Crosscreek Televison Hits The Road with New Sony High Definition Technology

Crosscreek Television Productions’ latest mobile unit, Voyager 8, hit the road this summer with an array of Sony high-definition broadcast production technologies.

The new truck will feature three of Sony’s new BVM-L230 LCD reference monitor and 19 HD camera systems from the company, including 12 HDC-1500 models, one HDC-3300 super motion system and six CX310K POV cameras, according to Crosscreek Television.

The new monitors will be used for program and preview monitoring for Crosscreek’s schedule of sports and live event productions, including college football for ESPN and minor league baseball games.

For Crosscreek, whose network and cable television clients include CBS, FOX, ESPN and the Speed Channel, their production schedule includes stops throughout the country, including a full roster of National Hot Rod Association races, as well as other college and professional sporting events.

“There are no second chances when you’re looking down the barrel of a 90-mile-per-hour fastball or when dragsters go loose past the starting line of an NHRA race,” said Spruce McRee of Crosscreek Television. “We need to ensure our video signals are color-accurate, consistent and extremely high quality. This new Sony monitor will be a perfect tool for all our critical evaluation needs.”

The BVM-L230 LCD Master Series monitor features a 22.5-inch (viewable area, measured diagonally) viewable screen, a full resolution LCD panel, a newly developed high-precision backlight system and a display engine. The new LCD panel is the industry’s first with a 10-bit driver. It is capable of producing 1,024 levels of gray scale – ideal for high-end monitoring applications like digital cinema, digital intermediate, telecine and high end post-production, as well as in broadcast master control rooms or in OB trucks. The BVM-L230 incorporates Sony’s TRIMASTER™ technology.

“These monitors were engineered for video evaluation situations where such needs as flawless color accuracy and picture consistency are critical,” said John Kaloukian, director of Sony Electronics’ professional display group. “We’re thrilled to have this new reference technology in Crosscreek’s newest truck.”

Sony’s HDC-3300 camera system has also been widely embraced by the sports production community, especially for professional football and baseball games.

“The ability to do 3x super motion lets us do quality motion analysis, and it also gives us a great deal of flexibility for delivering high-quality HD telecasts" McRee said.

The HDC-3300 system transmits 180 frames per second in full high-definition resolution paired with an EVS server. The camera outputs normal speed signals simultaneously for live feeds through separate digital signal processing. It includes three 2/3-inch high speed progressive CCDs, and enables recording at 1920x1080i or 150i, as well as 1280x720/180p or 150p.