Monolith Systems Outfits NASDAQ Control Room and Studio with Grass Valley Solutions

New York-based systems integrator Monolith Systems, Inc. will be equipping NASDAQ’s new MarketSite control room and studio with a Trinix NXT digital video routing switcher and a Karrera Video Production Center switcher from Grass Valley. Currently NASDAQ is using Grass Valley’s Concerto routing switcher and Kayak digital production switcher for its main on-air broadcasts.

NASDAQ, the second largest stock exchange in the world, is building an entire second floor dedicated to its MarketSite digital broadcasting control room and studio, which will be outfitted with the new Grass Valley technologies. The addition of a new control room and studio will enable NASDAQ to significantly upgrade the performance of its on-air programming, market updates, long form financial network shows, and IPO ceremonies. The project is expected to be complete in June 2014.

“The MarketSite studio in New York City’s Times Square is the face of the NASDAQ Stock Market, and with reporters travelling far and wide from various networks to report on the stock conditions of the day, it demands a superior level of quality,” said Rob Fleischacker, President, Monolith Systems. “We have acted as the NASDAQ’s broadcast systems integrator from day one and have implemented Grass Valley equipment at the site for years. Grass Valley’s technologies provide the perfect level of flexibility and scalability to match NASDAQ’s specific production requirements not only for its new second floor studio, but throughout its entire facility.”

The new Trinix routing switcher will be at the heart of NASDAQ’s new facility, where every broadcast signal into and out of the exchange will pass directly through it. The production switchers are equally crucial to these developments, using both the existing Kayak and the soon to be installed Karrera to provide the switching of multiple camera shoots and incoming fiber feeds for various networks and corporate listing events. The new solutions, together with the existing Concerto and Kayak, bring an unsurpassed level of performance and upgradability to NASDAQ’s live productions.

“NASDAQ is undoubtedly one of the world’s most significant broadcast spaces for financial market reporting. We’ve created a powerful combination of production technologies for NASDAQ that delivers high performance, fast processing, and more advanced capabilities unmatched by anyone in the business,” said Andy Jackson, Senior Vice President of North America, Grass Valley. “By choosing our live production solutions for its facility, NASDAQ will have an extremely efficient control room that can grow to suit its ever-expanding needs.”

Saudi Arabian Ministry of Higher Education Outfits Broadcast Studio with Grass Valley Gear
The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in Saudi Arabia is installing a completely new Educational Broadcast Studio with high definition (HD) camera, switcher, and router technology from Grass Valley.

This announcement builds upon an existing relationship that began last year when Grass Valley supplied MOHE with an end-to-end workflow solution for the Ministry’s first outside broadcasting (OB) van. For equipment implementation into its studio, MOHE will be working with regional system integrator First Gulf Company (FGC).

“We’re so pleased to be working with Grass Valley on these very important projects involving our new studio and our OB van,” said Eng.Waeel Mardoud, Projects Manager, AALI TV-MOHE. “We trust in the high quality of Grass Valley’s cameras and technologies and welcome the opportunity to deploy a complete workflow solution. We are glad to be the first users of these solutions in Saudi Arabia, and the investment in our Educational Broadcast Studio and OB van provides us with the best possible toolset to confidently deliver high-quality content across the Kingdom via our HD educational satellite channel (AALI TV).”

MOHE is the authority for post-secondary education in Saudi Arabia, with the mission to help people in the region fulfill their potential through its study programs. “It’s vital for MOHE to have the very best broadcast infrastructure in place to reflect the highly important work that it does, and FGC and Grass Valley were able to make that happen,” said Naim Saidi, FGC CEO.

Grass Valley provided MOHE with a number of flexible solutions, including six LDK 8000 Elite cameras, a 2 M/E Karrera Video Production Center switcher, a Trinix NXT 64×64 digital video routing switcher with integrated multiviewer, and a Jupiter routing switcher control solution.

• The LDK 8000 Elite camera captures HD images natively, allowing the user to switch between multiple formats and frame rates.

• The upgradeable Karrera Video Production Center is a new modular approach to production switchers and caters to changing production needs of the future.

• The Trinix NXT sets the standard to superior signal performance and uncompromising reliability. The integrated Trinix NXT Multiviewer optimizes space by eliminating secondary external components, connections, and additional cabling and produces a more reliable multiviewer.

• The Jupiter routing switcher control solution provides full management of all devices with the touch of a button. It delivers a flexible expandable distributed architecture.

“We’re excited to be working with MOHE again, helping the Ministry to get its Educational Broadcast Studio up to speed,” commented Said Bacho, Senior Vice President, EMEA, Grass Valley. “This announcement marks just how positive our on-going relationship is with both MOHE and FGC, especially as we continue to move forward with our projects in the Middle East. Having recently launched the firstGrass Valley Arabic website for our Arabic speaking customer base, and announced several new hires to the region as well as our presence at CABSAT 2014 this month, we are really solidifying our dedication to the market. Our commitment to the Middle East is strong and evident for all to see, which is why we are installing a new, high-end demonstration facility in our Dubai office to create a venue where customers and end-users can see our latest technologies brought to life.”