NEP Launches New Mobile Unit ND1

NEP has completed work on a new mobile unit, ND1, which incorporates a number of cutting edge technologies that will be used primarily for NBC Sports' coverage of Sunday Night Football.

"ND1 is a truly cutting-edge broadcast facility, perfectly matched to support Sunday Night Football, the most-watched and most technically advanced broadcast on TV,” said Ken Goss, senior VP, remote operations and production planning, NBC Sports Group in a statement. “NBC Sports and NEP have had a fantastic relationship for nearly 20 years, and the launch of this new mobile unit exemplifies the synergy we have developed as a team over two decades — and continues our legacy of working together to push remote broadcast technology forward.”

Notable new tech innovations is what NEP is calling “a revolutionary workstation design platform,” which enables almost any job function to be performed from almost any workspace in the truck at the push of a button.

ND1 is also one of NEP's family of next-generation mobile units that use a new approach to design and construct. This produces trailers with more interior space while taking up a smaller footprint in the compound.

To create the unit, NEP engineers also used tools from the aircraft industry to design a trailer that is stronger, stiffer, and 20 percent lighter. That will result in greater weight-carrying capacity, reduced maintenance downtime, a better ride for the equipment, and a longer life for both the equipment and the trailer itself, NEP believes.

ND1 consists of four 53-foot double-expanding trailers with seating for more than 75 operating positions.

Its infrastructure is completely 1080p-capable and NEP believes ND1 has the largest routing switcher available for a mobile production facility in the U.S.

It offers 100% fiber-optic connectivity; has EVS XT3 media servers for tapeless, fully digital recording workflows; embedded audio support for 16 channels; a Grass Valley Kayenne Elite 9 M/E production switcher; and has Calrec Artemis and Apollo audio consoles.