Megahertz enjoys successful year in links truck build 

Megahertz enjoys successful year in links truck build 
December 2, 2015 Meriam Khan

[02 December 2015]

Megahertz Ltd, the trusted partner for systems integration with years of experience in delivering cost effective, imaginative designs and solutions for fixed and mobile applications, today announced that it is celebrating a successful 12 months in truck build with over 45 links vehicles on order from leading broadcasters in the UK and Ireland.

Megahertz has been overseeing the design and production of all 45 vehicles, some of which are kitted out for UHD, at its facility in Ely since January 2015.

Included in these orders are 37 vehicles for the BBC made up of a mixture of regional TV newsgathering VSAT trucks as well as SNG trucks that will handle network news coverage from across the 15 regional channels in the UK.  The VSAT vehicles are designed to provide simple, reliable, safe and cost effective newsgathering facilities. A shoot edit operator will be able to gather live video, edit the video in the vehicle and be able to work remotely from the vehicle for a live TV contribution. Connectivity is via VSAT, bonded cellular or WiBE.

These vehicles are intended primarily for news and live outside broadcast events. Some of the regional news vehicles require simultaneous HD contribution to multiple destinations, while other feeds from the SNG trucks will go directly into London and are distributed across the six platforms including the SD and HD channels, mobile and online.

Megahertz has also received an order for five new fibre vehicles plus one hybrid fibre UHD uplink vehicle from BT TV Outside Broadcast (TVOB), the service provider arm of BT Media and Broadcast (M&B). This will refresh over 20% of BT M&Bs fleet of trucks. Additionally Megahertz has upgraded two existing BT TVOB vehicles to UHD.

These trucks, which are already in use daily by BT’s wide customer base of international broadcasters, are part of a fleet, which is designed and operated as fibre only. Hybrid fibre and satellite vans support the main production OB and send pictures back via fibre to BT Tower. They are used to cover numerous HD and UHD sports productions including the Premier League football, rugby and cricket.

“We have had a fantastic 12 months designing, building and delivering various DSNG vehicles to key customers such as the BBC and BT,” commented Jon Flay, managing director of Megahertz. “To maintain a leadership position in advanced systems integration and to meet the ever-changing demands of today’s market you need a broad and current skillset in your design and engineering teams, and a versatile and creative approach. Our team’s vast experience and our deep understanding of broadcasters’ mobile requirements have enabled us to stay ahead of the game and deliver these new vehicles.”

BT Media & Broadcast Global VP, Mark Wilson-Dunn added: “We are delighted to continue a long relationship with Megahertz as we take the delivery of live events forward with our pioneering work around 4K Ultra High Definition”.