CCI Enhances Mobile Production Capabilities with Key Equipment Upgrades

Oct 5, 2005. Communications Concepts, Inc. (CCI) of Cape Canaveral, FL, has completed upgrades to its standard definition mobile production unit #4, including the addition of a new, Grass Valley 3000 digital switcher. The new switcher replaces a Grass Valley 300 analog switcher previously in the truck and significantly enhances the company's mobile production capabilities. Recently installed, the GVG 3000 will enable CCI to deliver more direct digital channels of graphics at a higher quality during the production of live events.

"Today, most graphics generators-like the Chyron Duet we have in our truck or the various sports boxes and Hat graphics units that our clients bring in-output in a digital format. We can now incorporate them directly into productions without any conversion," reports CCI Vice President and General Manager Jim Lewis. "The addition of the Grass Valley 3000 switcher will greatly enhance production flow and help CCI better meet network requirements, such as those dictated by FOX Sports Regional Networks."

The GVG 3000 is a powerful, multi-format digital switcher that can manipulate a variety of composite digital and analog video and key signals through the use of 10-bit digital processing. Video inputs and outputs can be a combination of almost any analog or serial digital signals.

"Grass Valley switchers are the industry pacesetters for reliability, quality, and intuitive user-interfaces, offering sophisticated, easy keying power and superior image quality," Lewis continued. "In addition to providing the advantage of digital processing, because the 3000 switcher uses a standard floppy disk to store switcher set-up, outside directors and networks can come in with their look and operation settings on disk and set up the entire switcher in seconds."

CCI also upgraded its digital video effects system (DVE), replacing the existing Abekas A52 with an Abekas A53 two-channel DVE with 3D effects capabilities. Like the GVG 3000 switcher, the A53 also allows pre-built effects to be saved and uploaded from floppy disk. Client and network-specific replay or transitional effects packages can be easily recreated with this system.

CCI has also made upgrades to its camera package, adding a Canon 50x1 lens to its 10 camera lens complement for Hitachi Z-2000 digital triax cameras on the mobile unit. The new 50x1 lens will replace the last of the 30x1 lenses on the truck.

According to CCI Chief Engineer Mark Speer, "With these upgrades, we now offer most of the same technology and capabilities that you would expect to find in larger trucks and trailers. But with our compact, 35 foot Mack Mid-Liner truck, we can set up faster, which is a real benefit when time is of the essence. It makes CCI a better value. We can even fit places where the big, cumbersome trailer trucks cannot."

"The enhancements will facilitate our space launch shoots, but the changes will benefit all of our clients who utilize our mobile capabilities," said CCI Director of Business Development Jay Van Dyke. "We will be able to offer a better quality final product than ever before, and that's the bottom line in our industry."

For full technical details, photographs, and a diagram of the mobile production unit, visit the CCI Web site at http://www.cciflorida.com/Facilities/Mobile/Unit4/.