ESPN's new HD production centers will feature equipment from Grass Valley

A total of 40 LDX WorldCam cameras and several Kayenne production centers with K2 Summit servers stand out among the equipment acquired by ESPN.

ESPN has selected the production technologies Grass Valley to equip its new HD Digital Center 2 facilities in Bristol (Connecticut, USA) that are expected to be completed in the spring of 2014. ESPN and Grass Valley have a long relationship of more than three decades.

Grass Valley will now supply ESPN with three Ignite automated production systems and three Kayenne production centers with K2 Summit 3G servers. Additionally, it will deliver a total of 40 LDX WorldCam cameras that will replace the current LDK series models at ESPN's Digital Center 1 facilities. A fourth Ignite system has also been acquired by the SEC (Southeastern Conference) Network with 24/7 sports broadcasting.

Kevin Stolworthy, Senior Vice President of Technology at ESPN, highlighted that "ESPN's new digital center 2 will be at the forefront of broadcasting and will use the most innovative technologies. Having worked with Grass Valley for many years, we know that it provides us with the workflow and future-proof solutions necessary to deliver high-quality content to our million-dollar audience."

Grass Valley's new solutions will give ESPN the ability to produce high-quality live sports broadcasts, as well as produce numerous sports programs. With nearly 200,000 square feet of facilities, the new HD Digital Center 2 in Bristol will supply programming for ESPN's HD channel, which is available to cable and satellite television systems throughout the United States. Digital Center 2 will include six control rooms and four studios, one of which will house the space SportsCenter, ESPN's popular flagship show.