-based company incorporated technology from industry-leading companies such as Evertz, Sony and Calrec into a BOLT Series MPU to create a transportable control room that is now being used to capture live content for broadcast on ESPN+. 

Established in 2016, Thunder City Pro offers turn-key production services to both broadcast and entertainment customers who require design, procurement, and integration for various applications. Its customers include the University of South Florida (USF) and two Major League Baseball teams, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles. In addition, Thunder City Pro also provides creative services for any of their integrations, provides crews to operate facilities, and provides ongoing service and support.

The company launched its BOLT Series Mobile Production Units in 2023, making them available in 16-, 24- and 32-foot models. Customers choose from either a pre-designed floor plan, a pre-integrated unit, or they can have a unit designed specifically for them. 

“BOLT came about because during the Covid pandemic, people began looking at their broadcast infrastructure to see how it could be improved,” says production designer and Thunder City Pro CEO Justin Stancil. “Many of our clients were looking for smaller production vehicles that were more cost effective to build and run, and easier to transport around the country. As very few companies were addressing this market, we decided to launch BOLT with a view to improving on what was already out there. In our view there is no reason why trailer size should be a compromise because it is perfectly feasible to design a very powerful, aesthetically pleasing mobile unit that still feels amazing to work in. Whether customers are broadcasting sporting events, capturing live concerts or streaming corporate conferences, our BOLT Series units are the ultimate solution for professional-grade productions on the go.” 

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) was an early customer, choosing a 32-foot trailer and allowing Thunder City Pro, in conjunction with its contracted production company, Digital Wave Productions, to specify, order and install the equipment. FAU’s rational was that by having a MPU, it could also capture student away games – something that wouldn’t be possible with just a control room on campus. In addition to being a manageable size, FAU also wanted the MPU to generate revenue through hire and be a teaching resource for students on its Multimedia and Production programmes. 

“We worked closely with FAU’s to ensure that the MPU met FAU requirements and ESPN+’s technical specifications,” Stancil says. “FAU wanted five cameras, seating and workstations for up to 10 people and high-quality, industry-standard equipment so that students could train on technology they will find in the real world. We also had to make sure that the unit was 3G 1080p, and 4K/HDR-ready for the future.”

FAU’s MPU incorporates a range of Evertz components including a DreamCatcher DC-ONE system with two DC-RCP10 controllers, a NEXX 64 x 64 embedding and de-embedding 12G-SDI router and an 5700MSC-IP Grand Master clock and video synch generator.

“The DreamCatcher DC-ONE is industry-standard for live shows at this level and I was adamant that we would be including it,” Stancil says. “I am very accustomed to working with DreamCatcher and the Evertz MAGNUM orchestration platform – to the point where I refuse to use anything else.”

Evertz’ DC-ONE is an 8-channel replay system with 7.68 TB of continuous loop recording that supports 720p, 1080i, and 1080p video formats. Features include slow motion replay, live steaming between networked systems, clip creation, clip naming, metadata tagging, playlist creation and editing, audio editing, internal audio routing, content import and export, content transcoding and searching, and one touch zooming. 

“Having a graphical user interface is so useful,” Stancil says. “It is very easy to see thumbnails and create clips, and because you can literally see what you are editing it is also a very simple system to teach. In addition, you don’t need an X File or any other piece of equipment to tackle file transfers, and because everything is on one server we can easily have two operators working on the system at the same time.”

FAU’s MPU has Network Attached Storage on board and because this can be mounted on the DC-ONE as a drive, operators can import and export clips and graphics very quickly.  

“Being able to access pre-pro elements such as clips and graphics via the NAS without having to mark in and out or clip everything saves so much time,” Stancil says. “It is a very precise, self-sustaining system, and its ability to access the NAS and all other devices that are connected to it was super important to us, therefore choosing a DC-ONE was a no brainer.”

For the MPU’s router, Stancil wanted a system that could embed and de-embed on every input and handle MADI, both in and out. He also wanted a router that could generate multiviewers and support processing functions that included frame synching and format conversion. 

Evertz recommended its NEXX router and when Stancil learned it also operates with MAGNUM Orchestration software, he was convinced. 

“I got really excited, especially when I learned that we could have four multiviewers per card, and each card was 32, which meant the density was more than twice that of other routers we were considering,” he says. “But what I really like, aside from being able to use MAGNUM, is that the multiviewers are truly a virtual resource.  You do not have to lose critical I/O resources by reinserting multiviewers like other routers on the market. You can route any multiview in the router to any output you want.”

Stancil adds that the power and versatility of NEXX has allowed Thunder City Pro to install a much smaller form-factor router onboard FAU’s MPU, without compromising functionality. 

“When you are dealing with a confined space in an MPU of this size, having a router with a smaller footprint is really important,” he says. “Also, the University is using this MPU as a teaching tool, so it is really advantageous for students to learn about MAGNUM and see how it interfaces with VUE. Having access to the type of router they will use in the real world is very important and this was a major reason why we choose NEXX.”

The decision to install an Evertz 5700MSC-IP Grand Master clock and video synch generator was also based on this premise.

“The 5700MSC-IP has the GPS component that we needed to synchronise our SMPTE ST 2110 audio console,” he explains. “We wanted to include the Calrec Type R and 5700MSC-IP to have a 2110 component, which will be very useful in educating students on the difference between traditional baseband and ST 2110 systems.”

FAU’s MPU is now in use capturing content across a range of sports including baseball, soccer and basketball. 

“FAU are delighted with their new MPU, which is doing everything they wanted it to do – and more,” Stancil says. “I am equally delighted with the help and support I received from Evertz during this project, and I attribute a lot of our success to this, and to the exceptional technology the company provides. If I have anything to say about it, I’ll be putting Evertz equipment in every truck we build from now on!”

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