Computer Warehouse builds first IPTV OB truck for education

Computer Warehouse has built what it says is the world’s first fully functioning broadcast facility, multi-suite edit facility and audio suite that travels around inside an 11m lorry.

Commissioned by the Hounslow Creative and Media Consortium, the lorry opens up to 6m wide when docked and contains everything required for IPTV outside broadcasts.

JVC GY-HD251E cameras capable of recording to tape, memory card and hard drive feed simultaneously to four DataVideo rack monitors for a live view of each camera as well as four Grass Valley Canopus ADVC-1000 rack capture boxes connected to the video server.

Footage is stored on two Sonnet D400Q hard drive enclosures giving a total of 8TB of storage; 4TB for “working” storage and a further 4TB for schools and colleges to be able to take away their own footage in a personal hard drive.

The audio feeds for each Camera were sent to a master audio mixer, which allowed a live mix of each camera’s audio as well as any auxiliary inputs (audio from the studio or a mic situated next to the mixer) to be fed through to the video server.

All that was linked to nine Mac edit stations.

Telestream’s Wirecast was used to broadcast a live Internet video feed from the truck, enabling teachers and students to just click the live camera they want to broadcast and easily add extra visuals such as lower third and keying.

Wirecast also supports Desktop capture, which allowed the live broadcast to not only broadcast from Camera feeds but also the screen of any Mac on the same network.

The audio suite in the truck was required for a number of uses, including voiceover/interview recording, music writing and production and live music recording. As a result, the audio suite can either operate as a totally standalone studio, or as a high end master mix station for the live broadcast: for example interviews could be filmed and audio recorded in the studio and go straight to broadcast.