Grass Valley equips MAP’s 4K OB van

UAE-based production company, MAP has purchased a complete Grass Valley live production solution for its latest 4K, 18-camera OB van. The initial purchase from Grass Valley for the glass-to-glass solution was made in December 2017 and the OB van is slated to be completed by June 2018. The systems integration for the project is being executed by MAP’s in-house technical team along with projects team at Dubai-based United Broadcast & Media Solutions LLC (UBMS).

Speaking to BroadcastPro ME, Peter Kyriakos, Vice President of Marketing at MAP said: “The OB van is among the first of its kind in the region. Unlike most other OB vans in the region, this van incorporates the entire 4K workflow. We felt this was a smart investment because most broadcasters today want to capture content in 4K as a means of future-proofing that content while allowing them critical flexibility when it comes to post-production.”

The decision to go with Grass Valley was made after an internal evaluation of available technology, Kyriakos stated.

“We were keen that the project is state-of-the-art. While we began our process of purchase many months prior, our most recent purchases of Grass Valley equipment last year included mixers and the LDX 86 Grass Valley cameras, among other products.”

Elaborating on the role of Grass Valley, Regional Sales Manager Mohammed Saadeh said: “MAP asked for cutting-edge technology that would be future proof. We provided a glass-to-glass solution starting from the camera all the way through to the video mixers and routers. Essentially we have supplied the entire video chain for the OB van.”

On the role of United Broadcast & Media Solutions LLC as systems integrator for the project, Imad Bassil, owner and GM of MAP said: “UBMS has been an integral part of this project from the very beginning and as the exclusive systems integrator with us in commissioning this project, their decades of experience has allowed us to realise our vision of creating a top-of-the-line 4K OB van in the most effective manner possible.”

On completion, the OB van will be available on lease to the broadcast industry. Underlining that the OB van will be a critical element of the production arm of the company, the van, stressed Bassil, has been designed “keeping regional broadcasters in mind”.

He added: “At MAP, we have extensive experience working with broadcasters, so when designing this OB van, the questions we asked ourselves were based on real-life issues that we faced with broadcasters in past productions.”

Underscoring the advantages of providing a complete solution, Saadeh of Grass Valley added: “The equipment installed is designed to communicate in a seamless fashion. For the end-user, it eases any issues around commissioning, spare parts and other relevant SLAs, given that they will have to deal with only one vendor.”