Thank you to Film-TV Video for the original article – you can view it here

It was early 1983. I had just turned 21 when I joined Hitachi Denshi’s European headquarters as a service engineer for professional studio equipment. That marked the beginning of a long and rewarding career working with broadcast cameras – and with the many technical challenges, innovations, and changes that came with them.

At the end of August 2026, after 43 years and 8 months, I will be saying goodbye to my professional life and entering my (un)retirement.

I would like to take this opportunity to look back and share some of the highlights of those past decades, seen entirely from my own personal perspective.

The Early Years

When I started in 1983, virtually all professional studio cameras still used image pickup tubes. Plumbicon tubes, developed by Philips, were predominantly used. Philips was later honored with an Emmy Award for this development. At Hitachi, among others, the Saticon tube was used, an image pickup tube developed jointly with NHK.

These tube-based cameras required a relatively long warm-up period before they could operate with reasonable stability. At the same time, both the tubes and the camera electronics were subject to continuous drift. Maintaining consistently good picture quality therefore required regular checks and recalibration while the cameras were in operation.

The alignment of these cameras had to be carried out very carefully and according to a strictly prescribed procedure. If an adjustment was skipped or performed in the wrong order, it was often impossible to make up for it later without consequences. Servicing and aligning these cameras was therefore a demanding task that required not only solid technical knowledge, but above all experience and a very meticulous approach.

As a service engineer, I found these cameras to be a major challenge. At the same time, I was fortunate to have an outstanding specialist in television studio cameras by my side in the person of my then supervisor, Mitsuru Endo, from whom I was able to learn a great deal.

Another important opportunity to truly understand the technology and gain practical experience came from the acceptance tests that were still common at the time, carried out together with customers, as well as the technical specification tests at the IRT in Munich.

There, I had the opportunity to spend several days at a time, together with some of the best-known camera technology specialists of that era, measuring cameras in minute detail, discussing the results, and, where necessary, verifying improvements to the settings.

During those early years, I learned many of the fundamentals that have enabled me to assess a camera’s picture quality to this day, and to better understand the impact of faults or limitations on the resulting image.

Looking back today, those first years were undoubtedly one of the most technically demanding, but also one of the most educational, periods of my professional life. The cameras were complex and sensitive, and they demanded far more from a service engineer than technical knowledge alone. They required experience, patience, and an exceptionally meticulous approach.

The Beginning of the CCD Era

Around 1987/1988, the time had come: the first commercially available studio cameras with solid-state image sensors entered the market. Initially, these new sensors were predominantly CCDs (Charge-Coupled Devices), although the various manufacturers used quite different CCD technologies.

The Japanese manufacturers primarily used FIT-CCDs (Frame Interline Transfer), while Philips BTS opted for the FT (Frame Transfer) principle. At a later stage, the Japanese manufacturers replaced their FIT sensors with more advanced IT-CCDs (Interline Transfer). Philips BTS, on the other hand, continued to use the FT principle until CCD technology was eventually replaced by CMOS sensors.

For me personally, this technological shift opened up an entirely new opportunity. In September 1989, I was able to spend several weeks in Japan, where I learned directly from the developers at Hitachi’s camera factory in Tokyo all about the new CCD technology and the specific signal-processing techniques associated with it.

I subsequently passed this knowledge on to the RAI in Italy through several training sessions for their technical camera specialists. In this way, my role gradually evolved from that of a traditional service engineer into that of a trainer and technical advisor for the new camera technology.

In the summer of 1990, the FIFA World Cup was held in Italy. It was one of the first major international events to be produced entirely with CCD cameras. Half of the cameras used by RAI came from Hitachi Denshi, while the other half came from Philips BTS – the company that, just a few years later, would become my new professional home.

For the World Cup, I spent several weeks near Milan as a backup service engineer. In addition to providing technical support, this gave me a very special opportunity: I was able to watch several matches involving the German national team directly in the stadium. The German team would go on to win the tournament and become world champions – an experience that, for this personal reason as well, remains particularly memorable to me to this day.

From Analog to Digital

Technologically, however, we were still in a transitional phase at that time. The cameras continued to use fully analog signal processing. In terms of achievable picture quality, this was still outstanding, but it was subject to temperature drift and aging effects. Regular calibration was therefore still part of normal operation.

The first systems with digital signal processing were already possible at that time. The 8-bit A/D converters available then, and later the 10-bit A/D converters, were initially unable to match the quality level of the best analog cameras. Nevertheless, the early digital systems already provided a very clear indication of where the technology was heading. Above all, their greater signal stability and the significantly reduced need for regular calibration were decisive advantages.

Alongside the new possibilities offered by digital signal processing, a new picture format also entered the market during this period: 16:9.

With tube cameras, the new aspect ratio could be implemented relatively easily by appropriately readjusting the deflection. With CCD cameras, the situation was fundamentally different: the geometry of the sensor was fixed, meaning that new sensor variants had to be developed specifically for 16:9.

To allow flexible operation in both the traditional 4:3 format and the new 16:9 format, camera manufacturers therefore developed a variety of different solutions.

For example, Hitachi’s IT-CCDs featured what was known as the “Side-Panel” mode. Philips BTS developed its own solution, called Dynamic Pixel Management (DPM), which enabled lossless switching between aspect ratios with its FT-CCDs.

