CBS's "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN" READIES FOR HD FUTURE
WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART SONY PRODUCTION SWITCHERS AND MONITORS
The Ed Sullivan Theater to be Outfitted with Latest in Sony HD Technology
LAS VEGAS (NAB Booth SU6406), April 17, 2005 - CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" is preparing for its transition to HD with technology from Sony that will significantly advance its operations and pave the way for high-definition broadcasts from its iconic studio, The Ed Sullivan Theater.
As part of the transition, CBS will outfit the New York theater with Sony's MVS-8000A production switcher, SRW-5000 HDCAM-SR ™ VTR and LUMA ™ LCD monitors, which will increase broadcast image quality and streamline production, advancing the theater's infrastructure to the latest level in HD technology.
"The Ed Sullivan Theater has a rich television heritage, and by investing in the latest advancements in HD technology from Sony, we're assuring it will continue to be a first-class broadcast facility," said Bob Ross, CBS senior vice president of East Coast operations. "The `Late Show with David Letterman,' itself a TV institution, incorporates many complex and graphics-intensive production elements, and with the addition of the Sony technology, we will be able to produce HD broadcasts seamlessly and effectively."
At the heart of the theater's upgrade is Sony's MVS-8000A production switcher, offering the flexibility and stability needed to handle the intricacies of producing a nightly entertainment broadcast. The switcher includes powerful digital video effects capabilities, large storage capacity for snapshots and the ability to recall settings on-the-fly, especially helpful for a show that includes many recurring segments like the Top 10 list and other popular pre-taped spots.
Like all Sony switchers, the multi-format MVS-8000A is part of a switcher family that helps to provide a smooth transition from standard definition (SD) to HD operations.
Sony's SRW-5000 VTR, a member of the CineAlta ™ family of 24P production solutions, is also ideally suited to the high-capacity demands of TV production. A full-bandwidth high-definition VTR, the SRW-5000 incorporates state-of-the-art recording technology, with no pre-filtering, and the ISO-recognized MPEG-4 Studio Profile compression algorithm. The SRW-5000 is capable of writing 440 Mbps to tape, at 10-bit resolution. It can also record 12 channels of un-compressed audio at 24-bit/48Hz sampling. The SRW-5000 records all 1080-line frame rates from 23.98, to 30 fps progressive, and 50 fps and 59.94 fps interlaced.
Also included is Sony's LUMA line of LCD monitors, which are designed to fit a variety of broadcast and post-production environments. The multi-format capabilities of many models in the family are the ideal solution for operations in transition to HD.
"As all broadcasters, including CBS, continue to advance towards HD, infrastructure and workflow take on even more critical roles," Ross said. "The new Sony technology in place leads us down the right path toward the future."
