News

Grass Valley Announces New Accessories for High-Definition, Multi-Format Camera Systems (9/3/2006)

Further enhancing its popular line of high-definition (HD) and multi-format camera systems, the Grass Valley business within Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS) today announced several new accessories for improved interoperability and performance.

New additions to the Grass Valley line of camera include the Grass Valley SuperExpander 7" viewfinder and the Grass Valley MOBox for interoperability with triax and fiber-optic cable infrastructures as well as improved triax-based performance.

"At Grass Valley, we strongly feel that high-performance broadcast camera systems must be about the most powerful sensor and processing technologies, the highest level of image quality, AND the most flexibility and interoperability possible. If a camera lacks any of these features, then it is not a complete camera system," said Marc Valentin, president of the Grass Valley business within Thomson. "The whole system must be effective for our customers."

Today's announcements support Thomson's Two-Year Plan, which includes an overall strategy to help its global media and entertainment customer base acquire, create, edit, and manipulate, aggregate, repurpose, and package their high-value content.

Details of the camera accessories detailed in today's announcement include the:

* SuperXpander. To deliver the maximum convenience and ease of use to the camera operator, the new SuperXpander for Grass Valley cameras combines support for large lenses with a new 7" viewfinder, mounted closer to the optical axis of the camera. The camera can stay in the SuperXpander during transport, saving storage space and allowing the camera to be set up on location as quickly as possible.

The new viewfinder uses a monochrome, high-brightness, multi-format CRT to provide maximum sharpness. This feature is in response to requests from operators for a large, precise viewfinder to aid framing and focus, particularly for sports coverage.

The SuperXpander can be used with both standard standard-definition (SD) and HD cameras from Grass Valley, and, due to its modular construction, can be used with triax, hybrid fiber, or dual-fiber infrastructures.

* Mixed Operation Box (MOBox) Most of the world's leading sports arenas are permanently cabled to reduce the rigging time of each outside broadcast. At present, the majority of these facilities use triax cables, but there is a move to install fiber optic cables as systems are replaced. In the medium term, mobile production contractors will need to work with both fiber and triax.

The Grass Valley MOBox-Mixed Operation Box-enables contractors to do this work in an operationally simple and flexible manner. Grass Valley HD cameras deliver excellent quality over triax. Where a stadium is fitted with fiber, a new cover is available for each camera's triax adaptor to convert it to fiber, and a compact base station (three cameras in 2U of rack space) performs the reverse in the truck. Trucks fitted with Grass Valley cameras and MOBox devices will be able to deliver excellent HD pictures in any venue with equal ease.

* Improved triax performance. A new version of the HD triax transmission system will be introduced at NAB 2006. This enhancement will improve overall S/N performance and extend the safe operating range of a camera from 1,000m (3,300 feet) to 1,500m (5,000 feet).

Pricing/Availability

Pricing for a typical SuperXpander configuration starts at $22,600 (€18,400). It is scheduled to be available in June 2006. Pricing for the Mixed Operation Box with one complete channel starts at $35,600 (€29,000); it is scheduled to be available in second quarter of 2006. Pricing for the improved HD triax transmission system starts at $64,660 (¤€2,800) and is scheduled to be available in April, 2006.

www.thomsongrassvalley.com

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