CROATEL Equips New Outside Broadcast Van with Grass Valley Gear

CROATEL, a broadcast production and satellite services company in Zagreb, Croatia, has expanded its outside broadcast (OB) fleet to include a third van complete with high-definition (HD) cameras, switchers, routers, and other live production solutions from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand.

“Based on the superb video quality we’ve provided from sporting and other live events since we added our last HD OB van in 2011, our business has grown to the point that it was time to expand our fleet,” says Tonko Barac, managing director of CROATEL. “We’ve been very happy with the performance of Grass Valley’s solutions, so it was an easy decision to select Grass Valley as our technology partner for the new van. Plus, we can maximize the efficiency of our staff because they’re already familiar with Grass Valley’s technologies.”

Called HD OB 3, the van will transmit coverage of UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa Football League, Croatian Football League, athletics, and other international sports events. Kapetanovic Sistemi, a longtime reseller of Grass Valley solutions, was instrumental in bringing together the right equipment and expertise to help CROATEL deliver world-class live production with HD OB 3.

At the center of HD OB 3’s nonlinear production workflow is Grass Valley’s 3 ME Karrera Video Production Center switcher with control panel and compact K-Frame video processing engine. The software-based Karrera with K-Frame platform is built on a modular approach, making it easy for CROATEL to make future updates to support the demands of new applications.

CROATEL purchased five additional Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite cameras, making 20 camera units available for the HD OB 3. The vehicle is also equipped with a Densité modular system that includes six 3RU Densité 3 frames for signal processing and distribution, a Kaleido- Modular-X multiviewer, an NVISION 8140 HYBRID router with two NV920 controllers and additional compact routing equipment, two HD/SD master sync generators and a master sync changeover unit.

“We’re honored that CROATEL has once again placed its confidence in Grass Valley to help them deliver world-class live production from their third HD OB van,” comments Said Bacho, senior vice president, EMEA, Grass Valley. “The production and satellite services that CROATEL provides put the region’s sporting and other events in the international spotlight. We look forward to collaborating with CROATEL to continuously enhance the experience of viewers around the world.”

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