This marked the beginning of another phase of technological change. CCD technology not only replaced image pickup tubes, but at the same time created the basis for the increasing digitalization of the entire camera. And with 16:9, the next major transformation in professional television production was already taking shape.

My New Challenge

In March 1995, a new chapter began for me. When I moved to BTS in Griesheim – at the time a business unit from Philips in Eindhoven, which over the years would evolve into Thomson Broadcast and later Grass Valley – I effectively switched sides, so to speak: moving from engineering and regional sales responsibility, which I had already taken on for several years alongside my technical work, into marketing.

This move would shape my professional career far more than I probably expected at the time. Marketing, in many different forms and roles, would eventually become my professional home.

Technologically, the next major transformation was already on the horizon. In 1997, the availability of high-quality 12-bit A/D converters finally made it possible to develop cameras with fully digital signal processing that could achieve at least the same picture quality as the best cameras using analog signal processing.

However, the decisive advantage of digital technology was not simply the picture quality that could be achieved. The significantly greater stability of digital signal processing made the cameras much less sensitive to temperature changes and aging effects in practical operation. This marked the beginning of the rise of digital cameras, while analog versions were pushed aside within a surprisingly short period of time.

The New HD Formats

The next major technological challenge emerged around the year 2000 with the introduction of the new HD formats, 1080i and 720p.

The higher resolution required the development of entirely new CCD sensors with a significantly larger number of pixels. However, the resulting smaller individual pixels initially led to lower light sensitivity. At the same time, solutions for the different HD formats and the ability to switch between them had to be integrated into the cameras.

For Philips’ FT sensors, the Dynamic Pixel Management (DPM) technology already used for SD could be further developed. This made it possible to extend the principle of lossless 4:3/16:9 switching to the different HD formats and to implement switching between 1080i and 720p.

With the new HD cameras, however, the challenges were not limited to the sensors and signal processing. The transmission of the significantly larger amounts of data between the camera and the base station also had to be addressed.

Philips BTS initially pursued its own approach with HD Triax. The challenge was to meet the significantly higher requirements of HD signal transmission while continuing to use the Triax connection that had become standard in traditional studio technology.

Digital Cinematography

Another milestone came in the early 2000s with the introduction of the Viper FilmStream camera.

This made a digital cinematography camera available whose picture quality, in certain applications, could already match or even surpass that of the 35 mm film cameras commonly used at the time. For professional filmmaking, this was an important step in the transition from analog film to digital cinematography.

One of the Viper’s best-known early applications was the 2004 film Collateral, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.

Much of the film takes place at night, which was precisely where the Viper could demonstrate its particular strengths. Its high sensitivity and low noise under low-light conditions made it possible to capture images that would have been difficult to achieve with conventional 35 mm film cameras.

I found this development particularly exciting because it significantly expanded the field of professional camera technology beyond traditional television production for the first time. The boundaries between broadcast, digital cinematography, and traditional filmmaking increasingly began to blur.

Technological Dead Ends

While digital cinematography ultimately led to the complete replacement of an established technology that had been proven over many decades, there were also examples of developments that, despite generating considerable hype for a time, failed to achieve lasting acceptance.

3D TV is probably one of the best examples.

Towards the end of the first decade of the 2000s, it initially looked to many as though 3D could become the next major revolution in television. 3D-capable televisions were launched, the first 3D productions were created, and the new possibilities were also the subject of intense discussion in the live production sector.

In retrospect, it is of course easy to say, “It was never going to work.” At the height of the hype, however, this was by no means obvious. The technology fundamentally worked, there were interesting applications, and many companies invested substantial sums in developing the corresponding products and production processes.

Ultimately, however, 3D TV failed to establish itself as a sustainable part of everyday television viewing. Within just a few years, the subject had largely disappeared from the scene.

For me, this was an interesting experience because it demonstrated that technical feasibility and actual market success can be two very different things.

From CCD to CMOS

A very different technological transition began with the introduction of the LDX cameras at IBC 2012. These cameras marked the professional broadcast debut of Grass Valley’s new FT-CMOS sensor technology with Global Shutter.

When the cameras were introduced, many initially questioned the picture quality of the then relatively unfamiliar CMOS technology. The fact that many competitors were still relying on the proven CCD technology at the time certainly played a role in this skepticism.

However, the first direct comparisons at customer sites very clearly demonstrated where the technology was heading. The new sensor technology not only delivered excellent picture quality, but also opened up possibilities that would have been very difficult – or even impossible – to achieve with CCD sensors.

Many of the challenges that lay ahead could be addressed much more effectively with CMOS. These included higher resolutions, higher frame rates, greater dynamic range, and new possibilities for processing and reading out sensor data. This marked the beginning of the final transition from CCD to CMOS – a technological shift that would play a major role in shaping the development of professional cameras in the years that followed.

2014 – HDR and UHD

In 2014, I faced two new and very different challenges.

The first was the first practical application of HDR in a live production, which I had the opportunity to support in August 2014 as part of an EBU test event at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

This event would have far-reaching consequences for me. It marked the beginning of several years of working with HDR in live production and, in the years that followed, took me to numerous sports productions in different parts of the world.

