LDX Camera
SAN FRANCISCO— Mobile TV Group has selected Grass Valley to supply the cameras and production switcher for its first triple-feed mobile production truck for sports production.
The 33HDX will be built by sister company Colorado Studios and feature 11 of new high-performance LDX Series cameras and an 8 M/E Kayenne Video Production Center switcher with three control surfaces: a 4 stripe Kayenne control panel, a 2 stripe Kayenne control panel and a 1 M/E KSP soft-panel. Mobile TV Group also chose the LDX Première, a high-performance dual-format HD camera.
A triple-feed truck is designed to produce three distinct productions from a single event, and home shows will be produced from the usual 100-display production area in 33HDX, the visitor’s telecast will come out of a three-bench production room in VMU33, and a third feed will come from the traditional dual-feed room of 33HDX. A triple-feed truck can also accommodate Spanish language feeds and pre/postgame shows.
Combined, 33HDX and VMU33—which are integrated with video, audio and intercom— will have three production areas, three integrated audio rooms and two networked replay areas.
“33HDX will have a lot of firsts for Mobile TV Group to better serve our customers,” said Philip Garvin, general manager for Mobile TV Group. ��The 11 LDX Première cameras will be the first of the LDX Series cameras in our fleet, and we can’t wait to start using these advanced cameras. Teamed with the Grass Valley Kayenne with K-Frame, we’ll also have our first triple-feed truck. Until the Kayenne with K-Frame, a triple-feed truck wasn’t practical because it needs more than two control panels. We need at least three control panels and enough mix-effects buses so that all three feeds have the M/E power they need to do a quality show. Grass Valley made the triple-feed 33HDX and VMU33 possible.”
One of the primary benefits of the triple-feed system is that it requires shorter set-up time as venue video and audio sources need only to be connected to one truck (33HDX). Distribution to VMU33 will be through dedicated trunk lines, and the resources of a single production switcher, routing switcher and intercom system are also shared.
“This new triple feed truck is a great example of how we are enabling our customers to produce more, high quality content from a single event,” said Tim Thorsteinson, President and CEO of Grass Valley. “33HDX showcases the flexibility and image quality of our new LDX Series Cameras along with the power and flexibility of our Kayenne Video Production Center. A few years ago, the production power of an 8 M/E switcher was unheard of, but Kayenne makes up to 9 M/Es—possible, with multiple suites. This brings an entire new way of thinking about how live programming is produced.”
33HDX and VMU33 are currently under construction, with deployment expected in May 2013, to Fox Sports West’s telecasts of the Los Angeles Clippers, Angels, Dodgers and Kings, and the Anaheim Ducks.
