Two new mobile production units for VRT

VRT has chosen two new mobile production units in order to be as flexible as possible. The first one is now used at the set of the daily soap of VRT, "Thuis", in the Manhattan Studios in Leuven. It replaced the fixed control room and gives VRT the opportunity to move the whole system in order of their needs from the Manhattan Studios to another location.

The second production unit is a full mobile one that is built to support internal and external television productions. VRT uses this production unit for small or big productions where it could replace an OBvan, for example in the production of "FC De Kampioenen".

The two mobile production units consist of both audio and video production and have all the workspaces like in a fixed control room or OBvan: Camera correction, technical chef, production, directors, desk and audio production. The central technical equipment such as routers and swithes are put into two 19" racks, one for video and one for audio and intercom. Both mobile control rooms are equipped with Riedel intercom which guarantees the compatibility with the existing fixed and mobile intercom backbone of VRT, which is already Riedel.

The complexity of building and integrating these mobile production units was mainly the connectivity between the different desks and racks. VRT preferred a hybrid cabling system where one multicable could transport audio, video, network, intercom and power.

Due to the high pressure of the delivery of the First mobile production unit, because of the fixed date of the filming days of "Thuis", there was a need of strict and transparent follow-up of both the internal Apex engineers and the VRT project team. Therefore Apex used a project management software that can be used by everyone who is involved in the project. With this system everyone can follow the current status of the project or can add an issue in the project.