Pacific Broadcast was on location at the international surfing competition just held in Tahiti, capturing the action in images from every possible angle, both above and below the waves.
At the high-profile, worldwide surfing events happening off the coast of Tahiti this summer, surfers have been facing some of the world’s most challenging waves. Pacific Broadcast's live production team was on location, aiming to bring the competition to a global audience by capturing the highest quality images as possible from every angle, including above and below the surface.
They worked with a combination of Grass Valley LDX 150 Series UHD/HDR cameras. Using the compact new LDX C150 camera, they could proceed with coverage even when the equipment was submerged by building custom waterproof housings for their cameras. This provision gave their operators unobstructed views of the surfers as they rode the waves.
The cameras’ multiformat image capture and distribution is scalable. Configurable as either NativeIP or SDI, LDX 150 standard and compact cameras were able to record up to three HD/UHD variable speed signals and/or six HD signals, accessible with a perpetual or daily option. Also, the LDX 150’s live UHD output was used while simultaneously capturing up to six 1080p high-speed replay action shots. Users can enable up to five JPEG XS encoders to reduce bandwidth requirements.
When working with IP connectivity – SMPTE ST 2110 standard as well as AMWA NMOS – the cameras don’t need separate base stations, although they are backwards compatible for SDI applications using XCU base stations from the UXF series.
Pacific Broadcast was also using LDX 150 RF cameras, which transmit live image signals wirelessly and support full control of the cameras with low latency links, due to a third-party wireless RF transmission module that Pacific Broadcast’s design department integrated into the camera housing. For any live event like this surfing comp, wireless RF capability means that cameras can operate from places that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to reach with cable runs.
“Live coverage of any premium value sporting event calls for the highest performing cameras on the market today, which aptly describes Grass Valley’s LDX 150 cameras,” said Matt Percy, CEO of Pacific Broadcast. “We chose these cameras for the quality of their image capture, consistent from all camera positions. We’ve been working with Grass Valley to build RF links according to their new interface specifications.”
Fine-tuning the RF Wireless Configuration
Since Pacific Broadcast needed to start their pre-production planning prior to the official launch of the LDX 150 RF cameras at the NAB Show in April 2024, Grass Valley proactively shared its camera prototypes with their team, as well as electrical and physical interface specifications to avoid delays. These resources helped Pacific Broadcast develop their plan for how the RF wireless capability could be implemented according to their requirements, which were going to be precise.
This cooperation between Grass Valley and Pacific Broadcast meant that all RF camera requirements were completely configured and delivered to the competition before the event started. The quality of the UHD / HDR camera and link combination has been very successful.
The new Pacific Broadcast equipment package also includes a Grass Valley K-Frame XP live production switcher with a Kayenne control panel, chosen primarily for its automated, optimised HDR/SDR conversion capabilities.
“We have been very pleased to work with our long-time customers at Pacific Broadcast as they prepared for live production of this global surfing competition,” said Adam Marshall, Chief Product Officer at Grass Valley. “The collaboration shows the capabilities of the LDX 150 Series cameras, in particular on one of the first deployments of our new fully integrated RF camera equipment.” www.grassvalley.com
