Transcript
SEP08 VOL 1 NO 2 RECAP OF THE INDUSTRY NEWS AND TECH REPORTS FROM WWW.SPORTSVIDEO.ORG 1AUG08–31AUG08
specialFocus — NFL
CBS Sports Is Set To Go All-HD for NFL At CBS Sports, this season’s NFL football coverage will mark the last in the transition to end-toend HD. According to Ken Aagaard, EVP of Engineering, Operations and Production Services (also the chairman of Sports Video Group), the network may already be able to deliver all HD, all the time, if the cards fall right. Regardless, this is the opportunity to work out the remaining kinks to make sure that everything is in place to make that happen in the 2009 season. “Next season, we have a contractual obligation [with the NFL] to do all-HD,” he says. “This year, we’re right on track and very close to achieving that.” So, what remains on CBS Sports’ to-do list? For the most part, the major technical hurdles are past, says Aagaard. The big picture in the jigsaw puzzle is clear, with just a few missing pieces still to find their place. “All of our trucks and game sites will be HD. Everything will be produced in 16x9, 1080i HD,” Aagaard says. “Our issue right now is that we may not be able to distribute completely in HD. There are occasions where there will be issues. For example, in a double-header, a late game may start in 4x3 until we can free up distribution equipment from the earlier game to get the HD signal out. It’s [also] very possible we will have no problems all year.” The build-out in the months ahead, which includes getting a full complement of coordination rooms up and running, will ensure that these problematic scenarios will not surface in the future. “We still have two coordination rooms that have to come on-line,” he says. “We can work around this using the eight in place, along with some additional HD facilities at CBS.” So, what does this mean for viewers? “Our videotape-highlight area is still not fully redone, so, on any given Sunday, our highlights at halftime won’t be in HD. That is the last piece that we’ll have in place next summer.” The next engineering issue is to resolve will be 5.1 surround sound. “This was the biggest problem at the Olympics, and an engineering challenge that will continue to evolve,” says Aagaard. “This is something that everyone -– including manufacturers -- will need to get involved with in a coordinated effort.” — Carl Lindemann
ESPN Rethinks Lower-Third Graphics for ‘Monday Night Football’ It may not be readily apparent as you watch Monday Night Football this season, but ESPN is bringing a new approach and style to its lower-third graphics during the game. “We’re giving the screen back to the viewer,” says Michael “Spike” Szykowny, senior director, Graphics Development and Post Production Group, for ESPN Creative Services. “Many networks have a bottom line; they have their clock and score and their miniboard. And above that, they put their insert graphics. So you’re starting to stack graphics one on top of each other. continued on page
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sportsVIDEOPRODUCTS A bevy of new product introductions are slated for IBC2008, including…Avid’s new DS version 10, its latest offering of professional editing, compositing, keying, image-retouching, and paint and graphics capabilities in one application. DS 10 runs on a high-performance platform and includes full color-managed workflows, advanced color-correction capabilities, Interplay support, improved conform options, GPU real-time processing, additional dual-link–feature support, integration with Avid shared-storage solutions, and a new stereoscopic 3D container…Orad’s Morpho 3D character generator (CG), a 2-U rack-mountable SD/ HD CG with true 3D-graphic capabilities. In the Morpho 3D, powerful real-time 3D graphics rendering, smart graphic-design tools, and flexible playout capabilities are all packed together, enabling a fast and easy workflow. The Morpho 3D system supports both HD and SD formats, is equipped with a built-in linear keyer, and is able to play back video clips from all commonly used file formats…RF Central’s RFX-PRX-II portable handheld COFDM monitor/receiver, which can be used in a wide range of applications including ENG confidence monitoring and security surveillance. This lightweight palm-sized receiver (available in 2 GHz and 5.8 GHz) is packaged in a compact housing that spans just 16 x 12 x 3.8 centimeters. RF Central is also unveiling its new RMR-X6-II six-way COFDM diversity receiver…FOR-A’s HVS-300HS HD/SD switcher, which with its space-saving 1RU main unit design, makes it ideal for use in flypacks or remote production applications, among a wide variety of live/production applications. The HVScontinued on page
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upcomingEVENTS At-a-Glance
Please visit www.sportsvideo.org for more information and to register!
