OB Units or remote gallery?
Broadcasting has always been about finding the best way to deliver high-quality content in real time. Two of the most common methods are the traditional Outside Broadcast (OB) truck and the increasingly popular remote gallery setup. Both approaches offer unique strengths and challenges, and their place in the industry is shaped by technology, budgets, and audience demands.
Outside Broadcast (OB) Units
OB trucks are the backbone of live coverage for sports, concerts, and large-scale events. These self-contained production facilities are equipped with cameras, vision mixers, sound desks, graphics, and transmission tools, all managed on-site by a dedicated crew.
The biggest advantage of OB is control and reliability. With all staff and equipment on location, issues can be identified and resolved quickly. The immediate proximity to the event also allows for greater creative flexibility, directors and camera operators can adapt in real time to the action unfolding around them. However, OB operations are expensive: trucks are costly to maintain and deploy, and moving staff and kit worldwide adds to logistics and carbon footprint.
Remote Galleries
Remote production (or REMI) shifts much of the operation away from the venue to a centralised gallery, often hundreds or thousands of miles away. Camera feeds and audio are transmitted via IP, satellite, or dedicated fibre lines back to the hub, where production staff cut the show.
The main advantage is efficiency. Fewer crew members need to travel, and a single central gallery can support multiple events on the same day, reducing costs and environmental impact. Remote setups also make it easier to scale up or down depending on the event, offering flexibility to broadcasters with tighter budgets or varied schedules. On the flip side, remote galleries are more vulnerable to connectivity issues and latency. A weak or unstable link can jeopardise the entire broadcast, and directors lose some of the immediacy that comes with being on-site.
Is There a Place for Both?
Absolutely. The industry is unlikely to abandon OB trucks entirely, especially for high-profile events where reliability and creative control are paramount. At the same time, remote galleries are proving invaluable for cost-effective coverage of smaller or multiple concurrent events.
In practice, many broadcasters now use a hybrid model: OB trucks capture content locally, but feeds are transmitted back to remote galleries for parts of the production process, such as graphics, commentary, or replays. This blended approach reflects the industry’s direction, balancing tradition with innovation, ensuring that both OB and remote production retain a vital place in modern broadcasting.
