Sweden’s Prisma OB Selects Thomson for Three New OB Vans

At the National Association of Broadcasters Convention, which starts in Las Vegas on April 14th, Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS) announces that Prisma Outside Broadcast (OB), Scandinavia’s largest live production company based in Gotenburg, Sweden, has placed an order valued at over 18 million Euros for two new all-digital high-definition (HD) production trucks and an upgrade to HD for an existing production van. All three OB vans are to be equipped with a full complement of Thomson Grass Valley™ LDK Series cameras and other Thomson HD equipment.

The new HD OB vans will be ready in time for the start of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in August 2008.

“We were looking for flexibility and reliability in the production tools we plan to use for the Olympics and other live sporting events, that’s why we chose Thomson’s Grass Valley products,” said Paul Henriksen, CEO of Prisma OB. “The LDK 8000 camera series provides exceptional image quality capture and can be used in a variety of ways for our clients. This allows us to get the most value out of the cameras and realize a fast return on our investment, as eight more LDK 8000 HD cameras will be purchased for an additional truck to be built later in 2008.”

“Prisma OB is another major mobile production company in Europe to entrust its HD business to Thomson,” said Patrick Montliaud, Vice president of Thomson Integration and Network Solutions, within the Systems division. “The world over, outside broadcast companies has overwhelmingly chosen Thomson to build their HD vans, upgrade their vans from standard-definition to high-definition, and equip them with Thomson Grass Valley multiformat HD production equipment, giving them the competitive edge they need to succeed in the outside broadcast marketplace.”

The order—which includes 15 LDK 400 standard-definition (SD) cameras, 56 LDK 8000 HD cameras, and four 3X Super SloMo HD camera systems—began delivery in January 2008. The new HD OB vans will also be equipped with HD digital production switchers (Kayak™ 4.5)

For camera infrastructures and applications, the entire Thomson Grass Valley LDK 8000 camera series is available with HD triax, HD fiber, and HD wireless solutions to provide the greatest flexibility in production.