SVG-U Takes Students on Tour with HBO Sports
IBC Sport Technology Reception Sept. 13, Amsterdam
On July 26, 20 students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) joined Jason Cohen, HBO Sports director of east coast production and a member of the SVG-U advisory board, for an intimate look at a sports broadcast compound and NEP production truck. “For a group of students who are now focused on IT and engineering, who had never once thought that their abilities would play a role in TV, they walked away with an eyeopening experience,” Cohen says. “I think that the students had the ability to see different aspects of television production that they never knew even existed.” The graduate students descended on the compound before HBO’s pay-per-view production of the July 26 Miguel Coto vs. Antonio Margarito fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Cohen explained all the facets of the NEP mobile production truck, detailing the basic workflow and demonstrating the graphics devices, tape and engineering, introducing EVS operators, and explaining how the truck is routed and patched. “The TV trucks now are basically computer networks dedicated to file sharing and file transferring; it’s no longer just hardware and cables,” Cohen explains. “The traditional engineering and IT student who had never once thought about our business was going through the truck with a fresh outlook of something they could do with their degree.” The students also went inside the arena to see the ringside layout, lighting and camera positions and were able to connect the truck operations to the in-arena production. “This is a program that needs to continue,” adds Christine Wallace, communications and special events coordinator for the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering at UNLV, who also attended the tour. “The Professors also thought it was a beneficial tool in illustrating how students will be able to apply their degree.” —Carolyn Braff
Join SVG sponsors and European members to honor Beijing Olympic Broadcasting for its coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
SVG Audio Summit Oct. 22, New York City Learn about the latest audio gear, the hottest trends, and much more!
Venue Technology Summit Oct. 27-28, Kansas City, MO A new conference focused on building broadcast-friendly stadiums and arenas.
D-Sports Digital Sports Conference Nov. 12, New York City Join us for a day focused on sports content creation and delivery via the Internet and beyond.
League Technology Summit and SPORTS BROADCASTNG HALL OF FAME Ceremony Dec. 16, 2008, New York City For sports TV production professionals the Summit is the must-do event of the year while the HOF celebrates its second inductee class.
SEP08 VOL 1 NO 2 Paul Gallo Co-executive Director Marty Porter Co-executive Director Rob Payne Sponsor Development Ken Kerschbaumer Editorial Director Janice Brown RePLAY Managing Editor Carolyn Braff SVGU Managing Editor Andrew Lippe Associate Editor Dan Daley Audio Editor Kevin Hilton SVG Europe Editor Riva Danzig Art Director For contact information, visit www.sportsvideo.org re:Play is published monthly by the Sports Video Group, 260 Fifth Avenue, Ste. 600, New York, NY 10001 • 212-481-8140
[email protected] © 2008 Sports Video Group Printed in the U.S.A
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Prototype White Space Devices Fail FCC Test The FCC test of prototype “White Space” devices in a real-world NFL environment, which took place prior to and during an August 9th NFL pre-season game between the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills, proved conclusively that the devices would not accurately sense wireless microphone transmissions and, if deployed, would cause havoc within the NFL, venue operations, and related broadcast operations. The FCC tested prototype devices submitted by Philips Electronics North America Corp. and the Singapore-based Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), and the tests took place in four locations: on the field prior to the game, in a tailgate area, in the 400 level/upper deck and in the press box. During the test, the OET would first take a baseline reading of spectrum and then ESPN would fire up wireless microphones to see if the devices could sense the microphones. According to reports in TR Daily, in four of the six scan tests, both with the mics off and with them on, the Philips device found all channels occupied— even those that were unoccupied. The I2R device had more trouble detecting activity on the wireless mic channels. The device also regularly detected digital TV signals, even though it was designed to scan all channels except DTV channels, and it often missed analog TV signals. “These tests reveal fundamental deficiencies of sensing devices,” says Mark Brunner, Shure senior director, public and industry relations, “issues that cannot be pushed off with a promise to resolve these problems at some later time during certification testing.” —Ken Kerschbaumer
svgSPONSORUPDATE Sports Video Group is pleased to announce that Studer has renewed their premier sponsorship, and to welcome Polar Mobile and Eutelsat America as new corporate sponsors. SVG would also like to welcome back Shure, who’s renewed its corporate sponsorship, and to announce that SES Americom has renewed as a premier sponsor.
