Arena Television is spending £1.7m on a 10th outside broadcast truck as it looks to capitalise on a recent surge in work enquiries.

The single-expanding OB14 vehicle will fill a gap in the company’s fleet between its double-expanding trucks and its
rigid single expanders.

Leeds-based FAL Systems, which was involved in three other recent Arena truck builds, is carrying out the integration for OB14, which should be ready for operation by next spring.

It will cost £1.7m to build. A separate investment will be required for camras and VTRs.

Arena managing director Richard Yeowart said: “We’ve been turning rather a lot of work away over the past six
months and need to increase capacity to better accommodate growth opportunities.”

At the same time, the company has taken delivery of a Panasonic AG3DA1 Full HD 3D camcorder.

The fully integrated, dual-lens shooter will be deployed on Arena’s gyro-stabilised helicopter side mount for aerial filming for a range of programming genres.

Yeowart said it could also be used with remote camera racking and convergence controls in a simplified 3D OB service.

“This solution would be a fraction of the cost of the path chosen by existing 3D broadcasters. Its size and weight makes it ideal for jibs and steadicams,” he said.

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