Lebanon’s First HD OB van equipped with Grass Valley

Published: July 22, 2013 MEA

LEBANON: Lebanese production company Hedgehog has selected an end-to-end Grass Valley Solutions workflow consisting of cameras, production switchers, routing switchers, router control systems and replay systems for Lebanon’s first HD OB van. These live production solutions provide the mobile backbone for Hedgehog so that it can provide better quality HD coverage of live events.

‘What drew us to Grass Valley is its ability to provide solutions from one end of the production chain to the other,’ said George Moufarrej, CEO and managing director of Hedgehog. ‘This project marks the construction of our very first OB van so it was really important for us to have total confidence in the solutions that will help deliver our new mobile productions. Grass Valley’s expertise in live production is second-to-none, and its solutions offer efficiency, flexibility, and top quality performance.’

The full workflow of solutions selected by Hedgehog includes a full series of LDK 8000 Elite cameras to capture HD images natively and switch instantly between multiple formats and frame rates, Kayak HD 3 M/E video production switchers, a Trinix NXT digital video routing switcher with Multiviewer and a K2 Dyno replay system.

‘The Lebanese broadcast market is an extremely vibrant and important market within the Middle East, and Grass Valley has been very busy there in recent months,’ commented Said Bacho, senior vice president EMEA, Grass Valley. ‘We’re excited to be making the announcement today with Hedgehog, and are delighted to be bringing cost-effective and future-proofed solutions to Lebanon. We know that Lebanese viewers will enjoy the services delivered from the country’s first HD mobile production unit.’

On the ground, Hedgehog will work closely with Grass Valley’s local partner in Lebanon, Pharaon Broadcast.