MONTREAL—NEP Switzerland is building two large 4K/UHD OB trucks, a 4K/UHD studio and playout facility, and a remote studio, all leveraging the latest live production and content delivery solutions from Grass Valley, the Belden-owned vendor said. NEP Switzerland is part of the global NEP Group. The project marked the first time that a full 4K/UHD workflow and playout solution is being installed in OB vans and studio in Switzerland. The first OB van is already operating in the field and the studios will be coming online very soon.
“We were looking for a supplier that could provide a true, end-to-end solution that would help us accomplish our goals for 4K/UHD production,” said Trond Hermansen, chief technology and project manager at NEP Switzerland. “Grass Valley has a clear vision and an advanced portfolio; this investment is going to put us right where we need to be. Our customers have been asking about 4K, so the timing is ideal.”
Each of the two OB vans feature 16 LDX 86n Native HD/3G/4K/High-Speed System Cameras and 9 M/E K-Frame Switchers with Karrera and Korona control surfaces. The studio facility in Zurich is equipped with two large 9 M/E K-Frame Switchers with two Karrera and two Korona control panels, eight LDX 86N 4K camera chains, a 4K/UHD capable NVision 8576 Router with 369 x 774 I/Os, and a Kaleido-Modular-X Multiviewer System with 320 independent inputs. The iTX Integrated Playout Platform handles 20 channels of live and 24/7 playout including two 4K/UHD event channels. A satellite facility in Rossens near Geneva is equipped with four LDX 86N 4K camera chains that are remotely controlled from the Zurich studio.
One of the centerpieces of NEP Switzerland’s 4K/UHD capability, the LDX 86n Native HD/3G/4K/High-Speed System Camera with XensiumHAWK CMOS imagers and the DPMUltra feature delivers G/HD performance as well as 4K resolution with native 4K imaging, the vendor said. Just like all the LDX Series cameras, they support the GV-eLicense software upgrade path for easy upgradability as needed. With the GV-eLicense, users can activate native HDR operation with an outstanding range of up to 15 F-stops; and because both standardized HDR OETFs are directly supported, no proprietary in-between curve with intrinsic negative effects is required.
For playout NEP Switzerland is using the latest version of iTX, the UHD channels feature new Vertigo UHD graphics capability as well as an updated secondary record to capture UHD files for later replay. The iTX system is also present at the second site.
NEP Switzerland is building the new studio and playout center in Zurich for the MySports project of Swiss Cable Provider UPC. Beginning with the 2017-18 season, the company will produce and handle playout of Swiss First League ice hockey from this new state-of-the-art broadcast facility. The two new OB vans will be used by Teleclub to produce selected SFL football matches for the Swiss Raiffeisen SuperLeague in 4K/UHD resolution.
