Canada-based Dome Productions has chosen Grass Valley's end-to-end open standards-based IP infrastructure and workflows for its latest outside broadcast (OB) truck, UHD5. Grass Valley’s IP solutions will enable the production facilities provider to seamlessly transition from SDI to IP, leveraging greater flexibility, efficiency and faster setups between events. The future-ready unit, which is scheduled to go live in the third quarter of 2020, will handle everything from HD to 4K UHD and HDR to support live sports production for major North American broadcasters, concerts, awards and studio shows.

At the heart of the new UHD5 truck’s IP workflow is the GV Orbit dynamic system orchestrator, which provides full system control and configuration and simplifies the deployment of any IP network; using the interface, operators can easily configure and change systems on the fly. The truck will also be packed with Grass Valley’s IP switching and routing solutions, MV-821-IP Multiviewers and IQUCP25/50 Gateways. The migration to IP will allow Dome Productions to support multiple signals on fiber, leveraging more capability from a single vehicle and eliminating the need to deploy multiple trucks at larger events.

“Dome Productions has a reputation for being resourceful and adaptable to meet our clients’ needs. Looking ahead, IP will be central to helping us remain agile. The ability to have a true end-to-end IP infrastructure and workflow – from glass to glass —means, with our review complete, we are now prepared to make the leap into IP infrastructure,” said Mary Ellen Carlyle, SVP and general manager, Dome Production. “Grass Valley is best placed to help us create a dynamic production environment that is robust and flexible enough to handle any challenges without compromising on performance. We have been a long-term Grass Valley customer, the team there has always taken a partnership approach and the level of support they provide is second to none.”

UHD5 will also host Grass Valley’s Densité 3+ XIP-3901 modular signal processing platform, which delivers true multiformat operation and simultaneously processes SDI and IP 4K, 3G, HD and the Audio Live router for live multi-stream IP audio support.

Tim Shoulders, Grass Valley’s president, added: “As they drive to deliver stunning content across a growing number of platforms, our customers need to find efficient ways to create and maximize the value of their content. Broadcasters, production companies and managed service providers need agility and scale to meet shifting consumer habits. IP gives our customers the agility they need and opens up new service models and business opportunities. We are very proud that Dome Productions has partnered with Grass Valley as they make the jump to an IP-enabled future and look forward to their partnership adding to our legacy of innovation.”