metlars
Freelance EIC · Based in the Netherlands · Working worldwide

Managing complexity, on air.

Twenty years and counting as Engineer in Charge on OB trucks and flypacks — live sport, entertainment and events. I design, commission and run hybrid SDI and ST 2110 IP facilities, then hand them over to a crew that knows how they work.

20+
Years in broadcast
EIC
Engineer in Charge
ST 2110
IP & hybrid systems
Worldwide
Travelling from NL
01 — Discipline

What I am brought in to do.

Usually somewhere between the system drawing and the transmission — the part of a production where signal flow, timing and the people operating it all have to agree.

  1. 01

    Engineer in Charge — OB trucks & flypacks

    Technical ownership of the facility from load-in to wrap: readiness, escalation, and the final call when something has to be decided fast.

  2. 02

    SMPTE ST 2110 & hybrid IP systems

    PTP timing, NMOS discovery and connection management, multicast and network design, and the SDI/12G islands that still have to live alongside them.

  3. 03

    System design & commissioning

    From block diagram to proven facility — build supervision, HDR/WCG and colour pipeline setup, test plans, and sign-off you can hand to a client.

  4. 04

    Routing, control & monitoring

    Router configuration, control-system logic, panel and multiviewer layouts, tally and intercom — built so the gallery can work without thinking about it.

  5. 05

    Field troubleshooting

    Diagnosis under time pressure, in the compound and on the floor — packet captures, timing analysis and a calm read of what is actually failing.

02 — Managing complexity
A live facility is only as good as the moment it fails — and how quietly it is put back.

IP has not made broadcast simpler; it has moved the complexity into places you cannot see with a waveform monitor. My job is to keep that complexity understood, documented and owned — so the crew on shift can concentrate on the show rather than on the infrastructure underneath it.

That means clear signal flow, honest test results, realistic redundancy, and a handover that includes the people, not just the paperwork.

03 — Environments

Where the work happens.

Compounds, arenas, studios and temporary rooms in buildings never meant to carry a broadcast.

OB trucks

Full production units, single or multi-truck compounds with tie-lines and shared resources.

Flypacks

Racked systems flown in and built on site, often on tight schedules in improvised rooms.

Live sport

Long camera counts, host-broadcast interfaces, world feeds and unforgiving kick-off times.

Entertainment

Shiny-floor and arena shows where lighting, audio and video timing all have to hold together.

Events

Festivals and one-off live occasions where there is no second take and no tolerance for risk.

04 — Toolbox

The things I am usually asked about.

SMPTE ST 2110 PTP timing NMOS IS-04 / IS-05 SDI & 12G HDR / WCG Routing & control Multiviewer & monitoring Network & multicast design Commissioning & test plans Field troubleshooting Crew handover & training Documentation
05 — Method

How an engagement tends to run.

Before

Design & preparation

Reading the production brief against the facility: signal flow, timing domain, network capacity, redundancy, and an honest list of what will be tight.

Build

Commissioning on site

Bring-up, configuration and proving — measured, not assumed. Faults found in the build are faults that never reach transmission.

On air

Show & handover

Technical cover through rehearsal and transmission, then documentation and training so the resident crew owns the system after I leave.

06 — Availability

Tell me about the production.

Dates, venue, facility and what you are trying to get on air. If it is a fit I will say so quickly — and if it is not, I will usually know someone.

Email
mail@metlars.com
Phone
+31 6 15 12 10 88
Based
Netherlands
Travelling worldwide, short and long form