Grass Valley Wins Contract to Replace All Production Switchers At VRT

VRT, the
national broadcaster in Belgium
for the Flemish-speaking community, has awarded a four-year rolling framework
contract to Grass Valley

to renew all of its production switchers with Grass Valley Kayak video
production switchers. This follows a similar framework contract with VRT last
year for the replacement of all cameras with the Grass Valley LDK 8000
high-definition (HD) camera.

The
contract was signed in January 2009, with the first deliveries planned for
March of this year. Over the life of the contract, by 2013, VRT will have
replaced all of its production and post production switchers with the Kayak.
This will involve approximately 20 switchers, with a total value in excess of 2
million Euros.

“Our
operators, and the freelance staff available in Belgium, are all familiar and
comfortable with the Kayak switcher, and that was a big consideration in making
the choice,” says Andre Saegerman, CTO of VRT. “But we also carried out
extremely detailed technical and operational tests, over a period of months, to
determine that the Grass Valley Kayak was the right switcher for VRT.”

Belgium is a significant market for
television production. As well being the home for national broadcasters and
independent production facilities, it is a leading center for outside broadcast
(OB) production, with approximately 30 trucks
based in the country from a number of leading players. All of these trucks,
without exception, use Grass
Valley switchers.

“With its
evaluation of the Kayak and a survey of its staff and freelance technical
directors, VRT concluded that the production switcher
that would best suit their needs was the Grass Valley Kayak,” says Jeff
Rosica, senior vice president of Grass
Valley. “VRT now knows
what hundreds of other Kayak users worldwide know, that the Kayak switcher
platform offers the right mix of HD technical excellence, ease of use, and
cost-effective pricing.