Fletcher Sports Goes Extreme with Grass Valley’s LDX XtremeSpeed Cameras for Live Sports Production

For cutting-edge productions at high-end sporting events, Fletcher Sports has purchased four LDX XtremeSpeed 6X ultra slow-motion cameras and four XCU XtremeSpeed XF Fiber transmission solutions from Grass Valley. The powerful LDX XS camera integrates seamlessly into live workflows with 3X (1080p) and 6X (720p/1080i) speeds for ultimate versatility, including a standard-speed 1X live output.

“As a company that operates in a high-demand environment, we need to have reliable equipment that helps us deliver quality content in real-time to hungry audiences,” says Dan Grainge, VP at Fletcher Sports. “As we sought to upgrade our slow motion cameras from 3X to 6X speed, the decision to go with Grass Valley’s LDX XS camera system was an easy one. The ergonomics, and the look and feel of the camera make it stand out and the components are easy to use.”

The LDX XS camera is a great addition for super-slow motion and ultra-slow motion applications and delivers instant time-to-air capabilities, so that the ultra-slow motion footage from the LDX XS is available immediately to Fletcher Sport’s customers. This means they don’t have to wait for the camera to transfer clips from an internal storage device.

“We take pride in knowing that Grass Valley products are being used to cover some of the most well-known and watched sporting events in the world,” says Stephen Stubelt, VP of North American sales, Grass Valley. “In addition to helping us secure market share with the LDX XS on “A” trucks, we are pleased to continue providing the best possible products and service to Fletcher Sports.”

To fully support both ultra (6X) and super (3X) slow-motion operations, Fletcher Sports also purchased the high-speed XCU XtremeSpeed XF Fiber transmission system, which utilizes the same XCU cradles as the single-speed range of the XCU base. Because the XCU’s unique cradle can be pre-mounted and pre-wired in the rack, it can quickly and easily be transferred between OB vans and studios.