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specialFocus — NFL continued from page 1 “We came up with our Monday Night Football Dashboard,’ he explains. “It’s an area at the bottom of the screen that will not only house the miniboard and the clock and score and all the essential information to do a game, but that information area will also supply all your lower-third stats. So there’s a line at the bottom of the screen that is our ‘line in the sand.’You will never see any lower-third graphic go above that line.” Szykowny and his team have been testing the concept during this summer’s pre-season games and will unveil the dashboard on the first MNF game, Sept. 8. “These graphics have to have a lot of locks programmed into them to be able to go from one graphic to the other,” he explains. To do that, ESPN’s Graphics Development and Technology Group is using Vizrt’s Client Slide Library (CLS). “We are building content through Trio and playing out through our custom frontend application,” explains Stefanie Gjorven, senior director of graphics technology and development for ESPN.“This allows us to maintain parts of our current workflow, and associate producers can still build content on their laptops prior to arriving at the event.” Using the Vizrt CLS, “we are able to combine Vizrt’s products with our own custom applications,” she adds. “We are using a custom application to control the graphics and automate content for either the clock and score or the information graphics.” The design was initiated internally at ESPN, then modified by the Santa Monica, CA-based graphics house The Syndicate. —John Rice
CBS Gets More ‘Virtual’ With Football Graphics CBS coverage of NFL and college football games this season will involve greater use of virtual graphics across the spectrum of all the games. “We’re still working with Sportvision for our A-crew games with Phil Simms and Jim Nantz,” explains Julianna Barbieri, manager for CBS Sports Graphics. “We do ‘virtual Jumbotrons’ for teases and reset to start the second half,” she adds. “This year, we’re also going to do some virtual-quarterback stuff on the field, showing, graphically, the comparisons.” Last season, CBS used virtual down-and-distance graphics for its top game. “This will ideally be on every game this year,” not just the network’s primary, A-crew games, says Barbieri. “We’re also testing a couple of ways to display Red Zone information virtually.” Other graphic additions will include single-player and kicker stats. For HD viewers, CBS is continuing its “ticker,” with additional information placed on the sides of the screen. “We give them a little bit of an added bonus: [HD viewers] are able to see down-and-distance on the left side of the screen; on the right side, there’s a little football field to show where the team that has position actually is on the field. Bigger changes are in the works for college-football graphics on both CBS broadcast network and CBS College Sports cable channel. “We’re switching from what we call the Eye Box for our score bug [graphics boxed in the lower third of the screen] to an Eye Bar, which is what we do in college basketball,” says Barbieri. “It will be very interactive. You’ll see stats coming out of it -- player stats, team stats, and what we call stat packs: two or three stats in a row that you know is the most pertinent statistical information at that point in time. For NFL games, CBS uses two Vizrt machines, each running Trio for insert graphics. The score-bug programs are custom applications created by the Los Angeles-based Reality Check studio and running on top of Trio. —John Rice
Panasonic, Final Cut Push Fantasy for NFL.com Four new commercials currently airing feature NFL players performing rather miraculous feats to encourage fans to “pick me” for their fantasy football leagues. Each spot in “The NFL.com Fantasy Files,” produced by New York-based Blue Room, is a single shot, handheld, captured using the Panasonic AG-HVX200 HD camcorder. “Last year, when the camera came out, we gave it a try on one of the shoots,” says Blue Room president and CEO Chris Gargani, who served as executive producer on the project. “We were blown away by the quality.” This year, all four of the Blue Room spots used the Panasonic camera. The spots were cut using Final Cut Pro and After Effects. Cleanup work was done with
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sportsVIDEOPRODUCTS
