TNDV Brings 12G-SDI production and 10GbE networking together in Exclamation truck redesign

Precisely nine years to the date that TNDV’s first 4K-capable truck rolled into service, the entertainment-based mobile and REMI production company has prepared its flagship Exclamation truck for the next phase of its journey. Now in service and available to book, Exclamation hits the road with a holistic 12G video/audio ecosystem, a refreshed hybrid fiber/copper backbone, and a modernized 10GbE networking infrastructure.

Exclamation was born a 1080p 3G truck in June 2016 with the capability to accommodate 4K shoots and live switching. The 53-foot double-expando Class A truck was TNDV’s first to offer native 1080p broadcast and production capability across its entire infrastructure and workflow, with a full 4K quad-link upgrade completed in 2020. It soon became TNDV’s primary truck for premium broadcast and enterprise projects including primetime TV network specials, entertainment awards shows, music festivals and large-scale corporate events.

TNDV followed a similar blueprint to the recent upgrade of its Aspiration truck by placing an Evertz Nexx router at the foundation, multiplying its video capacity by more than five while reducing rack space requirements to a compact 5RU footprint. “Our previous systems served us well and had plenty of capacity, though quad-link connectivity reduced video to 60 channels for 4K productions,” said Rob Devlin, President, TNDV. “That increasingly challenged our 4K productions as channel counts grew over time, especially for multi-stage or multi-site productions. Our Evertz Nexx is built as a full 12G system with 320×320 capacity for video, and we’re combining all that into one single cable. It cuts down the infrastructure and the complexity, not to mention onboard weight.”

That streamlining includes bringing once-separate functions such as multiviewer processing, frame sync, format conversion (including HDR), and audio embedding and de-embedding into the Nexx platform. “We now have a 12G path from glass to glass with zero degradation and no conversion stages, and that includes sending the ISO process all the way to recording,” said Chris Payne, Manager of Streaming, Remote Control Operations and Special Projects. “In addition, we can leverage the power of our router for signal processing and can integrate directly with our Studer Vista X audio console. That allows us to do upwards of 1,000 audio channels direct to the console through the router without stepping outside of the ecosystem.”

Payne, who served as lead design engineer for the upgrade, says that the redesign was planned to handle everything from small HD productions to larger 4K production. The latter includes projects with multiple 4K feeds, sources and distribution requirements when servicing multiple clients. TNDV also changed the layout of the production monitor wall to improve the user experience for front bench personnel, including TNDV crew and production partners.

That monitor wall retains existing Flanders Scientfic monitors that Payne says gives “tremendous quality of video picture” while the area itself serves as a “flex space” that can handle many utility positions. Payne says that can typically mean accommodating a second producer, a second tech director or a separate complete production. “Exclamation essentially becomes a dual truck in those scenarios,” he said.

The Exclamation upgrade also includes a complete refresh of the IT infrastructure for live streaming and IP networking requirements. TNDV added new Ubiquiti Dream Machines with 10GbE Cloud Gateways and supporting 10GbE aggregate switches.

“We completely changed out the IP infrastructure on the truck and can now deploy a fully-featured network environment,” said Payne. “Even though we are excited about new advances in SMPTE 2110, we decided early on in the planning process to remain with a 12G infrastructure to allow our equipment to be reconfigured on the fly. We typically have multiple networks built into these trucks to accommodate anything from video streaming projects, adjusting and controlling the video and audio routers to embedding the audio, which is where we often bring Dante into the mix. The new network environment allows us to comfortably manage multiple VLANs and improves our remote control capabilities from offsite network admins and NOCs, which can be valuable for REMI productions. We have pretty much replaced the entire network stack from the incoming data router to all the switches downstream including those on our remote stage boxes.”