MultiChoice Group’s SuperSport has unveiled its newest outside broadcast (OB) truck, which the company plans to use to broadcast live sports events in 4K ultra high definition, including local rugby and football.

The purpose-built Mercedes-Benz truck is kitted out with the latest in advanced broadcasting technologies. Watch the video below for a look inside the vehicle. The entire truck is built for modern broadcasts over internet protocol (IP) networks, including satellite and fibre.

SuperSport, which produces more than 750 live productions every year, said the vehicle – the price of which was not disclosed – is one of the most advanced OB trucks in the world.

It will be put to commercial use within the next fortnight, although the company declined to say which event it would be used for — it will be either a local football or rugby match.

The vehicle is wired to take up to 30 4K-resolution camera feeds, said Dheshnie Naidoo, head of production operations at SuperSport who led the team that designed the truck, which the company has named IP1.

Naidoo said the decision to embrace IP in the OB truck’s design gives SuperSport greater “scalability and flexibility” in its broadcasts.

“We can broadcast from anywhere provided there is internet connectivity,” she told TechCentral at the launch event in Randburg, Johannesburg. “It gives us the opportunity to broadcast even from remote areas, in places that have never hosted a concert or sports event, in a cost-effective and efficient way, with less people-intensive rigging and setup.”

The truck will also allow MultiChoice and SuperSport to provide 4K feeds from South African games to international broadcasters. Until now, all local games supplied internationally by SuperSport have been in 1080p, which is a limitation of the existing fleet of OB trucks.

It took 18 months to design and build the IP1 in conjunction with German broadcasting experts. The vehicle is still being commissioned, but will be ready for service within a fortnight, Naidoo said.

Technical specifications

Name of Truck: IP1
Video/audio Formats: 4K/UHD (available 3G HD down conversion) + Dolby Atmos/Dolby 5.1 (available stereo down-mix)
Workflow design: IP SMPTE 2110 NMOS
Control system: Hi control system
Cameras: Wired for 30 (fitted with 16x Sony 3500, 4x Sony 5500, 2x Sony 4800, 2x Sony 3500 integrated Vislink RF and 4x QX Qball)
Lenses: Fujinon (12x UA107, 3x UA70, 4x UA24 and 5x UA14)
Replay/recording: Wired for eight (fitted with 6x EVS XT VIA and 2x XFile3) plus AJA SSD Dual Recorder and Simply Live USB Recorder
Vision mixer: Sony XVS 9000 (4ME + 1AUX)
Audio mixer: Calrec Artemis 64 Fader (Main) and Calrec TypeR (submix)
Comms: Riedel
Network backbone: Arista Modular frame (fitted with 3x line cards)
Video/audio conversion and transport: Imagine Communications
Critical video/audio monitoring: Sony BVM monitor and Genelec speaker range
Trailer dimensions (m) and weight (t): Length 16, width 2.6 and expanded 5; height 4.3; weight 34
Electrical: Voltage 240/415V plus fitted with dual-input three-phase 150A Marechal (5-pin) connectors and 8kVA UPS
Air conditioning: Daiken 70kW system (six split system with critical equipment redundancy) plus UVC disinfection
Coach builder: Hoffmann (Germany)