Grass grows 3G fibre/triax infrastructure

At NAB, Grass Valley will add to the flexibility of its 3G Camera Transmission system (introduced at NAB 2011) with the LDK 4427 3G Fibre Camera to 3G Triax Converter, which will allow HD productions to send their signals across any type of cable infrastructure, writes David Fox. The LDK 4427 performs a one-to-one conversion of a 3G fibre camera signal to a 3G triax signal. Ancillary data, such as return video, control and intercom, are also converted on a one-to-one basis, with full access to all transmission diagnostics at any time. “With the new LDK 4427, the 3G Camera Transmission family of products is complete and Grass Valley now offers the ultimate in camera transmission flexibility,” claimed Marcel Koutstaal, Senior Vice President of Cameras for Grass Valley. “With all of our 3G Camera Transmission systems, there is absolutely no compromise in quality and each converter allows customers to get even more value out of their camera investment.” The LDK 4427 is built to withstand extreme weather, conforms to the IP54 standard (dust- and waterproof), and comes with a sun hood and a rugged camera-mounting bracket. It can also be placed in a standard 19-inch rack where up to four units can be mounted side by side. Grass Valley’s 3G Triax transmission is the only triax system that delivers all HD video formats (720p, 1080i, and 1080p – including 50/60p) from the base station. It’s compatible with the LDK 8000 Elite and LDK 4000 Elite HD camera heads. The LDK 4427 should be available in May with a list price of $24,853. www.grassvalley.com