China Central Television (CCTV), the predominant state television broadcaster in the People’s Republic of China, with more than one billion viewers, has selected Grass Valley to power its transition to 4K UHD with leading-edge IP infrastructure and workflows. CCTV now benefits from an end-to-end 4K UHD IP-equipped studio that supports production and playout for its wide array of free-to-air and paid channels.
Hou Jia, Team Leader of the E16 technical crew, CCTV, said, “It was imperative for us that the transition to 4K UHD be as smooth as possible with minimal disruption to our service. Not only has this project been a huge success, but it is a massive step forward for our network and our viewers. We are committed to excellence, pushing the boundaries to deliver outstanding viewing experiences to our audiences.”
The end-to-end solution includes four LDX 86N 4K UHD cameras, a 3 M/E Karrera production switcher with the GV K-Frame X engine, two GV Node IP routing and processing nodes, two GV Convergent IP/SDI router control and configuration systems and 39 IPG-3901 plug-and-play IP/SDI modules. The new infrastructure and workflow give CCTV the scalability and flexibility needed to deliver 4K UHD content without compromising on the speed and efficiency of its production process.
“Having the best technology that enables our production teams to be more creative and innovative is central to our approach. Grass Valley’s expansive production suite has surpassed our expectations; the fast, intuitive workflow and robust architecture give us the means to work smarter and deliver better content,” commented Jia.
The new installation manages both CCTV’s IP and SDI workflows with vertically accurate switching, as well as integrated video and audio processing. SDI and IP routing can be transparently managed on a single, familiar interface, while bidirectional IP/SDI conversion ensures seamless transition between formats.
“The speed at which broadcasters transition to 4K UHD will vary, but to ensure consumers see minimal disruption to services, any transition must be swift and as seamless as possible,” said Somu Patil, Vice President of Sales, APAC, Grass Valley. “This means working with the right technology provider that understands their business and is able to make such a transition in a way that is right for their needs is critical. This is exactly what we provided for CCTV.”