South African public broadcaster SABC has received 14 Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite HD camera systems for its news studio operations in Johannesburg. The broadcaster selected the camera for its ability to support multiple HD formats natively and connectivity with both fiber and triax.
The LDK 8000 Elite camera uses Grass Valley’s HD-DPM+ imaging technology, featuring three 9.2 million pixel imagers. By manipulating the imagers at a subpixel level, the camera can produce native full-resolution images for any HD acquisition format, with a consistent resolution, while offering a very high sensitivity. SABC is using 12 of its 14 new cameras with a fiber connection to the base station and the other two mounted on cranes using triax cables.
Besides cameras and base units, the contract includes an extensive training program. Two SABC engineers have been trained at the factory in Breda, Netherlands, and 65 video controllers, operators and engineers joined the training in Johannesburg.