4K OB Van Built with Cinevideo

Cinevideo’s newest OB van, a 20-camera 4K OB Van, based on 12G SDI technology, uses Lawo’s VSM Broadcast Control System for overall management and operation in combination with a set of software and hardware panels as well as several GPIO units. Project management, installation and commissioning was carried out by ARET Video and Audio Engineering, who for years has been a trusted system integrator for Cinevideo projects, a serial user of VSM broadcast control.

The new truck of Pescara-based Cinevideo, one of the largest Italian production companies, has designed their new Waves 12G OB truck by following the same layout and configuration as its Dolphin 7.0 vehicle. This makes Cinevideo the owner of two UHD HDR OBs. ARET video and audio engineering managed both the build and system integration of Waves 12G, which is designed to work with Dolphin 7.0 at all levels – audio, video and intercom – to increase the potential on productions where two main control rooms and two backups are needed.

Waves 12G is a 14-meter, three-axle trailer equipped with double expansion, which creates a work surface of about 60 square meters in operational mode. To be able to deal with multiple events at the same time, it provides three separate entrances for technical and artistic staff: Technical area, Main production room and Secondary production room.

“This not my first VSM system and, when we started the project, I had no doubt that Waves would have had its own VSM: when systems get complex, it allows you an integrated control of all the equipment,” explains Andrea Buonomo, Cinevideo’s Executive Sales Manager. He continues: “It is stable and reliable, and I love the way it helps us solve complex configuration problems.”

Buonomo proudly adds: “The technological heart of the new Waves 12G is the most advanced the market can offer today. It is made to support current processes in 4K and even beyond in the future, thanks to 12G SDI. We have chosen VSM also for our new Waves truck as we have experienced with the Dolphin how it optimises our productions, as a full 12G SDI workflow will make things as easy as 3G SDI, providing a very powerful and flexible infrastructure!”

Dr. Eng. Alessandro Asti of ARET states: “We are proud and honoured by the trust of Cinevideo, who we have served in several projects with technology for their ambitious productions which are a benchmark for highest quality standards. The two trucks named Dolphin and Waves are independent entities and can also work together as a combined unit, all controlled by the Lawo VSM system.”

“This Lawo setup, called ‘Network Bridging’, allows that two or more independent VSM-controlled IP installs can share relevant sources”, explains Chas Rowden, Lawo Sales Director Europe. “Whenever one network infrastructure needs to access selected sources of another network, VSM facilitates this while preserving most of the functionality exposed to operational workflows. Typical applications are nationwide facility connections, truck-to-facility connections, and increasingly also truck-to-truck connections. I am very happy that Cinevideo uses Lawo systems in several installations now, all successfully carried out and completed by ARET, our trusted partner in Italy.”

“VSM gives us the right way to manage a very complex workflow, with the large scale use of tie-line we can obtain a great flexibility on our resources, and, with the fully integration of all the equipment inside the OB, is, without compromise, the best product for us. Last but not least, it is a matter of saving plenty of time on the spot during the configuration of the OB van, implying a cost reduction which pays back the investment,” closes Buonomo.

Initially scheduled for launch last June, the project suffered heavy delays in construction due to the pandemic, so works have been finalised in November 2020.