NAB Event News
Sure Shot selects Thomson to provide gear for new truck
By
Apr 14, 2008 - 7:04:19 PM

Sure Shot Transmissions is building a new 40-foot high-definition (HD) multiformat sports and entertainment production truck, based around a full complement of multiformat equipment from Thomson. The order includes six Thomson Grass Valley LDK 8000 HD cameras, a Kalypso HD 4 M/E production switcher, and a Concerto Series 32x32 compact HD/AES/analog router.

The new HD truck, the “Natalie Michele”, is on display at in the outside broadcast area at NAB and will be completed in the spring of 2008. It joins Sure Shot’s existing HD production/uplink vehicle, the “Abbey Elizabeth,” which carries six Thomson Grass Valley LDK 6000 mk II WorldCam HD cameras, a newly installed Kalypso HD 3 M/E switcher with built-in 8-channel still store (recently converted from a Kayak HD switcher), and a Concerto Series 32x32 HD/AES/analog router with integrated a-to-d and d-to-a conversion for audio with selectable processing for mono mix, invert, swap, and dual left/right.

“We’ve had great success with our other HD truck and wanted to replicate it with our new vehicle in order to get it on the road quickly and meet the increasing demand for HD programming,” says Tim Dailey, director of Engineering for Sure Shot Transmissions. “We appreciate the reliability and flexibility of Thomson Grass Valley equipment, which allows us to produce a variety of projects very efficiently. When it came time for us to build this new truck, Thomson Grass Valley was the clear choice.”

With “Natalie Michele,” Sure Shot will have one of the best-equipped 40-foot HD trucks in the country,” Jeff Rosica, Senior Vice President of Thomson’s Broadcast & Professional Solutions within the Systems division. “By teaming the LDK 8000 HD cameras with the Kalypso switcher, Sure Shot’s sports and entertainment clients will have the artistic flexibility and the quality that they demand.”

Providing complete flexibility to work with a variety of sports and entertainment clients, the six LDK 8000 cameras can capture all SD and HD resolutions up to and including 1080p50/60 formats. They have been ordered with 5-inch HD viewfinders and triax HD adapters.

The Kalypso HD switcher includes an 8-channel still store for still and animation recording and playback, YUV color correction, machine control, a networked control system allowing multiple operators to share the assets of a single switcher frame, and an intuitive user interface with an integrated touch-screen display.

Housed in a compact 7 RU frame, the mixed format Concerto 32x32 routing switcher will be configured to handle HD video signals and both stereo AES audio and analog audio as well as surround sound audio, while supporting a video monitor wall and a Yamaha PM5D digital audio console on board the new HD truck.



© Copyright 2006-2008 sportsvideogroup