Several hundred GREY OWL and SPARROWHAWK units are being used in studios, control rooms and production galleries.
Construction phases one and two entered service during the previous year. A large proportion of the systems use multiviewers from various manufacturers, with their signals routed to video walls comprising up to 32 LSM 147W monitors with a 47-inch diagonal.
The third lot is again being planned and built by international systems integrator Ascent Media. TAMUZ will supply approximately 170 additional displays by June 2008, including a number of FLM 123W HD units. This is a Full HD display for the 720p60 HD format favoured by Fox, with a native resolution of 1,280 × 720 pixels. Alongside this distinctive monitor, which is also deployed in large numbers by sports broadcaster ESPN for its 720p60 production, the MRC monitor-control concept was a decisive factor. TAMUZ monitors are integrated into a TCP/IP network and controlled remotely from one or more computers running the MRC program.
With these investments, the American broadcaster’s Manhattan headquarters is converting its technology entirely to digital HD production. At the same time, cathode-ray-tube displays are disappearing from daily production, editorial and broadcast operations.
