“Veresk”

By Valentin Odnolko, Ivan Pokotilo

Review contents:

I want OB van Mini mobile television stations by “AudioVideo Technologies” Company “Veresk” Mobile television stations by “Figaro” company “Pultex” mobile multi-camera station Mobile multi-camera TV station by “Era” company is a new series of finished decisions Mobile TV stations by A&T Trade company Mobile television stations by Elvia (Czech Republic) Mobile television stations by I.S.P.A.-Engineering Mobile television station of JC-Sport manufacture Proline multi camera mobile station Mobile television station by Protec company Digital mobile TV stations of Qualitron manufacture Mobile television station of Sat-Comm manufacture If you can not afford mobile television station (instead of afterword)

Veresk MTS is designed for outside video production during reporting of events, shooting and recording video program topics with post editing with the help of studio equipment, creating small programs, operating as additional device together with other MTS, work with TV center in live “TV-bridge” mode.

MTS is built in a body, based on lveco 2000 minibus, which is equipped with systems of conditioning, heating, ventilation, noise and thermal insulation. Body’s layout is made on the standard cross scheme. Equipment divides the body’s cabin into two sections: main and subsidiary. Main (technical) section is a work place of creative-technical group that is responsible for MTS’s “going out”. Main console has behind itself work places for director, his assistant and video engineer, behind which work place of sound engineer is situated. Driver-electrician sits in the cabin of minibus. The roof has in its drop bar surveillance camera and receiving TV antenna. Technical section is equipped with ventilation, conditioning, and heating systems. There are also special section heating radiators and floor comfort ventilator.

Subsidiary section contains panels for outer mains supply switching, isolating transformer, stabilizer, and charging unit for vehicle accumulator recharge on the parking place. It is also a place for transporting reels with camera and communication cables and two reels with mains cables 60 m each for switching to industrial network or generator.

Video products of MTS are based on signals from two transmitting TV cameras, expandable to four, two recording and playing posts, IBM PC-based character generator, and outer source of composite PAL or surveillance camera’s SECAM signals.

OB Van “Veresk” is ready to work

It is recommended to use as main cameras triaxial Sony DXC-D35P camera systems with CCU-TX7P base stations (camera channels) and RCP-TX7 remote control units. CA-57 surveillance camera, dressed in all-weather casing and placed on remote-controlled head, provides action images and general views necessary during multi camera shooting.

DXC-D35P video camera of Sony manufacture has higher performance specification (800 tvl), employs skin-effect function, missing in all previous camera heads models of professional level, which allows improving color sensation of human face’s skin by smoothing away color aberrations without loss of color resolution. New electronic DFX-701 viewfinder with horizontal resolution of up to 600 tvl makes it easy to operate camera. Triaxial CCU-TX 7P camera channel with remote-controlled RCP-TX7 camera, connected with camera channel by means of 5m-cable, is located in cabin of MTS. CCU-NX7P camera channel allows operating camera located at the distance of up to 1500 m. Camera 8mm-triaxial cable, default for this MTS, has its standard length of 200 m per each camera.

Main OB Van section equipment

Digital SDI is a main video channel of MTS. Having considered existing technological tasks of forming news materials, the company selected as integrating video channel link an optimized DFS 700P by Sony, which is both mixer and digital effects unit. DFS 700P — is a digital component video mixer with 4:2:2:4 signal processing (with alpha channel) equipped with additional BKDF-701 board. Mixer employs eight SDI-inputs. DME video mixer, used in MTS, is a real time device having full set of standard effects such as direct joint, wipe, rear projection, color correction, and smooth blackening. Any of these effects may be quickly activated from memory by its number and used in preset or corrected form.

Besides two digital SDI (270 Mbit/s) and analog component YCrCb outputs, mixer has composite Preview output.

