4K-ready trucks rely on Imagine Communications for routing and infrastructure

Imagine Communications, empowering the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation, is providing the core infrastructure for four new outside broadcast trucks being built for NEP UK. The new trucks will be capable of HD, 1080p HD and 4K/UHD production, easily switching between HD and UHD resolutions as assignments require.

“We provide remote production facilities for some of the most watched broadcasts, and particularly the top sports,” said Rob Newton, director of engineering and technology for NEP in the UK. “Our success as a business depends on high utilisation of our assets, which in turn means they have to be extremely flexible. Imagine Communications gives us that flexibility, with the capability to instantly switch formats without worrying about synchronisation and routing issues, and without adding latency that would be a nightmare in live production.”

At the heart of each of the new trucks is the Platinum™ IP3 router from Imagine Communications. To provide complex signal management and accommodate multiple formats, the Platinum IP3 integrates signal distribution, audio multiplexing and de-multiplexing, flexible multiviewing and test and measurement, along with precision routing, in a compact space. Speed of set-up is enhanced by the IP3’s ability to instantly recall previously stored system configurations, enabling the truck to start work quickly and efficiently.

The Platinum IP3 is also critical to NEP’s transition to IP, as it is designed to work in a hybrid SDI-IP environment, with transparent operations across the two signal fabrics. Add in its compact and lightweight form factor and the Platinum IP3 is an ideal selection for a forward-looking mobile production installation.

Also included in the build for the four new trucks is critical infrastructure equipment from Imagine Communications, including Selenio™ MCP units, fortified with HD-UHD up- and down-conversion capabilities; and Selenio 6800+, Selenio X100 and Selenio X50 modular units for signal processing, monitoring and distribution. Imagine Communications’ extensive processing and compression solutions provide seamless support for UHD and hybrid SDI-IP environments.

“NEP has been a leader in the delivery of native 4K broadcasts worldwide” added Newton. “We’ve supported our clients with it since the beginning, and we are confident that we will see its implementation continue to grow globally with Imagine Communications as our technology partner.”

Mathias Eckert, vice president Europe, Middle East and Africa, Imagine Communications, said, “At the top end of broadcast, technology is moving incredibly quickly. We have the IP revolution and UHD/4K bringing High Dynamic Range video and more. Because we have been developing our solutions over many years we can deliver extremely mature and proven solutions, which means we can work with leaders like NEP as the go-to company for mobile production across any format and any technology. These new trucks are set to be the industry leaders for some time to come, and it is great to know that Imagine technology is at the heart of them.”

Imagine Communications will be demonstrating its UHD- and IP-capable solutions, along with the rest of its cutting-edge technology, at booth N2502 at NAB Show 2016 (Las Vegas Convention Center, 18 – 21 April).

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About Imagine Communications
Imagine Communications empowers the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation. Broadcasters, networks, video service providers and enterprises around the world rely on our optimized, future-proof, multiscreen video and revenue enablement solutions every day to support their mission-critical operations. Today, nearly half of the world’s video channels traverse our products, and our software solutions drive close to a third of global ad revenue. Through continuous innovation we are delivering the most advanced IP, cloud-enabled, software-defined network and workflow solutions in the industry. Visit www.imaginecommunications.com for more information, and follow us on Twitter @imagine_comms.