Modernized mobile unit combines HOME apps, mc²56 console and IP infrastructure for sports, concert and cultural productions
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) has completed a major modernization of its Ü5 radio broadcast van, transforming the mobile unit into the broadcaster’s first fully software-defined, SMPTE ST 2110-based radio broadcast truck.
Retaining the vehicle’s original 2007 chassis and body, BR rebuilt the truck’s entire technical infrastructure around Lawo’s IP-native production ecosystem. The heart of the installation is a 48-fader Lawo mc²56 MkIII production console paired with the HOME mc² DSP app, running on a standard CPU server and enabling software-based audio processing.
The new production environment also includes Lawo Power Core gateways for onboard and stagebox I/O, a dedicated Power Core for communications, HOME Multiviewer and HOME Stream Transcoder apps, and an .edge interface for SDI video connectivity and audio embedding and de-embedding. Audio and video are transported over the network using the SMPTE ST 2110 and AES67 standards.
“Ü5 is Bayerischer Rundfunk’s first mobile production platform that runs entirely on SMPTE ST 2110 and is based on a software-defined architecture,” he said Nicolas Anselm-Rasor, Media Engineer at Bayerischer Rundfunk.
Planning for the modernization began in 2022 with the aim of replacing the truck’s old infrastructure with an IP-based architecture capable of transporting audio, video, monitoring and control signals over a common network. The HOME mc² DSP app is licensed for up to 384 processing channels and up to 1,280 inputs and outputs.
The vehicle supports a variety of live production operations, including sports broadcasts, concert productions and cultural events. The audio control room is built around the mc²56 MkIII console and has three main operator positions: the main sound engineer, a balance engineer and a dedicated engineering and recording workstation. A Lawo crystal controller at the recording position provides flexible access to console functions, with all workstations sharing a central DSP engine.
The truck’s stagebox infrastructure is also fully IP-based, with each stagebox offering up to 48 microphone inputs, 16 line outputs and integrated MADI and Dante connectivity with sample rate conversion. Fiber optic connections carry audio, control, network traffic and NDI camera feeds between remote locations and the truck.
For recording, the system supports up to 192 channels across multiple workstations, allowing operators to create independent recordings while simultaneously inserting marks directly from the production console.
Ü5 was commissioned earlier this year and made its production debut during a chamber music concert for BR Klassik before supporting a live opera broadcast by the Bavarian State Opera. Since then, the vehicle has been used for additional music productions and will in future support a wide range of live events, including sports broadcasts.
https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/07/14/bayerischer-rundfunk-debuts-fully-software-defined-smpte-st-2110-radio-ob-van-built-around-lawo-technology/
