Thomson lands Prisma OB deal for Olympics

Prisma Outside Broadcast
(OB), Scandinavia’s largest live production company based in Gotenburg, Sweden,
has placed an order valued at over 18 million Euros with Thomson for two new
all-digital high-definition (HD) production trucks and an upgrade to HD for an
existing production van. All three OB vans are
to be equipped with a full complement of Thomson Grass Valley LDK Series cameras
and other Thomson HD equipment. The new HD OB vans will be ready in time for
the start of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing,
China, in
August 2008.
The order—which includes
15 LDK 400 standard-definition (SD) cameras, 56 LDK 8000 HD cameras, and four
3X Super SloMo HD camera systems—began delivery in January 2008. The new HD OB
vans will also be equipped with Kayak™ 4.5 M/E HD digital production switchers
with both a 2 M/E and a 3 M/E panel. Routing functionality will be provided
with the innovative Thomson Grass Valley Trinix™ routing switcher with a
380×512 matrix featuring new 3 Gb/s technology to handle data rates of up to 3
Gb/s, for outstanding signal performance in both SD and HD. A full range of
Thomson Grass Valley GeckoFlex™ Series modular products is being used and each
van also features two standalone Thomson Grass Valley K2™ HD media servers with
two inputs and two outputs each.
The modification of an
existing 12-camera van to full HD capability was achieved in a turn-around time
of less then one month and includes LDK 8000 HD cameras, a Kayak HD digital
production switcher, a Trinix routing switcher with a 128×128 matrix, a Jupiter
control system, and a comprehensive range of GeckoFlex Series modular products.
The truck was delivered in March 2008 and will see first use in the
HD-production of matches for the Danish Soccer League.
“We were looking for
flexibility and reliability in the production tools we plan to use for the
Olympics and other live sporting events, that’s why we chose Thomson’s Grass
Valley HD OB Van solutions and products,” said Paul Henriksen, CEO of Prisma
OB. “Especially the LDK 8000 camera series provides exceptional image quality
capture and can be used in a variety of ways for our clients. This allows us to
get the most value out of the cameras and realize a fast return on our
investment, as eight more LDK 8000 HD cameras will be purchased for an
additional truck to be built later in 2008.”
“Prisma OB is another
major mobile production company in Europe to entrust its HD business to
Thomson,” said Patrick Montliaud, Senior Vice President of Thomson’s
Integration and Networks Solutions within the Systems division. “The world
over, outside broadcast companies has overwhelmingly chosen Thomson to build
their HD vans, upgrade their vans from standard-definition to high-definition,
and equip them with Thomson Grass Valley multiformat HD production equipment,
giving them the competitive edge they need to succeed in the outside broadcast
marketplace.”
The new 3X Super SloMo HD
camera system within the LDK 8000 family of cameras continues Thomson’s
extensive experience in high quality slow-motion image capture, which includes
the industry-standard LDK 23 (SD) launched in 1998, the LDK 6200 (HD) launched
in 2004, and the LDK 8000 SportCam (HD) launched this past fall.
The Thomson Grass Valley
LDK 8000 family of HD cameras will include four versions: Standard, WorldCam,
SportCam, and 3X Super SloMo HD. The Standard version supports 1080i/720p HD
formats in 50 and 59.94 Hz, and simultaneously provides high-quality SD output
in either 50 or 59.94 Hz. The WorldCam version adds support for all recognized
worldwide HD formats, including 24p for digital cinematography acquisition and
1080p50/60 output. SportCam offers 2X Slo-mo capability while the
latest-generation Super SloMo HD provides 3X slow-motion acquisition in
high-definition.
For camera infrastructures
and applications, the entire Thomson Grass Valley LDK 8000 camera series is
available with HD triax, HD fiber, and HD wireless solutions to provide the
greatest flexibility in production.