Universality and flexibility are one of the most important requirements made to equipment’s performance specification and reliability. Equipment of video signal matching, commutation, and distribution by Profitt company (Saint Petersburg) meets all the stated above requirements. Designed specially for Veresk MTS’s video channel, certain devices provide conversion between systems differing by color coding systems (PAL/SECAM), synchronization that allows combing external devices into synchronized system, and commutation with 8×4 matrix providing emergency scanning of mixer, commutation of sources on recording and measuring devices. Reference PAL/SECAM PSE 1070 synchronizing generator by Profitt company provides synchronization of all devices in the station.

View to OB Van from the rear door point

For recording and playback one can use edit pair of any format that employs main YCrCb (YPrPb) or SDI inputs and outputs.

For recording/editing reporting and news programs we recommend PVW 2800 P and PSR 2600 video tape recorders by Sony in the given scheme.

Edit couple is managed by Panasonic AG-A350 controller that monitors video tape recorders via RS-422 interface both during broadcasting from MTS and at edit mode.

As graphical and text information source Veresk MTS uses character generator based on compatible PC and PKV-204-2 board of DIP company manufacture (Saint Petersburg). Character generator employs industry standard body of 2U height (89 mm) that may be installed in 19" stand.

Sound equipment system of Veresk MTS includes audio mixer, sound sources, devices necessary for sound processing and control sound monitors.

Video program sound line of MTS is formed by output devices of sound 16-input mixer by Sony. The company has considered technological peculiarities of reporting programs and formed out set of sound sources of MTS. It contains radio microphones (hand and clip), short guns as a unit of camera systems. Ambient noise is provided by dynamic and capacitor microphones installed in shooting area.

Besides “low-level” sources (microphones), sound program of MTS may be supplied with high-level source signal — i. e. 0dB linear level. It may be signals of local radio center, sound signals from video tape recorders, signals of SPH-10 telephone hybrid by Gentner company.

The system employs two-channel Yamaha D5000 delay line for coincidence of video and sound phases, i. e. for speaker’s articulation match its video image. Sound program is controlled by two control monitors.

Intercommunication system of Veresk MTS consists of two sub-systems: communication with base telephone and inner personnel communication. System of inner personnel communication of Veresk MTS bases on two-channel MS-232 host station of ClearCom company. It provides inner communication between operators, video and sound engineers and also four-wire link communication with director’s assistant in shooting area. MTS’s apparatus room being quite small, system of inner communication may operate both in loud communication mode and in individual CC-60 handsets of ClearCom company. Isolated telephones and low-sensitive dynamic microphone allow convenient personnel work.

System of communication with TV center includes machines of director and engineering communication. Using Siemens radiotelephones with three programmable receivers one may obtain local network within up to 300 m (in open space) with possibility of joining city telephone network from any receiver.

“Veresk” OB Van general view

Director and engineer are provided with set of six 5.6" LC monitors installed in 19" construct. The set also includes 9" CRT Sony PMV-9054 monitors. These monitors, having quite high resolution and stable white balance, provide director with quality control of “program” and “preparation” lines from DFS700P mixer as well as control of color and image focusing from MTS’s own cameras. 9" LC monitor provides control of character generator computer signal.

The second set contains oscillographs, vector display, and measurer of amplitude-and-phase parameters of PAL video signal. Full measurements of SECAM signal by secamscope-type device may be done weekly during stationary preventive maintenance.

Having analyzed market of control-measurement apparatus we settle on equipment manufactured by Leader company, which is of moderate price and good quality: 5861V oscillograph and 5851V vector display.

The station feeds from single-phase alternating current grid of 220 V (50Hz). MTS’s full power consumption makes 6,0 kW. There are available variants of MTSs completed with UPS in 19" construct or detached diesel generator.

UPS provides autonomous power supply for some MTS’s equipment necessary for one-camera shooting or recording onto video tape recorder (or broadcasting to TV center through relay station) for 45 min. Power supply system is equipped with means of visual control of output voltage and load current, automatic output circuit breakers, and system protection from insulation break of feeding cables.

Television research institute, scientific-manufacture complex #41