According to Seven Network Telecommunications and IT Infrastructure Manager Dave Watts it’s the flexibility of TVUPacks that’s the main reason the network has again expanded its fleet of units with more packs recently purchased through TVU’s Australian dealer Magna Systems and Engineering. Seven Network now have 20 of the TVUpacks throughout Australia and the USA.
Watts explained, “By using a TVUPack we can get out to more places, faster and more efficiently. They are very flexible as a news resource which is the area you always want to be first in. As a result we’ve purchased more TVUPacks and receivers bringing our total to twenty of each.”
Paul Walker, Seven Network’s senior news cameraman using the TVUpack outside the recent mine collapse at Broken Hill NSW. (instagram)
Seven use the TVUPack TM8100, a 3G/4G/LTE uplink solution weighing only 5.9kg that boots up and broadcasts live in less than one minute. The TM8100 automatically connects to all available wireless connections, stores up to eight hours of footage on an internal solid-state hard drive and can be remotely browsed. The TM8100 also becomes a wireless hotspot when connected to the Internet, enabling video crews to edit stories in the field and send the finished story back to the broadcast facility through the pack.
TVUPack TM8100 mobile wireless 3G/4G/LTE uplink solution
Watts continued, “We trialled the TVUPacks locally and in the USA and were so happy with them we’ve rolled them out across Australia. They are perfect for when we can’t get a truck to the site and represent another very efficient mobile broadcasting tool for us to use. They are in use daily Australia-wide as we have some stationed in each capital city.”
Recently Seven took the TVUPacks overseas to the UK and Bali with the packs performing well in both countries.
Michael Domalaog using his TVUpack to report on a house fire. (instagram)
Watts concluded, “The TVUPacks work very well both in Australia and overseas. You do have to take into account that when you use them you’re working within a public network via a mobile carrier but with the right SIM cards we always get the results we need. They save us time and money as we can get out to more places and having a good relationship with Magna Systems and TVU has also really helps as they take onboard our input so we work well together.”
TVUpack at Sochi Winter Olympics (instagram)
Excerpts from Press Release
