Token Creek Equips New HD Production Vehicle With Grass Gear

Token Creek Mobile Television has commissioned a 53-foot high-definition video truck designed for coverage of a range of sporting events, including college football and professional basketball, baseball and hockey.

The Madison, Wisc.-based video production company is equipping the truck with Grass Valley broadcast equipment. The vehicle will be getting a fully equipped Kalypso HD switcher and LDK 8000 multiformat HD cameras.

“We get requests for the Grass Valley Kalypso switcher all the time,” said John Salzwedel, president of Token Creek Mobile Television. “As the owner of the company, when my clients tell me they want a certain switcher in the truck, I listen to them. It’s well known to the freelance community of operators and is very reliable. I haven’t had a single problem with the one we now have.”

The new vehicle is being equipped with eight LDK 8000 cameras, but is being pre-wired to accommodate up to 12, should production requirements dictate. Token Creek’s technical staff is handling the installation of the switcher and cameras.

“We like the fact that the LDK 8000 cameras are 1080p 60 native, enabling us to extract a true 1080i or 720p signal out of the same camera,” Salzwedel said. “Plus, the LDK 8000 provides us with future protection when and if we decide to produce shows in full 1080p HDTV... with these cameras, we’ll be ready.”

Token Creek’s existing trucks are equipped with Grass Valley Kalypso Zodiak standard-definition production switchers.