Grass Valley delivers one of Germany’s first HD OB vans

Grass Valley, a business within Thomson, has officially delivered a new high-definition (HD) OB (outside broadcast) van for Wige Television GmbH in Cologne, marking delivery of one of the first HD trucks in Germany.
The HD mobile production unit was designed and accomplished by the Systems Group of Grass Valley in Germany.
Wige Television, a subsidiary of Wige Media AG, will use the HD mobile production unit primarily for major sporting and music entertainment events.
The mobile production unit which will support 24 cameras, is equipped with 12 LDK 6000 mk II standard cameras, two Kalypso HD video production centre switching systems, and a 512 x 512 Trinix HD Digital Video Routing Switcher.
At 16.6 metres long and with expanding sides up to up to 4.5 metres wide, the new Type XXL HD OB-van is the largest OB-van ever completed by Grass Valley’s Systems Group. Wige management requested a space-efficient work environment structured around four different working areas including an audio production and vision control room with storage (VRT) as well as two fully equivalent production rooms. Enabling greater flexibility for live production, the entire side of the new OB van can be extended up to 4.5 metres width.
“Grass Valley has successfully and very professionally met the initial requirements despite complex & very precise parameters for this state of the art HD OB-van,” said Josef Nehl, member of the management board of Wige Media AG. “For us Grass Valley represents a key strategic partner in our deployment of HD in the field thanks to its impressive track record in project management.”
(GB)