Lyon Video Relies on Grass Valley for New Truck

A truck capable of 3D production and more will be hitting the roads next month when Lyon Video of Columbus, OH, rolls out a 53-ft. expandable high-definition production truck equipped with the latest Grass Valley HD cameras and a large Kayenne video-production switcher.

Known as MU-11 HD, the truck will debut in August, in time for the upcoming NFL season, working with ESPN HD/ESPN, ABC, the Fox Sports Net regional sports cable network, and Fox Sports.

The new unit includes 14 Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite WorldCam cameras (with triax and 3G fiber base stations), one LDK 8300 3X Super SloMo camera, one LDK 8000 SportCam (2X SloMo), two 2-channel K2 Solo servers with ClipStore, and a 4.5 M/E Kayenne Video Production Center. As part of the contract, Grass Valley will provide StartPRO on-site commissioning services for the cameras and switcher. Gerling & Associates (Sunbury, OH) built the truck body.

“Our first Kayenne switcher was installed on board our Lyon 8 HD expando in 2009, and we have never looked back,” says Bob Lyon, president of Lyon Video. “The power and flexibility of this switcher is unparalleled in the industry and provides our clients with cutting-edge capabilities not available to them before.”

All of Lyon Video’s large HD trucks feature Grass Valley cameras and switchers. The Lyon 8 carries a new 4.5 M/E Kayenne HD switcher and 14 LDK 8000 Elite WorldCam HD cameras. Among a number of high-profile events, the truck was used by NFL Films at the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami and by NBA Entertainment at the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.

The capabilities of products like the Kayenne switcher, according to Grass Valley SVP Jeff Rosica, make Grass Valley offerings easy to upgrade for 3D needs.  “The trend is for people to stay focused on today’s needs for HD but with an eye for protecting the future, and Kayenne is doing it well,” he says. “Camera technology is a bit more difficult as there are still no high-quality, single 3D camera systems.”

While there is much excitement about 3D, the industry is also waiting for the next phase, when the buzz begins to focus on long-term requirements and how production facilities and trucks can make the transition.

“The business model has yet to develop, and our customers have to figure out 3D production techniques,” says Rosica. “We need to invent the technology in conjunction with what the content owners want us to do.”

Password must contain the following:

A lowercase letter

A capital (uppercase) letter

A number

Minimum 8 characters

;
SVGLogoHR_NOTAG-200

The Latest in Sports Video Production & Technology
in Your Inbox for FREE

Daily Email Newsletters Monday - Friday