Amsterdam – September 9th, 2016: The latest generation live production technology from Sony has been chosen for use in the mobile production unit shared by ARD and ZDF. At the European Championship in France, the teams used Sony’s flexible ICP-X7000 panel to operate the XVS-8000 multi-format video switcher, which was also newly acquired. By opting for Sony, these public broadcasters are equipping themselves for the future and the technical demands of IP Live and 4K.

The mobile production unit is shared by the ARD Group and ZDF and is comprised of various technical equipment including cameras, servers, displays and video switchers. Prepared in accordance with production requirements, the unit is set up as an on-site control room. ZDF is responsible for the inventory, storage and management of the equipment. The mobile production unit is primarily used for major sporting events, most recently at the European Championship in France. The new ICP-X7000 control panel and the XVS-8000 video switcher from Sony were both used during the transmission of these live events.
​ The XVS-8000 multi-format 4K/3G/HD/SD video switcher is at the heart of the IP Live, 4K and HD production processes. It supports the Networked Media Interface (NMI), which was developed by Sony together with a number of broadcasters, in creating a mixed SDI and IP environment. The mobile production team was also impressed by the ease of operation of the ICP-X7000 control panel, as well as its technical applications. The OLED displays on the module and the visual display on the enhanced LCD button pad make it possible to see the status of the XVS-8000 switcher at a glance at any time, and therefore ensure that work can be completed quickly and safely. Thanks to its new IP-based architecture, the ICP-X7000 panel is even more flexible in terms of configuration, design and networking capabilities — and is therefore perfectly equipped for future remote production demands. The panel can be installed either flat or curved and also enables the broadcaster to easily separate individual mix effects over IT networks. The XPT FlexiPad allows individual function mapping, which can be configured completely in accordance with the preferences of the user.

Andreas Berghaus, Product Manager for Live Production and Systems at Sony Professional Solutions Europe, advised ZDF on which equipment to select for the mobile production unit: "The mobile production unit has particularly high production requirements in terms of ease of use, flexibility and reliability. I am therefore particularly pleased that we were able to meet the high expectations of the ARD Group and ZDF with our solution comprising high-quality technology, future-proof interfaces and our service available on site from Sony."
​ For more information, please visit: pro.sony.eu