HDR was far more than just another technical improvement to the camera. The greater dynamic range also changed the way cameras, vision mixers, monitors, and the entire production chain had to work together. At the same time, the question arose of how the new technology could be integrated into existing production workflows.

The second challenge came in the fall of the same year: presenting my first technology paper at the SMPTE Conference in Hollywood.

The subject was the new UHD formats in combination with HDR and WCG (Wide Color Gamut), and their implications for camera technology.

For me, this was a completely new experience. Preparing a technology paper and then presenting it to an international audience of industry experts is quite different from explaining technical concepts in a direct conversation with customers or colleagues.

Without the support of my colleagues in the camera factory’s development department in Breda, this work would hardly have been possible. I would particularly like to mention Dr. Peter Centen, the sensor specialist at the time and later Head of Development. With his support, I was able to gather the necessary technical information and develop a solid understanding of the then still very new HDR and UHD technologies.

This first presentation led to a very interesting and personally important activity for me in the years that followed. At numerous SMPTE conferences in the USA and Australia, as well as at comparable national and international events, I was able to present additional technology papers. These included, among others, the annual FKTG conferences in Germany, the KOBA Show in Korea, and the NAB Show in Las Vegas.

Preparing such contributions was always a considerable undertaking. Technical concepts had to be researched, data collected, test results evaluated, and the findings ultimately presented in a way that was clear and comprehensible to an international audience of industry experts.

Despite the work involved, I always found this task extremely rewarding. Perhaps also because it represented an ideal combination of my technical background and my many years of experience in marketing by that time.

And this combination was to become even more important in the years that followed. The development of camera technology continued to accelerate – from HDR and UHD to increasingly powerful CMOS sensors, and ultimately to resolutions and frame rates that would have been almost unimaginable just a few years earlier.

A Look into the Future

The introduction of UHD, including WCG and HDR, already points to a new development, however: a technically superior solution no longer automatically becomes the new standard across all applications.

The transition from 4:3 to 16:9, or from SD to HD, also took a certain amount of time. During these transition periods, backward-compatible solutions or parallel distribution of programs in multiple formats were necessary. Nevertheless, it was ultimately clear that the technically superior format would eventually replace the older one completely.

With 4K UHD, however, the situation today is unfortunately different.

The first international sporting events were produced in 4K UHD several years ago. For later productions of the same or comparable events, however, production sometimes reverted to 1080p HLG. So, while higher quality is technically possible, it is not automatically adopted by the market or by the production and distribution ecosystem.

At least HDR appears to be becoming increasingly established on the production side. The situation is much less clear when it comes to delivery to the end customer. The technology is available, but its adoption is no longer determined solely by what is technically feasible or offers better quality. Costs, production workflows, distribution infrastructure, consumer devices, and ultimately viewer demand are playing an increasingly important role.

From my perspective, this represents a fundamental change. During the first decades of my professional career, the development of camera technology – and of television studio technology as a whole – could often be viewed as a succession of technological improvements in which, after a certain transition period, the new technology would completely replace the old one. Today, development seems to be shaped much more strongly by different applications and economic considerations.

Perhaps this is the most interesting insight after more than 43 years of working with broadcast cameras:

Technological progress no longer automatically means technological success.

Which of the technologies available today will ultimately establish themselves for the long term, and which may have disappeared again in a few years, is difficult to predict.

So, it remains an exciting time.

In Summary

After more than 43 years, it is of course difficult to sum up such a significant part of my professional life in just a few words. They have been years filled with technological change, new challenges, interesting projects, and, above all, encounters with many wonderful people.

I am very grateful that I was able to follow this development over so many years and, in many areas, to help shape it as well. Much of what I experienced and learned along the way will certainly stay with me as I enter my (un)retirement.

And when I look back, I can say: I would do it all over again.

Native IP camera systems support RAI’s ongoing modernization with greater flexibility for HDR and remote production.

MONTREAL, CANADA – September 8, 2026 – Grass Valley today announced a new multi-year framework agreement with RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana), Italy’s national public broadcaster, for the supply of LDX 150 camera systems. The agreement marks the start of one of the largest camera refresh programs in its recent history, with the first camera systems already deployed to refresh RAI’s outside broadcast fleet. 

The project builds on a longstanding relationship between Grass Valley and RAI, spanning many years of successful product deployments across the organization’s production facilities. Under the framework, RAI will progressively deploy LDX 150 camera systems over the coming years, supporting the ongoing modernization of its production infrastructure with camera technology that delivers the image quality, operational simplicity and operational flexibility needed across a wide range of production environments.

RAI selected the LDX 150 camera system for its unique native IP connectivity, renowned simple and intuitive control and operation and its pristine HDR image performance. The LDX 150 provides a camera platform that supports RAI’s current production requirements while enabling the company’s continued transition toward more flexible IP-based workflows.

“As we continue to modernize our production infrastructure, we were looking for a camera platform that would support both our current operational needs and our future ambitions,” said Riccardo Rombaldoni, Dirigente Responsabile – Ingegneria di Realizzazione e Gestione Contenuti at RAI. “The LDX 150 combines excellent image quality with native IP connectivity, HDR acquisition and intuitive operation, giving our production teams the flexibility to support a wide variety of production environments while building on the trusted relationship we have established with Grass Valley over many years.”

