KBS Upgrades Largest OB Van

South Korea (February 26, 2025)—South Korean public broadcaster KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) has upgraded its largest outside broadcast (OB) van with Lawo’s IP-based audio solutions, including an mc²56 audio production console.

HDTV-4, KBS’s largest OB vehicle, with its 16 cameras, is designed for high-end productions. To meet the growing demands of live broadcasting, KBS completely renewed the van’s audio infrastructure, replacing legacy equipment with a Lawo mc²56 console, an A__UHD Core audio engine, a Power Core Gateway and an A__stage64 stagebox.

System integrator Dongyang Digital executed the overhaul, ensuring integration with the existing infrastructure.

New OB Truck Designed for UHD/HDR and 3D Audio

According to Choelho Park, responsible for the overall management and the sound mix of the KBS HDTV-4, “The OB van can become a production stage anywhere outdoors, so every event requires a complete reconfiguration from scratch. From the signals exchanged with the production site to fader strip layouts, routing, and production techniques—everything varies depending on the program, making flexibility crucial.”

KBS covers a range of productions, from sports and concerts to entertainment shows. Lawo’s equipment is designed to manage a diverse array of audio signals from multiple sources.

Park stated, “During sports broadcasts, the OB van system receives individual microphone and commentary signals to create immersive sound. For music programs, we collaborate with external sound production companies, managing various signals—analog, AES3, AES10—for program production. The mc²56 console accommodates these external signals.”