Outside broadcast services: OB truck or flypack?
An OB (outside broadcast) truck is a mobile production gallery: vision mixing, sound, graphics, recording and transmission built into a vehicle and driven to the venue.
Where we use this- At the venue: a production gallery on wheels.
- Tested, integrated kit that does not depend on the venue's AV.
- Power and parking. A large truck needs three-phase power and a place to stand.
What it means in live production.
An OB truck, also called an OB van or outside broadcast truck, is a production control room on wheels. Inside are the vision mixer, the sound desk, graphics, replay and recording, monitoring, intercom and the equipment that sends the programme out. It parks at the venue, cables run to the cameras, and the crew directs the show from inside.
The name comes from television. Programmes were made in studios. Anything made outside the studio, such as a match, a ceremony or a concert, was an outside broadcast. The truck brought the studio gallery to the event.
Outside broadcast services are the companies and crews that supply this capability for an event: the control room, the cameras, the people and the connection out of the venue. Today that control room can arrive as a truck, as a flypack, or partly as a remote connection back to a fixed control room.
What an OB truck contains.
Production gallery
The director, the vision mixer operator and the producer watch every source on a multiviewer and cut the programme. See vision mixing.
Sound
A separate sound area where an engineer mixes microphones, commentary, music and effects for the broadcast.
Graphics and replay
Name captions, scores and data, and replay operators who cut slow-motion moments back to air on sport.
Engineering
Camera control, signal routing, recording and the encoders that turn the programme into a stream or a broadcast feed.
Comms
Headsets and intercom linking the director to every camera operator, the floor manager and the venue. See comms systems.
Power and connections
The truck needs a reliable power supply, often three-phase, and cable or fibre runs to every camera position.
OB truck vs flypack. Same job, different packaging.
A flypack is a portable control room in road cases. It carries the same functions as a truck (mixing, sound, graphics, recording and transmission) in cases that travel by van or by air and are set up in a room at the venue. The choice is about the venue, the scale and the logistics, not about quality.
| Question | OB truck | Flypack |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Parked outside the venue, with cable runs in | In a room or a back-of-house area, close to the stage |
| Best for | Large sport, stadiums and long multi-camera shows | Conferences, hotels, halls, indoor events and venues with no truck access |
| Set-up | Arrives pre-built and pre-wired, so set-up is mostly cabling and tests | Assembled on site, so it needs a set-up window before rehearsal |
| Space and access | Needs parking, a route for the cables and three-phase power | Needs a room and normal power distribution |
| Scale | Fixed by the size of the truck | Built to the show, from a few cameras to a full production |
| Travel | By road only | By road or as air freight |
For most corporate and conference events, a flypack does the job of an OB truck with less space, less power and less cost. For a stadium match with many cameras and replay, a truck is often the simpler answer.
When does an event need outside broadcast?
An event needs outside broadcast services whenever it has to produce a live programme somewhere without a broadcast control room. Most venues fall into that group. A hotel ballroom, an exhibition hall, a sports ground or an outdoor site has a stage and a sound system, but nowhere to cut a multi-camera programme.
A full outside broadcast
Several cameras, a director cutting live, graphics, replay or remote guests, and a programme going to a broadcaster or a large online audience.
A compact setup
A single stage with one or two cameras and a slide feed. A small flypack, or a single operator, covers it.
A venue with its own control room
Some arenas and studios have a fixed gallery. Then the job is to bring crew and fill the gaps, not to bring a control room.
A site survey answers most of these questions. It checks camera positions, cable routes, power, the internet connection and where the control room can sit.
Remote production: the control room stays at base.
A third option is remote production. Cameras and microphones are at the venue, but their signals travel over fibre or bonded connections to a control room elsewhere, where the programme is cut. Only the camera crew and a small engineering team travel.
Remote production depends on the connection. It needs enough upload capacity for every camera, low delay and a backup path. Protocols such as SRT carry the feeds over the internet with error correction. Where the venue has no usable line, bonded cellular or satellite can carry them.
How we approach outside broadcast.
We start from the venue and the run of show, not from a truck. For most events, the production capability of an OB van arrives in a flexible flypack format, set up in the venue close to the stage. For venues without broadcast infrastructure, we bring the production gallery to the site.
Every setup is planned around a second path: backup encoding, a backup connection and a local recording, so one failure does not end the programme.
Our senior lead served as Technical Manager on the Esports World Cup, across five arenas over three months.
To scope an outside broadcast, see full event production. For open sites with no fibre, see mobile and remote location streaming.
Full event production
For venues without broadcast infrastructure, we bring the production gallery to the site.
Live event streaming
Live event streaming services in Dubai for conferences, summits and corporate events. Multi-camera production, redundant uplinks, one team from camera to viewer.
ReadVision mixing in broadcast production
Vision mixing is the live switching between camera sources during a broadcast.
ReadMCR (Master Control Room)
A master control room (MCR) is the technical hub of a broadcast, where every feed is checked, routed and sent out to its audience.
ReadSite Survey
A site survey is a detailed technical assessment of the venue before event production.
ReadComms Systems
Comms (communications) systems connect production team members through headsets and microphones so they can coordinate in real time.
ReadQuestions people ask about this.
What is the difference between an OB truck and an OB van?
Usually none. Both mean a vehicle fitted as a mobile production control room. "Van" tends to describe smaller vehicles and "truck" larger ones, but the terms are used interchangeably.
Is a flypack as good as an OB truck?
For most events, yes. A flypack carries the same functions in road cases instead of a vehicle. The difference is logistics: where it can go, how long it takes to set up, and how much space and power it needs.
Do all large events need an OB truck?
No. If the venue has a usable control room, crew can work from it. If it does not, a flypack often does the job with less space and power. A truck makes most sense for large outdoor or stadium productions with many cameras. A site survey decides it.
How long does an outside broadcast take to set up?
It depends on the size of the show and the venue. A truck arrives pre-wired, so set-up is mostly cable runs and tests. A flypack is assembled on site. Large productions usually rig the day before and rehearse before doors open.
What power does an outside broadcast need?
A large truck usually needs a dedicated three-phase supply. A flypack can often run from the venue's normal distribution. If the venue power is not suitable, a generator is planned in. Power is checked during the site survey.
Tell us the date, the venue and who is watching.
We scope every live production against its run of show, not a package.
This is part of what goes into broadcasting an event.