In order to provide flexibility for the onboard plasma video wall screens, National Mobile Television's (NMT) has selected a BARCO HYDRA universal multi-video insertion unit for its newest high-definition production truck, HD4. The truck is now being used for ABC's Monday Night Football HDTV broadcasts.
The HD4 truck's main production wall features a total capability of 95 images. The monitor wall consists of a combination of CRT, plasma and LCD technology. The plasma and LCD monitors produce less heat, weigh less and save space.
Typically, plasma monitors are designed to work horizontally, in a landscape orientation, creating space limitations in the truck. By using BARCO's Hydra universal multi-video insertion unit, HD4’s plasma monitors can be rotated 90 degrees, allowing the images to be viewed in a portrait orientation. This allows the truck's crew to realize the benefits of virtual display technology, while still allowing maximum use of the available space, NMT said.
BARCO’s Hydra system can support HD-SDI, SDI, NTSC, PAL, SECAM, Y/C, RGB and MPEG video sources along with all embedded audio signals, such as the full 16 channels of embedded AES audio on both HD-SDI and SDI sources. It also accommodates XDS (V-Chip) support, closed captioning, VITC and LTC time codes and up to 112 discreet AES or analog audio meters that can have full configurable flexibility of this information to a display from SVGA to UXGA resolutions.
In addition, the BARCO Hydras also monitor over 20 user configurable, input independent video, audio and data parameters per input.
NMT currently operates a fleet of 42 state-of-the-art mobile units in the U.S.
For more information visit www.barco.com and www.nmtv.com.
