Thanks all for your input. We called a few of the companies mentioned and ended up going with our own gear. We had sound and power that we would have to rented also. That left me with 2 days to prep and test 8 cameras, our Synergy 2 that has not been used in a long time, and all the other stuff that makes a complete show. I?m off to LA on Sunday 6/4 for a week of hard work (2,000 lbs of power distro, 2500? of triax, and a 216 tile LED screen), followed by a little fun (the show of course)? A production truck would have been so nice! Thanks! Mike Fariss Senior Technician Blue Water Technologies Southfield MI

My 2c worth as a (johhny-come-lately) LA native: If you're doing HD Sweetwater's brand new 26' truck is perfect. If you're doing SD SDTV's 27' Production and Uplink combo should certainly fit the bill.

My buddy EICs and E2's on 21 Lakes Woodleaf Production Truck. It's a former NMT truck that's more than equipped to meet your needs. Based in California. Grass 3k Dual Twin DVEous Fast Forward 2 Cam EVS 7 Cams, 3 of which are Hard (All Phillips) Yamaha PM 4000 E-mail me for a PDF specs file.

The synergy DVE's will handle that 4 box with no problem.. since you can put two boxes into a single keyer you'll only need two keys to do the 4 box.. and it does have full lighting controls as someone earlier aluded that it didn't.. it's a very good dve once you learn where the menus are for it.

Thanks for the info. Budget is a big concern. The round trip trucking costs from Detroit is behind the decision to look at using a truck. Last year the show was done on our Synergy 2 which is part of a fly pack. The DVE is only to do a 4 box (think quad split) and put a deaf signer in the lower corner. No moves just dissolve in. I have not worked this show, but I hear that they actually used a quad split last time. Show is to tape (Betacam or DVCam), so no transmission needed. It is mostly a basic show except for the quad split effect and that it drives three feeds ? tape, cable TV and a large LED screen. Mike Fariss

How much switcher do you need? Also, do you need transmission? If your budget is driving the equation, there are two trucks that come to mind: There is a small, but powerful for its size, production/uplink truck: UniSat Mobile's TES-2. It's got a little Ross Synergy switcher with program/preset and one M/E. No external DVE, but built-in key positioners. I've done a 4-box on this switcher before. Do you need full DVE with light sourcing, etc., or do you just need to position a squeezeback camera? Also, you might consider SDTV's ExpandoLink. Full Sony DVS-7000 switcher with two channels of DME; tape room with Beta SP, one DigiBeta, and EVS; Infinit; audio; and uplink. Good luck.

You could also call NMT (National Mobile Television) in Torrance, CA. They have a 30 foot truck that can probably be outfitted to meet your specifications. This is a truck they built for Dual feeds called the SBS (Short But Sweet) and I know one is based in LA or SF. The one here in Florida has been outfitted with a DVEous and has done stand alone events quite easily. Depending on availabilty they may be able to accomodate you. Good luck.

If you're looking for small systems, the 1st two trucks that come to mind would be Sweetwater or SJC. Both are based in the L.A. area.