continued from page 1 300HS supports 1080/60i, 59.94i, 50i, 24PsF, 23.98PsF, 720/60p, 59.94p, 50p, 525/60 (NTSC), 625/50 (PAL). It also contains an internal, 10-bit processor for broadcastquality 4:2:2:4…Nucomm’s Newscaster DR 2 diversity receiver, the updated model of the Newscaster DR, which offers new features including a split box and the ability to receive UHF digital signals in the 150 to 850MHz band. Since the DR2 can receive lower frequency UHF digital signals, the unit works with external block down converters (BDC) that can receive a wide range of frequencies from 1.99 GHz to 7.1GHz, depending on customer requirements…Newly updated encoding and streaming systems from Digital Rapids such as the new 3GPP/Mobile configuration, an addition to the StreamZ Live family of streaming encoders, and the new Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager live encoder management software, with new features including control of thirdparty video routers for enhanced failover and scheduling flexibility, and mosaicstyle multi-channel video confidence monitoring. Also being unveiled at IBC is a new version of the StreamEnterprise software for StreamZ and StreamZHD, version 2.0 of the CarbonHD Digital Disk Recorder and an upgraded version of the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager distributed media transcoding software, featuring expanded format support and a comprehensive Web Services interface for custom integration…Snell & Wilcox’s compact new Kahuna 1 M/E HD SD/HD multiformat production switcher, which offers all of the performance of the Kahuna production switcher in a cost-effective, entry-level solution. Snell & Wilcox has also introduced the Mach HD, a compact HD/SD motion-compensated standards converter equipped with up/down/cross conversion and powerful synchronization capabilities…Panasonic Broadcast’s new AG-HPX170 solid-state P2 HD handheld camcorder, which includes a 16GB P2 card along with The HVX and HPX Book by Barry Green. Building on the AG-HVX200’s success, the HPX170 features HD and SD recording, the “widest zoom lens in its class,” and an HD-SDI interface for connection to baseband production and distribution infrastructure, all in a lightweight 4.2-pound body…iTX version continued on page
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sportsVIDEOPRODUCTS continued from page
1.2 from OmniBus Systems, a software solution that makes the conventional broadcast automation, master control and playout chain obsolete. iTX version 1.2 has 1080p24 playout capability and includes a range of new features and functions that significantly extend the power of the system for broadcast, Web streaming, mobile TV and business continuity applications…Clear-Com’s new IPenabled V-Series user control panels for its Eclipse Digital Matrix Intercom System, which will allow users to connect their Eclipse V-Series user control panels to the Eclipse Matrix frame over their existing WAN or LAN Ethernet cabling infrastructure. Harnessing the power of IP technology, this new application significantly expands the range and mobility of the Eclipse system, both in-house and remotely…Also, QuStream Corporation recently introduced its latest IntegrityCS series of high-quality video and audio signal processing, conversion and distribution solutions and Cheetah V5-DVI-I transmission link. Handling multiple signal formats and image and signal manipulation requirements, IntegrityCS provides application-specific processing in standalone, 1RU solutions for virtually every signal processing need.
techtrends LightWave 9.5 Aims To Make 3D Graphics More Realistic NewTek’s LightWave v9.5 3D software will make graphics on stadium scoreboards and in live Webcasts more realistic than ever. It features an all-new hair and fur solution, a new lighting system, and improvements to animation, rendering and workflow. “One of our goals with LightWave is to allow you to be more of a creator and less of a technician,” says Philip Nelson, Newtek senior VP, strategic development. LightWave, which debuted in 1990, is 3D software that can be run on almost any laptop. It comprises two modules, Modeler and Layout. “Modeler is where is you create your elements, and Layout is where you bring them to life,” Nelson adds. The new FiberFX provides artists with a full suite of tools to model and style each fiber, creating realistic hair, fur, and feathers. A lot of stadiums are beginning to animate
