Rosica: HD World Cup coverage a landmark

Jeff Rosica, Grass Valley VP, global marketing and strategic business development, predicts that the World Cup, to be held in Germany this June, will be a major driver of HD production and broadcasts throughout Europe.

HD is rapidly becoming the standard for sports production and the World Cup will be a landmark event in that region, he says. Right now its HD for everything and everyone. And that s not just distribution but also the production and archiving of that content.

In a presentation of industry trends Rosica said the need to support all HD and SD formats or, at least, offer an upgrade path, something Grass Valley has with its LDK cameras and Kalypso and Kayak production switchers.

Customers today are questioning the status quo: why is HD so expensive? And why can t I leverage standard IT technology?, says Rosica. That s one of the reasons, he says, Grass Valley is looking to move beyond the decades-old BNC technology that has defined video signal distribution.

We need to offer IT immersive products, a total adoption of IT thinking that opens up the range of options for our customers to move data and content, he added. The new Infinity camera system, he says, is an example of how Grass Valley is redefining its role as a technology provider.

Content will almost exclusively be moved as files and will need to be pre-purposed for HD, mobile and other platforms, he says. By using iOmega REV-based drives and flash memory the Infinity line Rosica says the camera provides an open system that is based on off-the-shelf technology.

The move to IT technologies, however, poses a bigger challenge to the entire manufacturing community. Rosica says its important that all manufacturers work together to embrace standards-based systems. With companies like Cisco and other traditional IT-based companies devoting billions of dollars to technology development waiting is not an option. “We can either embrace IT or get run over by it,” he says.