F&F Productions Builds New 4K HDR Rig With Evertz At The Core
GTX-18 is built to natively capture and process 4K HDR signals throughout the entire workflow on-board the truck.
Veteran mobile production company of F&F Productions has hit the road with GTX-18, its first 52-ft. expando production truck capable of producing live shows, natively, with 4K UHD HDR capability built on a complete Evertz infrastructure.
George Orgera, President/CEO, F&F Productions, said they’ve had a number of customers who inquired about building a new 1080p/HDR unit, and after rallying his team, they decided to build a 4K-HDR mobile unit instead.
“There is a lot of uniqueness about GTX-18, but what matters the most to our clients is that it offers a complete 4K experience throughout, and our clients are happy to have a one-stop mobile unit that can produce 4K-HDR, 1080p-HDR, 1080p, 1080i, 720p,” he said.
The company’s latest 52-ft. expando production truck is built around an on-board 3Gbps SDI infrastructure built mainly with Evertz Microsystems technology and allows the crew to produce Ultra High Definition (UHD) telecasts captured at a high dynamic range (HDR) for pristine-looking on-screen images.
GTX-18 is built to natively handle 4K HDR production throughout the entire workflow on-board the truck, from acquisition to production to distribution. Orgera said it was important that the signal remain native 4K UHD resolution throughout the entire process. That meant using high quality cameras and lenses.
The F&F GTX-18 truck captures live events with more than a dozen Sony HDC-4300 4K cameras and Fujinon 4K UHD lenses.
Those images are captured with Sony HDC-4300 4K cameras and Fujinon 4K UHD lenses—including eight UA107x8.4BESM 4K studio lenses, five UA18x5.5BERD 4K portable zooms, three UA14x4.5BERD 4K portable zooms, and one UA22x8BERD 4K portable lenses.
Its SDI infrastructure is designed around an Evertz EQX 26 560x1134 router for video and an Evertz EMR 192x192 audio router. Evertz’ EQX/EMR routing solution facilitates audio and video routing for both HD and 4K HDR productions.
In addition, GTX-18 is utilizing Evertz’ 7814UDX-4K Up/Down/Cross converters, which help simplify signal processing and conversion tasks within the truck’s production environment. Signal distribution around the routing core is handled by numerous Evertz 7812DDA2Q downconverting distribution amplifiers and synchronization and timing is managed by an Evertz’ 5601MSC Master Clock System. The 5601MSC generates all the synchronization signals required in a mobile production rig like GTX-18.
The new unit also leverages Evertz’ VistaLINK PRO network management system as well as Evertz' MAGNUM control and orchestration platform to manage various different workflows simultaneously.
Since its launch I July, the truck has already covered the PGA Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina for CBS Sports and Direct TV; and the American Airlines Arena in Miami for Telemundo's “Premios Tu Mundo” (Your World Awards).
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