Royal Opera House chooses Sony high definition production facility

22 December 2004 –The Royal Opera House is installing a complete high definition production system from Sony in its main auditorium and other performing spaces at Covent Garden. The system, which is being installed over the next few months, includes five of the latest Sony HDC-950 camera systems, a MVS-8000A compact production switcher, HDCAM and Digital Betacam VTRs and LMD Series high definition LCD monitors.

John Seekings, director of operations at the Royal Opera House, says: “Our prime objective is to get our archive recorded in HDCAM high definition quality to increase our reach – both to more effectively use our big screens outside and also to be able to capture what we’re doing on stage in a more useable and flexible format. We’ve always been at the forefront of innovation, as has Sony, and we recognise the power of working together.”

Seekings continues: “Another advantage of this high definition system is that it will reduce the disruption outside caused by OB vehicles and, inside the auditorium, by previously having large cameras restricting the view for our audience. The five Sony camera systems we’re installing will all operate remotely, significantly reducing the space they occupy.”

The Royal Opera House has worked hard to increase the access to its productions through enhanced educational resources and innovations such as giant screen relays of productions into the piazza in Covent Garden and to venues across the United Kingdom. At its peak, 9,000 people in Belfast combined with 5,000 in the Covent Garden piazza and 2,000 in the auditorium to watch Placido Domingo in one performance of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s opera, Pagliacci.

Niels Thomas, general manager, media, Sony Professional Solutions Europe, says: “We are delighted that the Royal Opera House has chosen to partner Sony to build a complete high definition production facility within its main theatre. The state-of-the-art high definition facility will allow the Royal Opera House to record live performances at the highest HDCAM quality for relay to high definition screens, to broadcast in HD or standard definition, and for archival purposes and DVD production. This decision further emphasises the extraordinary growth of HDCAM production in the past year, offering as it does fantastic 1080-lines picture quality, cost effective production, international sales potential, DVD quality and long term future proofing.”

The high definition production system will start to be installed in January 2005. As well as having five HDC-950 multi-format high definition studio cameras, the system will have the capacity to support a further seven high definition camera systems. Four of the cameras will be remote controlled and operate from a specially built control room adjacent to the main production gallery. The MVS-8000A multi-format production switcher will allow the Royal Opera House and broadcasters such as the BBC to record in both HDCAM high definition and also Digital Betacam for standard definition broadcasts.

As part of the deal with the Royal Opera House, Sony will also have access to the production system to use as a central London high definition demonstration and training facility.

The HDC-950 high-end portable camera provides cost effective acquisition for all high definition and standard definition transmission formats. The camera, which has the same superb ergonomics as the BVP-950 model, has a built-in optical fibre transmission adaptor. When combined with the HDCU-900 camera control unit, this provides robust, high quality digital signal transmission up to a distance of 10km.

The MVS-8000A is the most compact, flexible and cost effective HD/SD production switcher in the world. Like its predecessor – the Sony MVS-8000 – this latest-generation switcher offers powerful integrated DME capabilities, internal frame store with animation capability, extensive keying possibilities and internal colour correction.

The HDW-M2000P/1 series HDCAM VTRs offers HDCAM recording and playback at 1080/50i, 1080/59.94i, 1080/25P and 1080/29.97P, and can also replay 1080/23.98P and 1080/24P cassettes. An inbuilt HD to SD down-converter provides a standard definition output from HDCAM original recordings helping smooth the transition to the world of high definition.