Antenna Hungária’s OB11 Upgraded with Lawo IP Solutions

Antenna Hungária Zrt unveils its modernized OB11 OB van, featuring Lawo IP-based solutions. As part of the upgrade, Antenna Hungária selected audio and video broadcast equipment from Lawo, a global leader in innovative live media production workflows. The Lawo broadcast control system, Virtual Studio Manager (VSM), oversees overall control. Lawo partner REXFILM Broadcast and Communication Systems managed the integration to ensure seamless implementation and optimal operation.

Like for the other modern large-production trucks of its OB fleet, Antenna Hungária has implemented also in the new OB 11 Lawo’s VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) as the central control system for the entire broadcast workflow. VSM’s vendor-agnostic design integrates with a wide range of broadcast equipment, allowing for customized workflows and intuitive control of thousands of I/O and processing resources, both locally and in distributed infrastructures. IP edge devices, network infrastructures, traditional video routers, SDI video switchers, audio routers, audio consoles, multiviewers, intercoms, and modular equipment can all be controlled from a single, highly automated, and intuitive user interface. Besides touchscreen operation, Antenna Hungária installed several hardware operating panels. The system’s scalability and automation capabilities enable Antenna Hungária to optimize its operations and deliver exceptional content to audiences.

“We work with Lawo equipment because of its reliability and flexibility, as well as the great system integration possibilities,” says Zoltán Tihanyi, Senior Audio Expert of Antenna Hungária, on the choice of the equipment. “We also chose Lawo because of its ease of operation. By running VSM and Lawo audio equipment in our OB vans, we only need to teach one system to our operators, who can then work across the entire fleet. We use Lawo consoles for various types of jobs, including entertainment shows, sports broadcasts, musicals, theater shows, and multitrack recordings.”

Vilmos Váradi, Head of Broadcast Production at Antenna Hungária, adds: “This upgrade represents our commitment to delivering cutting-edge broadcast experiences to our audience, and Lawo’s state-of-the-art solutions play a crucial role in achieving that goal.”

Central to the audio infrastructure upgrade is the installation of Lawo’s 48-channel mc²56 MkIII audio production console, equipped with two A__UHD Core audio engines in a redundant design, each providing 1,024 mc²-quality DSP channels. Optimized for modern IP-based production environments, the mc²56 supports SMPTE 2110, AES67/RAVENNA, DANTE (via a Power Core gateway), MADI, and Ember+. The range of local I/Os includes 16 MIC/line inputs, 16 line outputs, eight AES3 inputs and outputs, eight GPI/O, and a local MADI port (SFP).

In addition to several A__mic8 and A__madi6 units, the audio infrastructure is completed by three A__stage64 Audio over IP StageBoxes, supporting SMPTE ST2110-30/31 and AES67/RAVENNA industry standards. The system also includes an A__digital64 node, which supports 32 AES inputs with Sample Rate Conversion and 32 AES outputs in a 3RU footprint. A redundant pair of MADI ports and two Dual Media streaming ports with WAN-compatible ST 2022-7 class C seamless protection switching enhance the system’s audio I/O connectivity. With ST2110-10 compliant PTP clocking support, additional wordclock I/O, GPIO, and a dedicated management port, the A__digital64 integrates seamlessly into both hybrid and IP-centric broadcast installations.

Since all twelve OB trucks in the Antenna Hungária fleet are equipped with Lawo consoles and stageboxes, all outboard equipment is compatible with any of the trucks. This operational goal—one system for many operators—provides significant flexibility and adds additional safety to the system.