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Mocha, and the final versions were delivered in both SD and HD versions. This marks the third year that Blue Room has created spots to drive traffic to the NFL.com fantasy site. “The concept began as an on-the-practice-field situation [in past campaigns],” explains Gargani. “It evolved this year to taking it out into the streets. The response has been tremendous.” In the current spots, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Chris Chambers, Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, New England Patriots running back Laurence Maroney, and Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby each demonstrate a “skill” as a reason to be selected for your fantasy team. Cooley catches a pass by punching through dry-wall in a house under construction. Maroney jumps through the open windows of a car. Chambers catches three passes in rapid succession, behind his back. And Crosby rings the bell of the Green Bay Courthouse, three times -- at 2:59 pm. Blue Room’s Brian Aumueller served as creative director. “We really captured the athletes doing extraordinary things,” he says. “We try to work with players who have the right stats -- who people would want to have on their fantasy teams -- players with largerthan-life personalities that would come through. We really let them be themselves.” —John Rice
Monday Night Footbal Preseason Provides Perfect Test for ESPN’s High-Speed Cams ESPN’s Monday Night Football crew used its preseason broadcasts to try out the newest playmakers on the MNF roster, starting with two new high-speed cameras that will make this season’s coverage sparkle — in up to 600 frames per second. The August 18th New York Giants vs. Cleveland Browns broadcast unveiled the Panasonic NAC high-speed cameras, chosen for their ability to eliminate blur and provide more detail on playback than the network’s current high-speed cams can produce. “We knew we would cover the game in the first half and, at halftime, talk about what we learned and what we want to try, because we don’t have the cameras available for next week in San Diego,” explains Chip Dean, director of Monday Night Football. “The next time we see them will be for the opener, and we want to get them ready to go.” The NAC cameras can capture anywhere from 300 to 600 frames per second. Fletcher Chicago, the rental company that provides ESPN with the gear, helped the crew calibrate the cameras and set them up on a new dual platform, which places two camera operators side by side — one shoots the game at the normal 60 frames per second, while the other shoots at 300. The second high-speed camera is placed at field level to provide a closer look inside the game. “By being raised, you can shoot the whole field and eliminate any dead spots,” Dean explains. “The low camera will give us a more intimate look.” The Giants’ 37-34 victory did not provide every scenario Dean would have liked to see — there were no replay challenges in the game, for example — but plenty of opportunities cropped up to showcase the high-speed technology. “We got really lucky and stumbled into some great things, with a catch at the back of the end zone and a great strip,” Dean says. “We’ll use these cameras for facial expressions and the unique mechanics of the game. With our refocus on a big-game approach, a Super Bowl approach to every game, these tools will allow us to better analyze the game.” —Carolyn Braff
NFL’S Buffalo Bills Invest In Panasonic P2 HD Equipment for Game-Day Features, Web Video To enrich the viewing experience of on-site and online Buffalo Bills fans, the NFL franchise recently purchased Panasonic P2 HD production equipment to shoot game-day features that will be shown on the team’s 82’ by 35’ in-stadium HD video display. The same programming will be carried on the team’s closed-circuit cable network that airs in the facility’s suites and club areas.
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Bills Television Network (BTN) purchased a Panasonic P2 HD production package that includes the AG-HPX500 2/3” shoulder-mount P2 HD camcorder, the AJ-HPM110 P2 Mobile Recorder/Player, AG-HPG10 P2 Gear Recorder and the AJ-PCD20 five-slot P2 drive. According to BTN Video Production Director/Engineer Stephen Asposto, the team committed to HD acquisition for the 2008-2009 season to maximize the capabilities of the HD scoreboard it had installed last year. BTN will also utilize the tapeless HPX500 HD camcorder to shoot widescreen content for the team’s website, www.buffalobills.com. Ultimately, BTN will produce HD programming for its in-season television shows. “The HPX500 package, with its variety of recording and off-loading options, is tailor-made for our production environment, with edit suites in three different buildings on our campus,” Asposto says. “The ease of the P2 workflow was a major reason for our decision.” “Standardizing on DVCPRO HD is a win-win for us, as we can purchase weekly footage from NFL Films in that format,” Asposto adds. “Moreover, BTN produces all the team’s pre-season broadcasts in-house, and it’s a simple matter to rent trucks with DVCPRO HD support.” Asposto said that the HPX500 would also be used to shoot half-time features during the pre-season. The P2 HD material will be edited on Avid Media Composers, and then transferred via FTP to a central Ross Video SMS server, which will feed the HD display and in-stadium television service.