“RAI has been a valued Grass Valley customer for many years, and this latest deployment reflects the trust we have built together over that time,” said Carlos Ferreira, Vice President of Sales, Southern Europe, Grass Valley. “We’re proud to continue supporting one of Europe’s leading public broadcasters as it modernizes its production infrastructure with camera technology that combines outstanding image quality, IP connectivity and the flexibility to support evolving production requirements.”

The first phase of the deployment has been completed, with the initial LDX 150 camera systems fully operational within RAI’s outside broadcast fleet. Grass Valley’s long-time partner and systems integrator Video Progetti led the overall system integration, while Domo supported the project as the integration partner for the wireless camera components of the deployment.

Grass Valley and RAI expect to continue working together as RAI expands and modernizes its production infrastructure with future deployments.

Visitors to IBC2026, taking place at the RAI Amsterdam from September 11-14, can see the LDX 150 camera system and the rest of Grass Valley’s camera portfolio in action at Booth 9.A01, Hall 9.

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About Grass Valley

Grass Valley empowers over 90% of the world’s top media brands to create and deliver compelling stories that captivate audiences. At the heart of its solutions is the GV Media Universe (GVMU), combining advanced hardware solutions, with the agility, elasticity, and adaptability of the AMPP Media Operating System. Together, they form a seamless, scalable ecosystem for efficient and innovative workflows.

With a portfolio spanning from camera to consumer, Grass Valley provides the flexibility to build solutions for every need – from a single creative harnessing immense production power to globally distributed teams collaborating seamlessly. This breadth of capability enables customers to craft efficient workflows that inspire and engage their audiences.

With over 65 years of expertise, Grass Valley has consistently driven the evolution of live content creation and storytelling. Headquartered in Montreal and supported by Black Dragon Capital, the company remains dedicated to shaping and leading the media revolution.

For most of his career, Kevin Callahan has built the World Cup somewhere else. As VP of Field Operations & Engineering at FOX Sports, he’s spent the last 12 years putting together temporary broadcast facilities for the network’s biggest events, three years out of every four; build it, run it for 45 days, tear it down, and start over for the next one. 

The 2026 World Cup was different. Instead of building a temporary facility for the tournament, FOX operated out of its Pico headquarters in Los Angeles, a building that’s on the air every day of the year whether or not there’s a World Cup happening. 

“This one was very different because we were working within the confines of our building,” Callahan says. 

That meant planning years ahead of time instead of weeks, all while Pico kept its everyday broadcasts running without interruption. “For the past three years, every technology decision made within our Pico headquarters in LA was looking forward to this World Cup,” he says.

The 104 matches ran through two match control rooms – PCR 101 and 102, upgraded for the tournament with Grass Valley K-Frame CXP production switchers and Korona control panels, in keeping with the same ecosystem as the rest of the building’s GV switchers. For the studio shows, production ran out of two identical medium control rooms – PCR 203 and 205, built side by side so crews could walk between them. Those rooms added Mod I/O boards for extra SDI capacity to the Kayenne 4-stripe 35 source select panels and K-Frame XP video processing engines, needed because the AR stage introduces a real time delay whenever a presenter or video image appears in the LED wall, and the audio has to be delayed right along with it.

Stage B, FOX’s XR studio, ran on Grass Valley LDX 150 cameras that have now shot three consecutive World Cups. “The cameras on Stage B traveled the world since 2022,” Callahan said. “They were with us in Qatar, they were with us in Australia, and then they got installed here on Stage B.” FOX had purchased around 40 LDX 150 cameras, with 12 deployed on Stage B. 

Those cameras were chosen for what FOX calls GhostFrame. The LED volume is fed by four different images layered on top of each other, so a phone camera catching behind the scenes footage sees a slightly doubled, soft background. The broadcast cameras don’t. “The way the cameras are set up with their shutter, they only see their own background,” Callahan explains. “So, it sees a perfectly clear image. That’s one of those differentiators that, as far as I know, to this point, no one else is doing yet.” 

Across the tournament’s 16 venues, FOX built seven permanent sets. In addition, BRISK, short for Broadcast Remote IP Studio Kit, was used to cover 12 venues with six mobile ST 2110 flypacks that traveled the country, met up with each venue, put cameras and equipment on a stage, and sent everything back to Pico using JPEG XS. That was the infrastructure behind the broadcast.  

What made this World Cup different for Callahan personally came down to something smaller. This World Cup also gave Callahan a personal first: he’d never actually seen Pico’s 18-foot countdown clock hit zero. 

“This was the first time I’ve ever been in our building where the countdown clock hit zero,” he says. “Usually I’m out on the remote, wherever the event is happening, an IBC, a football game, a Super Bowl. This time I was actually in the building when it hit zero.” 

“Within 45 minutes, we had four different desks, none of which were on the stage making TV,” Callahan says of FOX’s first day on air. “We were live from Venice Beach, we were in LA, we were in Mexico City, both inside and outside the stadium.” Looking back, that stretch is the moment he points to first. “What we do is take what is incredibly complex and try to make it look easy. And we succeeded in that.” 

That same push showed up in the watch parties too, part of what made the coverage feel big. FOX pulled in reaction footage from international rights holders and ran it through Grass Valley Alchemist for frame rate conversion so it could drop straight into FOX’s production. The Alchemist is staying in the building for good. “In terms of workflows, we wanted to make sure that what we put in place for the World Cup is something that we can also build upon,” Callahan says. FOX has a college football game in London coming up in about two months, and a college basketball game in Rome later this year. “The international thing is certainly staying with us.” 

