BTV first in Vietnam to acquire Sony-equipped 4K/UHD van

Binh Duong Radio & Television Station (BTV), a provincial broadcaster in south-east Vietnam, has acquired a 4K/Ultra HD (UHD) outside broadcasting (OB) van, which it claimed as the first TV station in the country to step into the 4K/UHD OB realm.

Commenting on the station’s acquisition, Thuong Van Phuc, Deputy Director of BTV, said: “Our new 4K/UHD OB van comes at a perfect time.

“It expands our OB capabilities as it can connect up to 12 cameras simultaneously and complements our current HD OB vans.”

Considered a gateway to Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong province is a key economic zone; and BTV caters to a diverse audience of 2.5 million viewers, many of whom have benefitted from Vietnam’s economic transformation.

The 4K/UHD OB van is equipped with a full complement of Sony products, including HDC-3500 4K/UHD system cameras, HDC-P50 4K/UHD POV camera, XVS-6000 multi-format switchers, and BRAVIA professional displays.

According to Sony, the TV station took 82 days to get its 4K/UHD OB up and running. The station also paid careful attention to its selection of 4K/UHD cameras and multi-format switchers, as Phuc explained: “We worked closely with Sony to get our 4K/UHD OB ready for the future. We can record in 4K/UHD, and upgrade it to 8K easily.”

The HDC-3500 system camera was particularly chosen for its portability, versatility and 4K/HD/HDR picture quality. Additionally, the light and compact HDC-P50 POV system camera features a 2/3-inch 4K/UHD global shutter three CMOS sensor system for its image quality with sensitivity and wide dynamic range.

“What also impressed our technical team was the XVS-6000’s ability to create clip transition effects – transitioning a CG image and movies across the picture from one side to the other with audio,” Phuc added. “This feature is significant for our live programmes.”

As for the BRAVIA 4K/UHD high dynamic range (HDR) professional display, its high brightness and contrast capabilities supports a wide range of programme applications. A key feature for the BRAVIA is its Wi-fi 5GHz support for less interference and high-speed connectivity, and Bluetooth 4.2 for fast data-transfer speeds.

“We are ready for the journey ahead. Our new 4K/UHD OB van is built for tomorrow’s production needs while maintaining full compatibility with today’s workflows and system hardware,” Phuc concluded.