NEW MIDDLETOWN, OHIO—As chief engineer at Live Mobile Group, a division of Live Media Holdings, I am responsible for all technical engineering aspects of the organization, including managing the engineering of our fleet of production and satellite units. With 51-foot expando units, 40-foot production-only units, 40- foot production/uplink hybrid units, and Ku- and C-Band satellite trucks, LMG is positioned to serve as a one-stop shop for production, management, and packaging of live sports.
We’ve recently expanded and upgraded our fleet, incorporating new gear into two existing 40-foot expando HD production/uplink hybrid units, as well as a new 40- foot expando production/uplink hybrid unit and a new 42-foot production/uplink hybrid unit that we gained with the LMG acquisition of Sure Shot Teleproductions late last year. Among the new gear integrated into the trucks is a 160x32 Cobalt Digital 9970-QS 3G/HD/SD-SDI/CVBS quint-split multi-image expandable display processor.
Cobalt’s 9970-QS processor can display five inputs through a quint-split output.FITS LIKE A GLOVE
We already rely on a lot of Cobalt terminal gear within our trucks, and when we saw a sneak peek of this new quint-split openGear card at the 2013 NAB Show, we immediately knew that it would give us a lot of bang for the buck. Significantly less expensive than competing solutions and backed by service that is second to none, the Cobalt card was a clear winner. Because the card works well with Cobalt conversion and distribution gear—which use the same openGear frame and Dashboard control interface—it was simple to add into our existing truck infrastructure. With the Cobalt 9970-QS, we now can display five inputs via a single quint-split output, with flexible options for how multiple video windows are displayed on a single screen. The Cobalt system integrated smoothly with the new Utah Scientific 528 router that we installed in each truck, so operators can push just one button and see the name, tally, and display for each input. Our operators just want specific video to display on a particular monitor, and with the new Cobalt quint-split, it does just that. The Cobalt solution also provides template presets and straightforward sizing and positioning controls that make it easy for operators to adjust and save their preferred layouts, without tedious and time-consuming configuration.
READY TO GO
While intuitive operation of this multiviewer solution helps ensure that freelance operators can work comfortably and efficiently within our trucks, we’re also happy about being able to reduce overall equipment costs and lighten up the truck load. We work 10-hour days, and the time we save in setup helps us avoid overtime costs.
We have found that with Cobalt, the product is always on the shelf, tested and ready to go—often at our shop the morning after I request it. It’s also error-free, right out of the box and this time was no different. The new Cobalt gear installed easily and performed just as expected, right out of the gate
Scott Tucker is the chief engineer at LMG. He has been in the broadcast industry
for 26 years. He can be contacted atstucker@livemobilegroup.comor call 330-542-0900.
For more information, please visitwww.cobaltdigital.comor call 217-344-1245.