Anyone in the U.S. who wanted to watch a match they weren’t attending in person had two options: FOX, or Telemundo. “You have a responsibility for the game and the event to make sure that you pull it off extremely well, because that’s what people were looking at,” Callahan says. “That’s what people saw as the World Cup if you came to America. So that was a special responsibility.” 

Asked where this ranks against everything else, he’s worked on, Callahan says: “I think this is the top. When you do a Super Bowl, it’s one day. It is a big, massive event for one day.” What put it there, for him, wasn’t just the scale of it. It was watching the tournament’s reach play out in public. “Seeing on the news and seeing on social media what this became in this country is something special,” he says. 

“We helped shape that World Cup experience for people throughout the world,” he says.

What stuck with him most, though, wasn’t statistical; it was the fans. Callahan is a lifelong New York Rangers fan who was in the building the night they won the Cup in 1994, and he says it doesn’t compare. FOX’s security team used to escorting athletes like Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez through crowds, told him about the scene outside the opening match at LA Stadium was unlike anything they’d handled before. After a quarterfinal involving France, around 5,000 fans waited 45 minutes behind FOX’s set hoping to see the talent leave, and FOX had to work with FIFA to walk them out through the stands and onto the pitch just to clear the area. 

“You couldn’t sit there and figure out, pick any sport you want in America, pick whatever the most passionate fan base is for that team; you don’t have anything like that,” Callahan says. “Fans spent large sums of money between flights, tickets, and lodging to follow their team. And it’s not just one; it’s hundreds and thousands of fans doing that.” 

After three years of planning the biggest broadcast days of his career, Callahan still came home most nights to the same short list. “My wife was still expecting me to walk the dog and take out the trash,” he says. “World Cup or not, some things don’t get a pass.” 

Grass Valley strengthens its camera leadership with deep expertise in camera technology, product management and strategy 

MONTREAL, CANADA –September 2, 2026 – Grass Valley has appointed Ronny Van Geel as Vice President, Cameras, bringing together more than 25 years of experience across camera technology, product strategy, product management, marketing and media production workflows. Van Geel combines a strong technical background with a broad understanding of how production environments are evolving, giving him a deep view of both the technology and the people who rely on it. 

“I’m excited to bring a broader perspective back into a field I care about deeply,” said Ronny Van Geel. “There is an extraordinary depth of knowledge, craftsmanship and passion in the Camera team, built over many years and in close partnership with customers, operators and partners around the world. I’m looking forward to working with those teams to help people realize their creative intent and tell more captivating stories in new ways.” 

Van Geel began his career in 1999 at Philips DVS before moving into Product Management in 2005. Over the years, he has worked across camera technology, product strategy and media workflows. Most recently, as Director of Product Marketing at Grass Valley, he worked across the company’s portfolio and strategy, helping shape the story around Grass Valley Media Universe, unified media operations and the changing needs of media professionals through new themes like DMF. 

“What I find particularly exciting is the opportunity to connect this team’s deep expertise with the next chapter of production,” added Van Geel. “Camera systems are evolving alongside the way people create, operate and deliver content. Our role is to listen closely, make strong choices and build tools that give operators, creatives, production teams and partners more freedom, more confidence and less friction in bringing their stories to life.” 

“Ronny brings an exceptional combination of deep camera expertise, product experience and a broad understanding of how media production is evolving,” said Adam Marshall, Chief Product Officer at Grass Valley. “He knows this business from multiple perspectives, and he has a strong instinct for turning what he sees in the market into products that matter to the people using them. We’re very pleased to have him leading our Camera product organization and bringing that experience to the team”. 

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About Grass Valley 

Grass Valley empowers over 90% of the world’s top media brands to create and deliver compelling stories that captivate audiences. At the heart of its solutions is the GV Media Universe (GVMU), combining advanced hardware solutions, with the agility, elasticity, and adaptability of the AMPP Media Operating System. Together, they form a seamless, scalable ecosystem for efficient and innovative workflows. 

With a portfolio spanning from camera to consumer, Grass Valley provides the flexibility to build solutions for every need – from a single creative harnessing immense production power to globally distributed teams collaborating seamlessly. This breadth of capability enables customers to craft efficient workflows that inspire and engage their audiences. 

With over 65 years of expertise, Grass Valley has consistently driven the evolution of live content creation and storytelling. Headquartered in Montreal and supported by Black Dragon Capital, the company remains dedicated to shaping and leading the media revolution.

Original article published in TV Tech

Opening CarMax Park gave us the opportunity to build a new live production workflow around Grass Valley’s LDX 110 camera system. 

Opening a brand-new, state-of-the-art production facility at CarMax Park presented many challenges and opportunities. Among them was the all-important decision of selecting the camera system. Taking the leap from our previous workflow in The Diamond, our goal was clear: support productions of home games, live events, LED programming, and multiplatform content with a consistent, high-quality production standard that truly sets us apart. 
 
Knowing that the cameras would be in use throughout the day, reliability, image quality and flexibility were all important factors. 

