How Grass Valley and Pacific Broadcast united to bring the action of the Olympic surfing competition off the Tahitian coast to audiences all over the world.
With the Seine not exactly renowned for the quality of its surf, the Paris 2024 Olympics cast its net a bit wider for this part of the competition. Tahiti is famous for its world-class tubes, and Pacific Broadcast was the production company charged with showcasing those waves in high quality.
It leaned heavily on Grass Valley kit for its coverage. Compact LDX C150 cameras were housed in custom waterproof casings to capture the images, even underwater. These cameras were configured as either NativeIP or SDI, giving 3x HD/UHD variable speed, and 6x HD for high-speed action shots. Every drop of water and every turn was captured in stunning UHD clarity.
To capture live action from - let's say - challenging locations, Pacific Broadcast used the wireless capabilities of the LDX 150 RF cameras. These cameras feature a third-party wireless RF transmission module to allow low-latency live signal transmission and full control. This means viewers get a more dynamic view of surfers riding the waves since the cameras can move more freely without cables.
The equipment roster also included a Grass Valley K-Frame XP live production switcher with a Kayenne control panel, which optimizes HDR/SDR conversion capabilities. This means every broadcast is of the highest possible quality, whether in HDR or SDR.
“We’re extremely pleased to collaborate closely with our long-time, valued customer, Pacific Broadcast, as they prepared for live production of this global surfing competition,” said Adam Marshall, Chief Product Officer at Grass Valley. “The collaboration showcases the cutting-edge capabilities of our LDX 150 Series cameras and reaffirms our commitment to pushing the boundaries of live production technology, with one of the first deployments of our latest fully integrated RF camera solutions.”