The winners in the toughest ratings fight have one thing in
common: Thomson Grass Valley™ multiformat and HD digital news
production systems.
They're installed at leading station
groups in the top five U.S. markets -- and at leading news
outlets worldwide. With a complete workflow that spans
acquisition, production and playout, it's clear that when
you're watching the news, you're watching Grass Valley
technology at work.
For more information about Thomson Grass Valley products,
please visit
thomsongrassvalley.com.
When we built this station last summer, we were faced with having to put a local news operation on the air in a very short time, and on a very limited budget. When we selected signal processing equipment, we were careful to do our homework and pick equipment providing both value and flexibility. The system had to make sense for us, both financially and technically.
We chose Grass Valley's Gecko modular products and 8900 Series frames for all A/D and D/A conversions. The converters also double as distribution amplifiers, helping us keep costs down. As the Gecko converters have four outputs, we didn't need separate d.a.s. The frame sync option eliminates the need for an outboard proc amp. This saved rack space, reduced the number of patch panels and cut wiring requirements.
We were able to save money by purchasing four-channel modules for analog signal monitoring. Now we get four channels with one card and this reduced the number of module frames needed. These features, along with a full line of cards and proven reliability, made Grass Valley very attractive.
As we had selected other Grass Valley equipment - an Ignite automated production system to run newscasts; a Concerto audio/video/time code router; and several Grass Valley M-Series iVDRs - the Gecko was a natural, as it is fully compatible and communicates seamlessly.
USES NEWTON FOR SNMP ACCESS
We've also installed a Grass Valley Newton modular control panel in a centralized location, giving us SNMP-based access to modules and helping us use them efficiently. This was a key ingredient in the system and the main reason we chose Grass Valley. The Newton controls not only the cards, but also the router and other Grass Valley equipment. With its intuitive interface, Newton allows non-technical people to monitor sources from the panel presets and makes the entire operation run smoother.
After installation, we quickly discovered the extra perks that came along, including SNMP control, NetCentral and NetConfig. NetCentral flags any equipment errors and signal problems, and NetConfig makes set up really easy. This was important, as we rely on a small staff to keep the place running. We did all wiring and system configuration ourselves, and these features are very helpful.
With full SNMP remote access capability, not only can we process our incoming sources, but also control audio gain using remote access d.a.s. That's great, as there's no dedicated audio engineer in the control room.
LEVEL PROBLEMS SOLVED
Everyone knows that remote feed levels can be all over the place. With Grass Valley's Newton system, we can set color and video levels, and then set audio levels without having to run into the machine room down the hall.
The system also allows you to organize and recall sources as streams or channels, by assigning them specific names or numbers that are easily accessed and manipulated. This makes a big difference when troubleshooting.
The feature set provided with the Grass Valley Gecko modular system is much greater than anything else we found, and we've had no problems at all. We couldn't be happier with our choice, as Grass Valley gives us all of this functionality in a tightly integrated package. No other company could give better value. Grass Valley stands behind its equipment, as we have learned during our long association with them.
Mike McCarthy is the on-site engineer at WSHM-TV. He has been with the station since start up and has also worked at WFSB in Hartford, Conn. The opinions expressed are the author's alone. He may be contacted at Michael.mccarthy@cbstv3.com.