We looked at several options before selecting the Grass Valley LDX 110. During our evaluation, it delivered better performance in low-light and other challenging lighting conditions than the alternatives we considered, while remaining within the budget we had set for the project. The Xenios CMOS image sensor consistently produced the picture quality we were looking for, and the compact camcorder-style design was a good fit for the way our operators work on game days. 

All-Action Capture 
Our production schedule begins when the gates open and finishes after the last fans leave the ballpark. During that time, in addition to the baseball game itself, we’re producing a variety of content including player introductions, fan features, live entertainment, and promotions and activity around the concourse. Camera operators are constantly moving between different environments and lighting conditions. 

Our fixed cameras, including the high home and center field positions, provide the main coverage throughout the game. They produce excellent pictures and give us the consistency we need across the entire production. 

The MVP in our live production workflow has been the mobile camera system, a huge upgrade over previous systems deployed.  

The LDX 110 gives us much more freedom to cover everything happening around the stadium with the same picture and color quality we see on fixed cameras. Operators can move freely around the 360-degree concourse to spend time with fans, react to big moments, and capture entertainment that occurs on and off the field, all with the consistent high-quality production standard. These shots are critical in telling the story of the fan experience at CarMax Park. 

The mobile system is a seamless, natural fit in our workflow with the color grading system in our control room, allowing our shader full control while the camera operator freely moves around CarMax Park. That combination has made mobile operation far easier than we have experienced in past workflows. 

We use the word consistency often as that has probably been the biggest operational improvement seen since opening the venue. The picture quality and consistency of the LDX 110 systems is big league, giving our production the polish our fans and partners deserve while allowing our production team to stay focused on the live show. 

Big-League Delivery  
The response from our fans and community partners has been extremely positive. We regularly hear comments about the beautiful picture quality of the video presentation. Fans, colleagues, and industry peers who visit CarMax Park often describe our productions as “big-league”. That was one of our main objectives when we designed the production facilities, so it is very rewarding to receive that feedback. 

We are equally pleased with how the system has performed behind the scenes. The deployment has exceeded our expectations, and we are already working with Grass Valley and our integration partners to add a second mobile camera system. That decision is based on how much value the first system has added to our productions and how often we now rely on it during a game. 

Opening a new ballpark gave us the chance to build the production workflow we wanted from the beginning. The LDX 110 cameras have become an important part of that workflow, helping us produce consistent, professional coverage throughout every game while giving our production team more creative freedom around the stadium. 

David C. Ruckman is Vice President of Creative Services and Branding for the Richmond Flying Squirrels and owner/operator of David C. Ruckman Creative LLC. A live event production specialist with more than 20 years of experience, David has produced more than 1,500 professional baseball and NCAA Division I sporting events. Including CarMax Park opening in April 2026, David has now helped open five ballparks across the United States. 

MiLB Club Deploys LDX 110 Cameras at CarMax Park to Deliver A New Standard in Engaging Fan Experience 

MONTREAL, CANADA – June 15, 2026 – Grass Valley today announced that the Richmond Flying Squirrels, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, have deployed five Grass Valley LDX 110 cameras at CarMax Park. The upgrade has significantly elevated the quality and consistency of the organization’s game broadcasts and livestreams, further enhancing the Flying Squirrels’ ability to deliver a more dynamic and engaging viewing experience for fans. 

The Flying Squirrels’ new production environment features five LDX 110 camera systems, including one unit in a wireless configuration, delivering the image quality, operational flexibility and broadcast-grade performance needed to support comprehensive live coverage throughout the venue. The deployment reflects the club’s continued focus on raising the quality and consistency of its live game coverage while also strengthening CarMax Park’s capabilities for live sports and event productions. 

“There is nothing minor league about our capabilities using Grass Valley equipment,” said Flying Squirrels General Manager Anthony Oppermann. “The overall broadcast and live event production is on a completely different level now. We’ve received very positive feedback from our fans and MLB partners on the quality of the broadcasts, livestreams and in-game presentation.” 

The new workflow is further enhanced by Grass Valley’s Creative Grading technology, which allows operators to maintain a consistent and distinctive visual look throughout every game. Its intuitive graphical interface enables rapid adjustments without distracting operators from the live action, helping them stay focused on the moments that matter most. From high-speed plays to emotional crowd and player reactions, Creative Grading continuously supports optimal image quality while preserving the creative vision behind the production. The result is a richer, more immersive viewing experience that helps bring fans closer to the game. 

The upgrade has positioned the Flying Squirrels among a small group of Minor League Baseball organizations operating with broadcast infrastructure typically associated with larger sports markets. The improved on-screen presentation has strengthened the club’s ability to deliver an engaging and visually consistent experience across streaming, broadcast and in-venue coverage. 

“Fans expect a high-quality viewing experience regardless of market size,” said Greg Doggett, Vice President Sports, North America at Grass Valley. “The Richmond Flying Squirrels are demonstrating how regional sports organizations can adopt the same caliber of technology used across top-tier live sports to deliver stronger coverage, more engaging broadcasts and greater long-term operational value.” 

The project reflects a broader shift across regional sports as teams continue investing in modern broadcast infrastructure to elevate live content and strengthen audience engagement across streaming and in-venue experiences. 

