Texas A&M University chooses to work with Grass Valley’s IP-enabled live production systems to upgrade its athletics coverage workflows and prepare for new developments and trends.
Texas A&M is a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) of collegiate athletics. The university’s internal production team has been recognised for the interest it takes in innovation and development when producing match-day action and related content.
Aware that they’ll need to upgrade their workflows in order to move confidently into IP production, the team has deployed two Grass Valley K-Frame X switchers, extra control panels, ten LDX 135 cameras, and four LDX 150 cameras to improve its production capabilities. The new system gives them some growing space – they can use it now to deliver high-quality 1080p productions and, later on as future needs evolve, they can purchase an upgrade path to UHD.
“Grass Valley’s equipment gave us the flexibility we needed to upgrade our workflows and move confidently into IP,” said Jonathan Kerr, Chief Broadcast Engineer at Texas A&M. “We’ve relied on their systems for some years, and their reliability, performance and support made this new project a simple choice.”
Direct IP Interface
The LDX Series cameras have a direct IP interface on the camera itself, allowing direct SMPTE ST 2110 IP outputs through incremental licensing, without needing extra hardware. This feature gives the university the ability to adapt and makes the camera a more valuable investment into the future. Direct NativeIP connections into the network simplify creation of multiple formats for a single production by giving every team member immediate access to the sources they need, whether they are working locally or remotely,.
Though an LDX camera is a good choice for flexible, scalable productions, it is also compatible with traditional SDI workflows, supporting hybrid operations as the team transitions to IP-based setups.
The Grass Valley LDX 150 and 135 are designed for efficiency and ease of use. Both have a global shutter and three Xenios imagers capturing accurate colour and high sensitivity at F11 (2000 lux). HDR support includes PQ, HLG and S-Log formats. The LDX 150’s support for UHD and high-speed frame rates as well – up to 3x UHD or 6x HD – means it is especially useful for sports and live events, which need dynamic visual quality.
Cameras and K-Frame
The cameras also integrate Grass Valley’s Creative Grading system, which makes it possible to adjust colour in real time, and support field-swappable SFP/QSFP modules for connectivity options. These include up to five built-in JPEG XS encoders that compress images for bandwidth-efficiency.
Andy Richardson is Associate Athletic Director at 12th Man Productions, a team that works on sports events on site at the university. He said, “12th Man Productions first invested in Grass Valley cameras in 2014 when we upgraded our facility to support the Videoboard shows and ESPN/SEC Network live event programming for Texas A&M Athletics.
“In 2024, that investment gave us the opportunity to upgrade our live camera systems to support IP 2110 infrastructure and transition to HD 1080p. At that time, we recognised Grass Valley as the right partner for us to elevate productions over time. We’re very pleased with the results.”
Like the cameras, the K-Frame X switchers are designed for live productions now and into the future. They can be deployed on-premises, or in private or public cloud environments. K-Frame X is equipped with three M/Es, six keyers per M/E, and varied eMEM and macro functionality for use in complex visual compositions, and it supports fill and key with transparency, animation playback and still images. Operators with a concern for production consistency can also share show files between K-Frame X and other K-Frame engines.
Keeping Up
A key factor in Texas A&M’s decision was the integrator, Diversified, who worked on the project from initial design to on-site commissioning. Their long-term relationship with both Grass Valley and Texas A&M also made the integration smoother. Diversified’s team was led by Tony Gaston, Senior Account Executive Sports & Live Events, and customised a turnkey system for the university.
“Partnering with Texas A&M and Grass Valley on this deployment not only meets the university’s current needs but also serves as a foundation for future technological growth,” Tony said. With this deployment, Texas A&M becomes one of the first SEC institutions to adopt Grass Valley’s end-to-end IP production tools, reinforcing its expertise in up-to-date athletics coverage. www.grassvalley.com
