15 Dec 2015
Cobham Solo7 transmitters were deployed for Group E match between FC Barcelona and FC Bates at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona

Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance, the RF specialist company, has announced the on-pitch deployment of its Solo7 Nano TX transmitters for coverage of the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League. The Solo7 transmitters were deployed for the Group E match between FC Barcelona and FC Bates on 4 November at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona.  

The Cobham Solo7 Nano TX transm+itters were attached to the Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite camera with OCP 400 camera control panels; Videosys CCCAM-403473 UHF camera control receivers; and Steadicam stabilisation system - all supplied by Sobatech Group SL, a Spanish production company.

Sobatech provided the systems to Mediamovil, which is part of leading technical services supplier, content producer, and post-production services provider, Mediapro Group. Mediapro holds exclusive rights in Europe to 112 Champions League matches.

Sobatech Managing Director Xavier Soler Urra said, “It can be challenging to maintain a reliable, uninterrupted wireless signal in a stadium environment, which is typically full of potential RF interference. The Solo7 Nano TX is immune to such interference, and its range enabled the camera operators to roam freely while retaining excellent HD image quality.”

The transmission package also included Cobham’s PRORXD receiver platform with its 1080p60 4:2:2 10-bit decoding capabilities. The PRORXD is fully compatible with all leading encoders and can decode separate HD signals, including MPEG2 HD, which makes it a dual COFDM and IP receiver/decoder. Its bit rate encoding capacity is automatically adjusted to compensate for various rates of contention on IP networks.

Cobham’s Broadcast Sales Director JP Delport said, “The Solo7 Nano TX and PRORXD package has once again proven itself to be the go-to transmit/receive package for high-end, live sports production.”