ChyronHego And Grass Valley Team Up To Deliver Integrated Graphics Creation And Switching Solution For Sports Arenas

Major U.S. sports venues are successfully using a new, single-point-of-control integration solution for graphics and production switching developed in collaboration between ChyronHego and Grass Valley, a Belden Brand. Designed for complex venue productions, this integration allows a technical director (TD) to switch shows with game-in-progress graphics delivered simultaneously to multiple displays. These include LED ribbon boards, scoreboards, and concourse/concession screens, all in a simple, repeatable manner.

“Both Grass Valley and ChyronHego have a decades-long tradition of broadcast technology innovation. It was just a matter of time before we got together to create synergy between the world’s most widely deployed broadcast graphics system and the global leader in sports production switchers,” said Randy Dickerson, ChyronHego’s national director, sports venues and strategic accounts. “Formalizing a new, specific integration solution is great news for our joint customers. It means we can create synergy at the engineering and creative level to give TDs more control and greater efficiencies in fast-paced, high-pressure live arena production environments.”

The all-new, plug-and-play innovation places single-button control of ChyronHego graphics for stadium and fan engagement (Click Effects PRIME), as well as broadcast (LyricX and PRIME), into the user interface of Grass Valley’s Kayenne, Karrera, and GV Korona Video Production Center switchers. This deep integration enables synchronized scene-by-scene or individual layer control with guaranteed repeatability, giving the TD the confidence that graphics will play the moment they are called for. TDs can now directly execute frame-accurate transitions, trigger graphic-enhanced replays, and clear channels by remotely controlling ChyronHego graphics workstations to deploy rich, multilayer graphics presentations to scoreboards — even on a single output.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with ChyronHego,” said Tim Walker, senior product manager for Grass Valley. “The production tools developed by both of our companies can often be found together in various applications, but never before has there been such a tight integration between the graphics and the switcher. This is how we see the control for live production graphics moving forward.”

“ChyronHego and Grass Valley are flagship solutions in stadiums and production trucks around the world and technical teams everywhere have deep experience with our respective products. Now we’re giving them a one-stop solution for graphics and switching that leverages technology they’re already familiar with,” said Jason Toliopoulos, manager of creative services, ChyronHego. “We are also providing a combined solution that is on the forefront of emerging technologies such as HDR color standards and compliance with the new SMPTE ST-2110 standards for IP-based networks. That’s especially critical now that most newly built in-venue control rooms are based completely around IP-based workflows.”—BCS Bureau