Maximizing every dollar: Effectively manage OB costs with Ultrix

Outside broadcasting has always been a balance between ambition and practicality. Your team aims to deliver jaw-dropping production value, but you must also keep the operation within a realistic budget. That balance is harder than ever to maintain. Trucks are rolling out with heavier gear loads, power demands are climbing, and every new feature adds another cost that eats into your margin.

For years, the accepted approach was to stack hardware. When you needed new functionality, you added more equipment. It got the job done, but it created a growing footprint of devices, cables, and power draw. Over time, that footprint consumes your budget with higher integration costs, heavier fuel bills, and more maintenance. 

Ross Video’s Ultrix platform takes that old model and flips it on its head. Instead of stacking single-purpose devices, Ultrix folds them into a single hyperconverged system, with multiviewing, signal connectivity, audio embedding, and clean, quiet switching—it’s all right there in a single frame.  

Before you think that your budget can’t handle such a transition right now, you should hear from Paul Oakley of Eyestrain Video Services.

The demands placed on OB teams aren’t slowing down. Sporting events increasingly expect UHD and HDR outputs, even when native production isn’t always feasible. Music festivals want multiple outputs for live streams and on-site video boards. Corporate events expect redundancy and polish that match network-level productions.

Meeting these needs with traditional stacks of gear leads to spiraling expenses. Every piece of dedicated hardware takes up rack space, adds weight, and requires power and cooling. When budgets were more substantial, it was manageable. Today, it drains resources you can’t afford to lose.

The cost pressure doesn’t stop at the truck build. Heavier trucks burn more fuel, which adds up quickly across a busy season. More gear means more potential points of failure, which leads to higher maintenance costs and longer troubleshooting sessions on show days. And when you need to scale up for a special event, adding new functionality can mean expensive board swaps or even the need for entirely new devices.

Ultrix is built with a software-defined architecture. That single decision changes the financial equation. Instead of buying a new device every time you need a feature, you unlock functions through licenses. Want to add frame sync? Need HDR processing or additional multiviewer heads? You do it with software. The hardware you already own can handle it.  

By consolidating so many capabilities into one system, Ultrix slashes the physical footprint inside your truck. That means: 

• Fewer racks filled with gear 
• Less cabling to install, manage, and troubleshoot 
• Reduced power draw and cooling requirements 
• Lighter trucks that cost less to run and maintain

Those aren’t theoretical savings. Operators using Ultrix have reported reducing cabling by up to 40% alone. Lighter trucks mean smaller fuel bills and less wear and tear on suspensions and brakes. Every pound you keep off the truck pays you back over time.

Cost management isn’t just a nice idea on paper. It’s a measurable benefit that teams see every day. 

Vivaro Video delivered the functionality their clients demanded without blowing the budget or adding racks of gear. They built a truck around Ultrix and kept their hardware spend “within established limits,” as their Director of Technology, Gonzalo Jara, put it.   

Eyestrain Video Services took a similar approach. They condensed what used to take up far more space into a 32RU rolling rack for their flypack setup. Cabling weight dropped by roughly 40 percent, and the streamlined design made deployments easier and maintenance more cost-effective.  

One of the most frustrating costs for an outside broadcaster is a surprise expense. A client might request HDR conversion or additional multiviewer outputs at the last minute. Traditionally, that could mean scrambling to source extra gear or saying no to the opportunity.  

Ultrix turns those scenarios into easy wins. Because so many features are software unlocks, you can expand your truck’s capabilities without adding physical devices. That means: 

• Faster response to client needs 
• No downtime for hardware installs 
• No additional power or space requirements 
• Limited surprise over budget issues  

When you can say yes to more projects without adding cost, your revenue opportunities grow without your operating expenses following suit. 

OB trucks live in the real world. They deal with tight schedules, unpredictable venues, and clients who want everything yesterday. Ultrix is designed to thrive in that environment. Its modular design and flexible I/O support, including SDI, ST 2110, NDI, HDMI, MADI, Dante, DisplayPort, Fiber, and more, make it easy to integrate into any workflow your crew runs.

Instead of managing racks of single-purpose boxes, your engineers work with one unified system. That reduces setup time in the shop and in the field, not to mention the time saved training everyone on a new system. When a show calls for changes, adjustments can often be handled with software rather than relying on extra racks and patch panels to reconfigure the truck.

Rack space in an OB van is some of the most valuable real estate in production. Every slot you fill with a dedicated device is space you can’t use for additional operators, better monitoring, or future expansion. Ultrix is designed to give you that space back. 

By consolidating routing, processing, and multiviewing, Ultrix lets you dramatically shrink your hardware footprint. That space savings translates directly into cost savings. You can build smaller trucks or eliminate the need for support units on certain shows. Even if you stick with your current fleet size, fewer devices mean fewer integration hours and less ongoing maintenance.

The most overlooked cost in outside broadcast is time. Time spent reconfiguring or troubleshooting often cuts into the hours that could be used for rehearsal, testing, or fine-tuning the show. Ultrix reduces that hidden cost by simplifying workflows. 

Your engineers spend less time running cables and chasing faults, which means operators can stay focused on delivering high-quality content instead of dealing with technical slowdowns. That operational efficiency improves morale and retention while also saving money.

Cutting costs is not just about survival. It is about creating room for growth. When you can handle more formats, more feeds, and more client requests without adding to your operating expenses, you make space for new revenue. 

Hyperconverged solutions like Ultrix give you the tools to say yes more often. You can take on bigger shows, add services, and increase your margins, while keeping your budget under control. 

There are other systems on the market, but Ross Video stands out for a reason. Ultrix is not just a collection of features. It is backed by a company that understands live production at every level. Ross has spent decades working alongside OB teams, listening to what they need in the field, and building solutions that solve real problems. 

When you invest in Ultrix, you’re not just buying a box—you’re investing in a platform that redefined the category. As the first solution of its kind on the market, Ultrix set the benchmark for a new generation of flexible, software-defined infrastructure. Software updates unlock new capabilities, so your investment grows over time instead of becoming obsolete.

If your trucks are packed with single-purpose devices and your budget feels tighter every season, it is time to take a serious look at how you manage costs. Ultrix is not a compromise. It is a more innovative way to build and run an OB operation. 

By integrating processing, multiviewing, and routing into one software-defined platform, Ultrix delivers high-end production capabilities while lowering capital and operational expenses. It lightens your truck, simplifies your workflow, and gives you the flexibility to adapt to whatever comes next. 

Ready to see how Ultrix can change your cost structure? Explore the platform and real-world case studies from operators who have already made the shift. Your next production could cost less, run smoother, and open the door to new opportunities. Plus, no other platform gets you this ready for whatever the future brings!