Total RF gets groove on for All-Star Weekend
Inside the CP Communications EVS/graphics trailer at the NBA Block Party.
TNT broadcast a new event on Saturday afternoon from NBA All-Star Weekend: a HORSE competition (renamed GEICO, after the event’s sponsor) that was held at the NBA Block Party, across the street from the U.S. Airways Center. CP Communications and Total RF played an important role in the production, providing an RF HD camera for TNT (the company also provided a camera for game coverage inside the arena).
“For the block party we have a 2 gig Link Research RF HD system with a Thomson Grass Valley LDK600 Worldcam,” says says Kurt Heitmann, Total RF Productions president. Two CP B Unit trailers were also provided for the weekend’s activities. “The trailer at the game is outfitted as a complete sub mix trailer using a Midas 480 Verona series console,” says Heitmann. “Because the show keeps growing, and the trailer is built to spec, we made sure we worked closely with Peter Saltans, the effects sub mixer, to make sure he had exactly the right amount of in/out patching capabilities in the trailer.”
The second trailer was a graphics/EVS trailer for the block party.
“For the inside game coverage we have a 7 Gbps Link Research L1500 four-channel system complete with Sony HDC1500 camera and Fujinon lens,” says Heitmann. “We chose the 7 gig system because of the 2 gig saturation in and around Phoenix.”
The system gives TNT coverage from the locker room hallways out to the entire arena floor and seating areas. All signal flows, HD video, data for paint control, audio and COMMS come back to the main Turner TV truck via 1 strand of fiber using a Opticomm/TRF modified fiber interface.
“We are also supplying the same exact system for NBA Entertainment at the game,” says Heitmann.
The company also provided two Telecast Fiber Lightviper fiber optic booth kits for the broadcast and pre game shows. “These custom-built booth kits provide all Comms, audio, video and IFB’s over 6 strands of fiber,” says Heitmann. “The kits consist of a Lightviper 32 x 8 audio fiber transport, two Studio Technologies M46 4 wire to 2 wire PL frames, one Studio Technology M41 4 channel IFB frame and bi-directional analog video monitoring.”
