TNDV's Cobalt system includes four Cobalt openGear 9903-UDX-ADDA 3G/HD/SD-SDI universal format converter cards with CVBS/YPbPr video I/O, up/down/crossconversion, frame sync, and AES and analog audio embedding/de-embedding. The truck also is equipped with two Cobalt 9933-EMDE-ADDA 3G/HD/SD-SDI AES and analog audio embedder/de-embedder cards.

Exclamation, the eighth truck in the TNDV fleet, is a 53-foot double-expando production truck that covers multic-amera live events — productions that often require more than 100 inputs. Even though any given show is designated at a specific resolution — 1080p, 1080i, or 720p, for example — inevitably incoming and outgoing signals must be converted to accommodate multiple flavors of feeds for multiple destinations. The Cobalt system provides the needed versatility so that TNDV can be ready for any possible scenario.

"We treat these hardware tools as a Swiss Army knife. We never know exactly what we're going to need them for, but invariably, we always find a way to use them. Frequently, we use them all," Dugger said. "That's what happened on Exclamation's very first show. We used every piece of conversion hardware we had on the truck and actually had to bring in some extras. With Cobalt, we know we'll have the flexibility to handle unusual client requests on the fly."