Grass Valley and Arena Television drive large-scale live UHD productions with the power of IP

As consumers demand more content and better quality images, broadcasters are under pressure to deliver compelling, immersive viewing experiences. When it comes to live content, this means giving audiences an experience that is as good as seeing the content in-person. With consumer investments in 4K television sets also rising, the demand for higher resolution content is increasing exponentially. The need for efficient, flexible production workflows that are both scalable and future-oriented is critical, and this is where IP comes into play.

“As the demand for live UHD content increases, OB companies need agile and dynamic infrastructures to help them meet their customers’ demands. An IP-based setup provides unprecedented scalability and production flexibility,” commented Richard Yeowart, group managing director, Arena Television. “Whether there’s a requirement for a remote ‘pod’ or a need to connect two or more trucks together to form a web of signals, IP makes these tasks happen quickly and easily. Handling real time media over IP does require a shift in skillset, but since building our first IP truck OBX in 2016, IP has become second nature for our talented engineers. Throughout our partnership with Grass Valley, the company has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to helping our team continue to make this transition as seamless as possible.”

IP is the bedrock that creates a completely format-agnostic production backbone, eliminating the complexity of quad SDI environments and delivering powerful, yet compact switching. Production teams have the flexibility to meet the demands of any production, regardless of size or format. As new video or audio formats become production standards, the Grass Valley-delivered system enables Arena to seamlessly handle the transition.

Yeowart added: “From one truck to the next, we have learned how to use subtle adjustments to make the most efficient use of the kit and bandwidth available, creating sleek and elegant systems. Product developments have allowed us to handle elemental audio flows more efficiently too. The relationship with Grass Valley has been key throughout. No other vendor could match the depth and breadth of IP solutions – from cameras and gateway cards to processing platforms –needed to make our plans for an IP-enabled fleet a success. We are delighted to be showing OBZ alongside the Grass Valley booth at IBC 2018.”

“As broadcasters, OB and production companies seek to future-proof their businesses and leverage greater flexibility and efficiency, IP delivers the capability and agility they need for mission critical live UHD HDR production,” said Mark  Hilton, vice president, Live, Grass Valley. “We are very proud to be showcasing our partnership with Arena Television at IBC 2018 to give visitors insight into how IP revolutionizes the OB environment, optimizing it to meet the needs of a shifting market.”

As the leader in open standards-based IP solutions, Grass Valley has become the de facto choice for the world’s leading OB companies as they continue to invest in scalable, flexible infrastructures that meet the challenges they face, regardless of complexity. Grass Valley’s IP solutions have been central components for some of the world’s major entertainment and sporting events, supporting customers as they deliver new services and unmatched content to audiences around the globe.

About Grass Valley
Grass Valley is focused on empowering customers to create, control and connect content wherever, however and whenever it is consumed. In this ever-changing media landscape, content remains the most important element. Many of our customers are faced with the need to create and support new workflows while continuing to operate their legacy workflows, simultaneously broadcasting through traditional channels, Over-The-Top platforms, and Video-On-Demand as well as to tablets, PCs, and mobile devices.