Cloudbass is building two IP remote production trucks for top tier football coverage, using IP core infrastructure based on arkona’s BLADE//runner and manifold’s CLOUD multiviewer.
Cloudbass has delivered outside broadcast (OB) vehicles over many years, earning a reputation as a reliable broadcast partner with a talent for innovation. The company is now preparing two new IP remote production trucks designed specifically to cover top tier football events.
The vehicles, set to hit the road in mid-2025, are a major step in Cloudbass’ expansion into scalable, IP-based production, adding to its large fleet that now supports UHD, 1080p and 1080i productions across HDR and SDR formats.
Built in collaboration with dB Broadcast, the two new vehicles will be used in IP-based workflows for both on-site and off-site scenarios. The OB trucks are designed to help the Cloudbass team frequently and rapidly redeploy, and at the same time optimise their space, weight and power usage.
IP Core Infrastructure
As part of the trucks’ preparation stage, Cloudbass has hired arkona technologies GmbH and manifold technologies to help build the IP core infrastructure. arkona’s BLADE//runner AT300 platform has been selected, which covers all SDI gateway functions.
The BLADE//runner platform is designed with a flexible, modular software framework comprising a complete suite of live broadcast production software and hardware. It includes capabilities for audio/video routing, compression and processing, and operates on arkona’s FPGA-based programmable acceleration cards (PACs).
The growing adoption of IP systems has made it possible to use COTS compute platforms, including COTS PACs that have been developed with high speed network interfaces and a custom programmable FPGA. This development makes it possible to access and process large amounts of IP video with low latency, guaranteed performance and low power consumption. The PACs support real-time launching, control and monitoring of processing functions.
The AT300’s small footprint and high density makes it a good choice for truck environments with limited rack space. Its scalability enables simple expansion and power efficiency, keeping it in line with Cloudbass’ commitment to sustainability. The platform’s adaptability significantly reduces the technical barriers associated with having the right equipment ready to go for live broadcasts – their team can be assured of operational efficiency and high-quality production standards in diverse environments.
Cloudbass purchased arkona’s VCC (video colour correction and conversion) option for BLADE//runner, for HDR <-> SDR LUT based conversion. It makes extra, routable instances available of RGB/YUV colour correction and SDR-HDR colour space conversion, producing results suitable for high quality sports productions.
Combined Routing, Multiviewing and Processing
To control the BLADE//runner platform in both trucks, Cloudbass will use arkona’s new EASY-IP interface that integrates BLADE//runner with manifold CLOUD multiviewer hardware and software, working as a combined package for live video and audio routing, multiviewing and processing. With an approach similar to arkona’s, manifold CLOUD’s flexibility and scale will help Cloudbass to dynamically adjust to evolving production needs, and it also runs on COTS FPGA programmable acceleration cards (PAC).
manifold CLOUD, a service-oriented type of software, uses a pool of shared hardware resources that may be variously located, configurable on-demand and allocated within a private cloud environment. These resources – the PACs – are pooled together in clusters that the user assigns to a specific purpose for a set period of time. Multiple clusters can be operated simultaneously, each with different services.
"Innovation is at the heart of what we do, but our number one priority is getting the content to air and having it remain there without interruption,” said Mike Beaumont, Technical Director at Cloudbass. “arkona and manifold are exactly what we need – compact, scalable and efficient systems that meet the challenges of modern OB production, including reduced energy consumption, efficiency, scalability and low latency." arkonatech.com
