Grass Valley discusses the RTP standardisation deal for future-proofed studios and OB fleet

Grass Valley’s LDX 82 series

Grass Valley has spoken about the recent deal made with Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), which has standardised its technology with Grass Valley’s camera systems to future proof its studios and outside broadcast (OB) fleet.

Explaining the relationship between RTP and Grass Valley, Grass Valley’s regional channel manager for Southern Europe, Raynald Demares, told SVG Europe: “Grass Valley and our local partner Ibertelco have an excellent relationship with RTP, which has been a loyal customer for many years.

“RTP uses several solutions from Grass Valley portfolio, including sQ production system for a fast turnaround news workflow, iTX system with Master Control as the playout solution into their MCR, Kahuna mixers in the main news studio, Kula mixers in OB vans, a Sirius router, several Kaleido multiviewers and now new cameras for studios (replacing old LDK-8000) and also for OB vans where they use already 2 LDX-86 SSM,” he noted.

On how RTP made this decision, João Pessanha, owner of Ibertelco Electrónica, said: “RTP started this process by testing the main broadcast cameras of the market, then they defined technical specifications and finally launched an official public tender. During the rigorous and very competitive tender process, Grass Valley came out ahead of the competition in terms of price and performance. Grass Valley cameras won due to their high image quality, their robustness and reliability.”

By standardising its live production workflows with 49 LDX 82 Elite camera systems, with XDR licenses, the RTP production team can seamlessly switch between resolutions (1080i, 720p and 1080PsF), ensuring HD and high dynamic range (HDR) support across all live events and studio productions.

This robust upgrade is part of RTP’s strategy to reduce the number of technologies under maintenance and assure their readiness for future challenges in the industry.

The upgrade ensures futureproof acquisition capability, thanks to Grass Valley’s robust upgrade path. The sale was managed by Grass Valley’s Portuguese channel partner Ibertelco.

With the new cameras in place, the RTP production team can seamlessly switch between resolutions (1080i, 720p and 1080PsF), while the PowerCurves feature handles shoots in even the most challenging conditions. Any lighting issues are easily addressed using LDX 82 Elite’s built-in Color Protect function.

The standardisation of the camera system is part of RTP’s strategy to reduce the number of technologies under maintenance and assure their readiness for future challenges in the industry. During the rigorous and very competitive tender process, Grass Valley came out ahead of the competition in terms of price and performance.

Marco Lopez, Grass Valley’s senior vice president of live production, commented: “We’re delighted that RTP has chosen to put Grass Valley cameras front and centre of its live production workflows. Our customers want to know that we’re with them on the journey as they transition through new technology upgrades, today and tomorrow. As a company, we’re committed to ensuring that any investment in our solutions help broadcasters and production companies adapt to shifting market dynamics with the seamless addition of new functionality.”

Demares continued: “We are developing technologies allowing remote work, such as live productions and news workflows, thanks to our direct IP interface and GO! editing software, allowing journalists to work from outside. We have also facilitated access to our assistance service and we have offered the possibility of subscribing an exceptionally short assistance contract of three months.”