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About Grass Valley 

Grass Valley empowers over 90% of the world’s top media brands to create and deliver compelling stories that captivate audiences. At the heart of its solutions is the GV Media Universe (GVMU), combining advanced hardware solutions, with the agility, elasticity, and adaptability of the AMPP Media Operating System. Together, they form a seamless, scalable ecosystem for efficient and innovative workflows. 

With a portfolio spanning from camera to consumer, Grass Valley provides the flexibility to build solutions for every need – from a single creative harnessing immense production power to globally distributed teams collaborating seamlessly. This breadth of capability enables customers to craft efficient workflows that inspire and engage their audiences. 

With over 65 years of expertise, Grass Valley has consistently driven the evolution of live content creation and storytelling. Headquartered in Montreal and supported by Black Dragon Capital, the company remains dedicated to shaping and leading the media revolution. 

About the Richmond Flying Squirrels

The Richmond Flying Squirrels, Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, have established themselves as one of the most recognizable brands in Minor League Baseball since their inaugural season in 2010. Guided by three pillars – be different, be impactful and have FUNN – the organization has ingrained itself in Central Virginia, annually reaching more than 10,000 students through the club’s education programs while making 400-plus community appearances. Additionally, the team has renovated multiple youth baseball and softball fields across the city and awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships through its 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Flying Squirrels Charities. The Flying Squirrels consistently rank among the top-drawing teams in MiLB having led the Eastern League in total or average attendance 11 times while topping all 30 Double-A teams in total and average attendance each of the past four seasons. For more information, visit SquirrelsBaseball.com

Singapore-based broadcast services provider has deployed Grass Valley cameras, switchers and hybrid workflow infrastructure across sports and entertainment productions

MONTREAL, CANADA – May 19, 2026 – Grass Valley has entered into a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadcast Solutions as the Singapore-based company expands its live production operations across APAC and the Middle East. 

The agreement includes the deployment of Grass Valley LDX Series cameras, K-Frame production switchers and Densité/XIP infrastructure to support OB, REMI and hybrid production workflows across sports and entertainment projects. 

Phoenix Broadcast Solutions provides live production services across international sports and multi-event productions, specializing in OB, REMI and hybrid workflows for major sporting events and broadcasters across APAC and the Middle East. As part of the revamp of its operations, the company sought a scalable production ecosystem capable of supporting rapid deployment across multiple geographies and varied production environments. 

“We were looking for a production infrastructure that could scale with the type of projects we are delivering across different markets,” said Siddhartha Tyagi, Founder & Managing Director, Phoenix Broadcast Solutions.  

“That meant improving workflow flexibility and interoperability, supporting UHD and 4K production requirements, enabling REMI and distributed workflows, and maintaining reliability across large-scale multi-venue sports productions. We also wanted the flexibility to work across both IP and baseband environments depending on the operational and regional requirements of each project.” 

The deployment includes LDX 150 and LDX 98 cameras for live sports production, alongside K-Frame switchers with Kayenne and Karrera control surfaces for multi-camera productions across OB and REMI environments. Densité and XIP infrastructure will support a combination of IP and baseband workflows, allowing Phoenix to adapt systems according to venue, project and regional requirements. 

Systems are being deployed in phases in line with Phoenix’s production schedule across APAC and the Middle East, with the Grass Valley and Phoenix engineering teams collaborating on configuration and integration across a range of third-party audio, communications and transmission systems. 

“Grass Valley’s solutions give us the flexibility and reliability we need to deliver at the highest level across multiple markets,” Tyagi added. “This partnership is an important step in building a future-ready broadcast infrastructure.” 

The systems are already in use across Phoenix’s major international productions, improving operational flexibility across projects while enabling faster deployment between regions and greater consistency across workflows. 

For Grass Valley, the agreement strengthens its position within growing live production markets across APAC and the Middle East. 

“Phoenix Broadcast Solutions represents a new generation of broadcast companies: agile, ambitious, and built on deep industry expertise,” says Evan Boyd, Senior Vice President, Sales APAC, Grass Valley. “We are proud to support their journey with solutions that enable both performance and flexibility at scale.” 

The partnership is expected to expand further as Phoenix Broadcast Solutions continues to grow its operations across sports and live event production. 

Visit the Grass Valley booth (5C2-7) at Broadcast Asia 2026, taking place 20–22 May at Singapore EXPO, to find out how the company is supporting media providers across APAC and the Middle East with scalable live production, distributed operations and next-generation broadcast infrastructure. 

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About Grass Valley 

Grass Valley empowers over 90% of the world’s top media brands to create and deliver compelling stories that captivate audiences. At the heart of its solutions is the GV Media Universe (GVMU), combining advanced hardware solutions, with the agility, elasticity, and adaptability of the AMPP Media Operating System. Together, they form a seamless, scalable ecosystem for efficient and innovative workflows. 

With a portfolio spanning from camera to consumer, Grass Valley provides the flexibility to build solutions for every need – from a single creative harnessing immense production power to globally distributed teams collaborating seamlessly. This breadth of capability enables customers to craft efficient workflows that inspire and engage their audiences. 

With over 65 years of expertise, Grass Valley has consistently driven the evolution of live content creation and storytelling. Headquartered in Montreal and supported by Black Dragon Capital, the company remains dedicated to shaping and leading the media revolution.

