KABC Migrates Local News To HD With Grass Valley Ignite

KABC-TV in Los Angeles has selected Grass Valley multiformat HD equipment from Thomson to produce local news content for HDTV viewers.

For the past six months, the station has used an SD version of the Grass Valley Ignite Production System--under the control of one operator with full video, audio and camera controls--for its morning and mid-day weekend newscasts. Based on its initial success with the system, the station's news department moved to full HD production, airing its first HD programming in February.

KABC's news department also uses a multiseat DNP system, complete with Grass Valley NewsEdit nonlinear editing workstations, which allows editors to begin working even before a clip has finished being ingested into the system. This system will also be upgraded to HD in the near future, according to the company. The station also plans to use a Grass Valley K2 HD media server.

"The Grass Valley technology and systems are focused on helping local broadcasters make the transition to HD news production affordable," said Marc Valentin, president of the Grass Valley business within Thomson. "As more stations recognize the competitive value of producing their new content in HD, we expect to see a significant increase in Grass Valley installments."