Brazilian Production Company Loads New HD OB Van with Grass Valley Gear

To meet the country’s growing demand for HD entertainment and sports programming, Inter Ação Video ltda (IAV), a premiere video production company in São Paulo, Brazil, is building a new HD-capable OB van with a full complement of Grass Valley production technologies, systems, and integration services.

Set to hit the road in May 2010, IAV’s new van will be the first to serve the Brazilian northeast region and is also the first OB van in the country to use Grass Valley’s LDK 3000 camera system.

The complete order includes the purchase and integration of 11 Grass Valley LDK 3000 HD cameras, a Kayak HD switcher, a Concerto Series HD video router under control of Encore software, and several modules from the Grass Valley GeckoFlex family of signal processing products. The cameras will be fitted with Canon HD lenses.

“With the LDK 3000 camera, we will now be the first to offer multi-format acquisition to this part of the country, and at a reasonable price,” says Hudson Romão Corrêa, owner of IAV,. “Not only was the equipment competitively priced, but we also got great help in installing the products and making sure they all work together with each other and with other third-party equipment on board the new OB van. We have had a long and beneficial relationship with Grass Valley over the years and this project is a continuation of that partnership.”

IAV is a long time Grass Valley customer that is already using several Grass Valley production switchers such as the Kayak HD 300 and Kayak DD-1 in its OB vans and production studios.

“The Brazilian market continues to see a wealth of new HD projects occurring and Grass Valley continues to be the preferred vendor for both equipment and integration services for most of them,” said Jeff Rosica, SVP of Grass Valley. “Inter Ação Video’s new HD OB van will help fulfill the demand for new HD programs. With the multi-format architecture of the equipment chosen, IAV can serve a wide variety of clients and maximize their investment.”

The Grass Valley LDK 3000 HD camera is a multi-format system that meets a range of production requirements worldwide and supports 1080i50/60 and 720p50/60. The camera features three Xensium 2/3-inch, 2.4 million pixel CMOS imagers, specially developed for broadcast production applications.

The LDK 3000 HD camera can be controlled from a standard Grass Valley OCP 400 by using Grass Valley’s unique Ethernet-based C2IP control network. It also features a high-performing HD triax transmission system to allow cable runs up to 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) or 2,400 meters (7,800 feet) with a triax repeater. In addition, like other cameras in the LDK family, it utilizes existing accessories such as the SuperXpander large lens adapter.