WATERTOWN, MASS.: CatholicTV is upgrading its studios and operations facility here to full high-definition capabilities with new production technologies from Grass Valley.
The CatholicTV Network has purchased a new Grass Valley Kayenne HD Video Production Center, seven Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite Series HD cameras with new 3G Fiber Transmission systems, and a variety of GeckoFlex signal processing modules in support of its existing Trinix router. The LDK 8000 Elite HD cameras are the first purchased by a major studio in Boston and are key to the new project which was designed by David Haralambou of By Request Communications in Marlborough, Mass.
The CatholicTV Network previously purchased a Grass Valley Maestro Master Control and Branding System for SD signals which will be upgraded for HD operation and a 128x128 Trinix router for 3G HD signals. The combination of equipment will make CatholicTV’s production center one of the most advanced facilities in the world, while ensuring the highest quality HD programming for its viewers.
“We’re excited to be using the LDK 8000 Elite cameras because we tested a number of different HD camera systems and found that the overall performance and multi-format signal flexibility of the LDK cameras and 3G SMPTE fiber transmission system is far better than the competition,” said Mark Quella, CatholicTV director of engineering and operations. “We also feel that the Kayenne switcher is a perfect fit for the highly integrated production systems at the CatholicTV Network, it will allow us to improve the production values of our programming and give us the ability to do much more than we could previously.”
The new LDK 8000 Elite cameras purchased by the CatholicTV Network will be used with large studio-style box lenses and will include the new Grass Valley RefleX SuperXpander, which not only acts as a large lens adapter but provides bidirectional 3G HD I/Os and an a full-featured operator interface for studio operations.
The CatholicTV Network has also entered into multi-year service level agreements with Grass Valley for all of the equipment now is use, ensuring 24/7/365 reliability and access to new parts and service whenever needed.