Compact HDR-ready remote production units combine native IP workflows, advanced camera shading and flexible live production capabilities for premium sports coverage

MONTREAL, CANADA – May 13,  2026 – Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras and K-Frame production switching technology for premium live sports production across the UK. 

Designed for high-end sports broadcasting, the compact, fast-deploy OB units combine UHD, HDR and high-frame-rate production capabilities with a modern IP-based infrastructure. The trucks support centralized production operations and evolving remote and distributed production models, enabling Cloudbass to deliver premium-quality coverage across top-tier football and major live sporting events. 

The deployment features 32 Grass Valley LDX 150 native IP camera systems, delivering the imaging performance, operational flexibility and Native-IP connectivity required for premium live sports production. The cameras support SMPTE ST 2110 workflows directly from the camera head and are designed to help production teams transition efficiently to scalable live production environments. 

The project also incorporates Grass Valley’s Creative Grading tools to support centralized camera shading workflows, alongside K-Frame production switching capabilities as part of the overall live production architecture. 

“Sports broadcasters and production providers are increasingly looking for ways to expand UHD and HDR capabilities while maintaining operational efficiency and flexibility,” said Mark Gardner, Senior VP of Sales, EMEA at Grass Valley. “These new Cloudbass trucks demonstrate how native IP production, centralized shading workflows and scalable live production technologies can be combined in a compact environment built for the realities of modern sports production.” 

The new units feature fully IP-based workflows and are designed to support remote operations, dynamic configurations and evolving broadcast requirements. The integration was led by dB Broadcast, a long-standing Grass Valley partner with extensive experience in complex broadcast systems integration. 

“This project was about delivering a future-ready IP architecture without compromising the operational practicalities of live OB production,” said Mike Bryan, Technology Director at dB Broadcast. “By standardising on Grass Valley’s LDX 100 native IP camera platform, Creative Grading and K-Frame technologies, we can provide Cloudbass with a consistent production environment from acquisition through to live production switching. 

Supporting around 15 cameras per truck, including UHD and HDR high-speed production workflows, the new units are optimized for long-term sports production contracts while maintaining the flexibility required for evolving sports production workflows. 

Come and see Grass Valley at booth B55 at MPTS at Olympia London on May 13–14, 2026. 

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About Grass Valley 

Grass Valley empowers over 90% of the world’s top media brands to create and deliver compelling stories that captivate audiences. At the heart of its solutions is the GV Media Universe (GVMU), combining advanced hardware solutions, with the agility, elasticity, and adaptability of the AMPP Media Operating System. Together, they form a seamless, scalable ecosystem for efficient and innovative workflows. 

With a portfolio spanning from camera to consumer, Grass Valley provides the flexibility to build solutions for every need – from a single creative harnessing immense production power to globally distributed teams collaborating seamlessly. This breadth of capability enables customers to craft efficient workflows that inspire and engage their audiences. 

With over 65 years of expertise, Grass Valley has consistently driven the evolution of live content creation and storytelling. Headquartered in Montreal and supported by Black Dragon Capital, the company remains dedicated to shaping and leading the media revolution. 

SHOWRENTAL has recently acquired new Grass Valley LDX 180 Super35 system cameras, as part of an expansion of its camera setup. 

When we looked at expanding our camera setup, the requirement was straightforward. We wanted more flexibility in how we shape the look of the tory we’re shaping, but without changing how we run productions. 

That is what led us to the LDX 180. It gives us a way to introduce a more cinematic look, while staying within the same workflows the operators know and we already rely on. 

Bringing More Depth into Live Production 

The main difference for us is the Super 35 sensor. It gives a different sense of depth compared to a typical 2/3″ broadcast camera. Subjects separate more naturally from the background, and you can lead the viewer’s eyes without changing how the production is set up. 

In our day-to-day work, that matters most in concerts, shows and corporate events. These are environments where the viewer’s attention needs to be directed very clearly. The LDX 180 helps us achieve that without adding complexity or post-production workflows. 

Reliability Still Comes First 

At the same time, none of this works if the system is not stable in a live environment. 

The LDX 180 gives us UHD and HDR as a baseline, so we can maintain consistent image quality across different lighting conditions. Color matching across cameras is predictable, which is critical in multi-camera productions, and managed intuitively via Creative Grading.

It’s global shutter was also an important point for us. Fast movements and light effects are part of almost every production we do. Avoiding artifacts in those situations makes a real difference. You want to tell an immersive visual story, not distract the viewer with artefacts. The same applies to LED stages, where its optical low-pass filter helps reduce moiré without additional work on our side. 

Keeping the Workflow Flexible 

We’ve also added the LDX C135, which solves a more practical issue. There are always positions where a standard camera will not fit. With a compact unit, we can easily add those angles, whether on cranes, rails, or remote heads. 

What matters is that these shots integrate cleanly. There is no visible difference in look and image quality, so we can use them without having to treat them differently. 

From a workflow perspective, the move toward IP is already ongoing for us. Support for SMPTE ST 2110 and JPEG XS means the system fits into that direction. With the CCS-ONE, the Camera Control Service we can also adjust all of the cameras simultaneously during the production itself. That gives us more control over the final result while we are live, not afterwards. 

Overall, this was not about adding a new type of production. It was about extending what we already do, with more control over how the image looks, and without compromising the way we work.