MECCA, Saudi Arabia—Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) has selected Grass Valley to provide a major technology upgrade of its broadcast facility here.
Delivered in partnership with First Gulf Co. (FGC), the new installation marks a significant advancement in SBA’s live production capabilities, particularly in supporting around-the-clock online broadcasts from Al-Masjid Al-Haram, the Grand Mosque of Mecca, the company said.
SBA, the nation’s state broadcasting body, provides news, cultural and entertainment programming to domestic and international audiences. Its facility in Mecca is a primary hub for live religious event coverage. The latest deployment is part of a long-term SBA project to upgrade its broadcasting capabilities with more robust, scalable, state-of-the-art systems to deliver world-class media content across radio, television and digital platforms, it said.
Grass Valley systems and equipment were chosen for the project following extensive planning and coordination and were delivered last December. Installation is ongoing by integration partner FGC.
“SBA chose Grass Valley for its proven broadcast technology, reliability and seamless integration,” FGC Executive Vice President Joe Chbat said. “The solution ensures high-quality video switching, scalable infrastructure and efficient signal processing, which are critical for SBA’s current and future broadcasting needs. Grass Valley’s strong track record in the region, alongside its renowned long-term support and competitive pricing, made it the ideal technical partner for a project of such importance.”
The new system is based on 12G technology and offers higher capacity and improved performance. It also futureproofs SBA to meet its growing need for high-quality, high-definition production.
The installation includes: the Kayenne K-Frame XP standard 3ME system with K-Frame XP ELITE Performance Suite software and 12G license as the main switcher; a Kayenne K-Frame XP Compact as a secondary switcher; a Sirius 850 Dual Frame (2x 34 rack unit) router; several Densité-configured Kaleido modular frames; Densité glue systems, including audio and audio processing in 12G; the XIP 3911 agile SDI/IP processing platform; and a Masterpiece 12G-SDI master control switcher, Grass Valley said.
Grass Valley executives will demonstrate many of the products that are part of this landmark deployment at CABSAT, May 13-15, in booth S1-H10 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
More information is available on the company’s website.
