TL;DR: Traditional OB (Outside Broadcast) vans cost $500K–$2M each, require crews of 15–30, and can only be in one place at a time. Cloud Director replaces all of this with a browser-based production studio that costs a fraction and scales infinitely. This guide compares the two approaches and shows how Tencent Cloud CSS's Cloud Director enables professional multi-camera production without hardware.
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| Item | OB Van | Cloud Director |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware investment | $500K–$2M | $0 |
| Production crew | 15–30 people | 2–5 people |
| Setup time | 4–8 hours | 15 minutes |
| Simultaneous events | 1 per van | Unlimited |
| Maintenance | $50K+/year | $0 |
| Geographic limitation | Must be on-site | Anywhere with internet |
| Annual cost per event | $20K–$100K | $500–$5,000 |
| Feature | Capability |
|---|---|
| Multi-source switching | Switch between cameras, pre-recorded, graphics |
| Custom layouts | Split screen, PiP, overlays, lower thirds |
| Backup streams | Automatic failover to backup feed |
| Audio mixing | Synchronized audio/video switching |
| Recording | Automatic recording of final output |
| Remote operation | Control from any browser, anywhere |
| Package | Spec | Original Price | Sale Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 100 GB | $2.33 | Test Cloud Director | |
| Basic | 10 TB | $210.45 | Local sports production | |
| Pro | 200 TB | $3,179.11 | Regional broadcasting | |
| Enterprise | 1 PB | $14,776.12 | Professional broadcasting |
⏰ Replace a $2M OB van with a $210 monthly subscription. The math speaks for itself.
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Keywords: cloud live production sports, cloud switcher vs OB van, remote sports production, cloud director live