Grass Valley Gear brings the Oscars Home


Broadcast and video production equipment giant Grass Valley recently got another taste of fame, providing their technology for the 82nd Academy Awards.

Pittsburgh, PA based mobile production firm NEP Sharpshooters, in charge of televising the Oscar ceremony, located three of their best-equipped HD production trucks, stocked with Grass Valley gear, outside the event’s venue, the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif.

NEP’s trucks, named “Summit”, “SS25” and “Silver” each played a specific role in the broadcast and were equipped as such. “Summit” used a Kalypso HD video production switcher and Trinix 192x160 HD router alongside Encore software control to handle the main HD telecast.

“Silver” used a Kalypso HD switcher and SMS7000 video router to handle the live broadcast. Using 14 LDK 8000 WorldCam HD cameras, dozens of GeckoFlex signal processing modules and a Kalypso HD switcher, “SS25” covered the red carpet and additional activities.

Grass Valley equipment has been chosen to cover the last six consecutive Academy Awards broadcasts.