industrynews
MLB Starts Instant-Replay Review of Home Runs Major League Baseball has implemented instant-replay in order to resolve disputed homerun calls -- deciding whether a home-run ball is fair or foul, whether it has left the playing field, or whether it has been subject to fan interference. The decision to use instant replay will be made by the umpire crew chief at each game. In each of the 30 MLB ballparks, a replay box has been installed and features a Sharp TV monitor along with a secure telephone link to Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLB. com) headquarters in New York, where approximately 18 sets of eyes will be looking at replay incidents. Determining that instant-replay review is appropriate, the crew chief will call the MLB. com technician, who will transmit the most appropriate video footage to the crew chief and the umpire crew on-site. “The goal is to have an instant-replay decision in about 2 1/2 minutes,” says Pat Courtney, VP of public relations for MLB. “We haven’t put any parameters on it, but we want to make sure the correct call is made.” —Andrew Lippe
Orad To Help CBS Track Players at U.S. Open Viewers of CBS’ coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament enjoyed a unique perspective on the action through Orad’s MVP (Motion Video Play) system. The system’s Flow Motion feature tracks a player through play of a point. “There’s basically a freeze of where the player is on the court after they hit each ball,” says Julianna Barbieri, manager for CBS Sports Graphics. “It gives the viewer at home the option to see how the player progressed through the point. How is their footwork? Are they running too much or too little? “Flow Motion, in a nutshell, is basically object tracking with stop action,” she adds. And unlike with other systems, the turnaround time is fast. “We don’t have to wait very long. It can be [accomplished] within a couple of minutes. We can turn it around and have it on screen for the viewers to see.” —John Rice
U.S. Open Sends HD Worldwide This year’s U.S. Open made significant HD advances, as CBS provided the dozen international broadcasters on-site with an HD world feed. “A lot of Europe is now watching the coverage in high-definition via Eurosport, and then they have a lot of sub-licensees,” says Steve Gorsuch, director of broadcast operations at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open. “In the second week, WOWOW, the Japanese broadcaster, will broadcast the semifinals and finals in HD.”
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techtrendS continued their mascots in 3D. NewTek works frequently with Daktronics and its Keyframe division, which does the animations for the stadiums. LightWave software helps create scoreboard noise elements and animated intros. Florida State University, for example, uses LightWave for broadcast and instadium elements. Available now priced at $895, LightWave v9.5 offers improved rendering quality and speed to the radiosity sampling system and interpolated modes. It has new disk-based caches for radiosity. LightWave also has enhanced inverse kinematics (IK). “It allows your 3D character to operate like a puppet in the virtual world,” says Nelson. “It allows you to have handles like a puppet.” — Andrew Lippe
FSU Uses Stereoscopic 3D Video for Football 3D video technology has become a reality on college campuses. Last season, Florida State University invited high school seniors to don a pair of 3D glasses and watch FSU football highlights in 3D in the newly designed theater in its athletic center. Florida State University Seminole Productions produced stereoscopic 3D using a dual-projector system and a 3D process developed by 3dh Communications. This season, the school will continue to create 3D highlights for recruits and will also provide the technology to coaches, with practices taped in 3D for the first time. “We are trying to figure out what the best angles are and what works best in 3D for that kind of application,” says director of Seminole Productions Mark Rodin. “We are probably the only college in the country doing 3D video.” FSU creates stereoscopic 3D video using low-end cameras -- in this case, Canon XL H1 HD cameras in a setup costing about $25,000. The screen in the theatre was painted on the wall by a company called Goo Systems, using Screen Goo Ultra Silver 3D coating. The football projection room has stadium seating for roughly 200. 3dh VP of research and development Brian Lanehart says that creating 3D involves managing 1,000 different little details, including choosing the right lenses and determining the lighting and camera
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techTRENDS continued positions. 3dh has worked with colleges to create graphics for educational use, but this is its first foray into 3D video. “We were working with Florida State to put the tools into a real sports broadcaster’s hands so we could see what tools we needed to build,” says Lanehart, adding, “Mark was very easy to teach and was open and willing to let go of 2D.” — Andrew Lippe
Alliance Digital Gives UFC Winning Post Punch
Ultimate Fighting Championship events have become a must see spectacle for those interested in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Zuffa, the promotion company that represents the UFC will once again turn to Alliance Digital to provide five Avid Adrenalines for UFC 88 in September. The Avid Adrenalines are essential to the UFC’s adoption of a tapeless workflow. “We are moving forward with the Avid EVS tapeless workflow. It gives us the flexibility to change a lot of things that we would not have been able to do in the past,” says Curtis Edge, the director of post production for the UFC. The UFC uses 13 cameras from Sony and Ikegami to the capture the intense action at its events. “We use handheld cameras around the Octagon and we use fixed cameras on the outside of the Octagon,” says Edge. The UFC mobile providers include Game Creek Video and NEP. “We are such a new sport that, come football season we are hard pressed to get the better trucks,” says Edge. “However we have a great relationship with Game Creek and we use their trucks when we can.” Edge’s team pre-produces everything for the show that is not live including packages for fighters on the card and little vignettes before each fight. The UFC repurposes content to DVD, the web and also to cable VOD. “We don’t lay footage to tape and carry it over to truck any more. We push it between the Avid and EVS,” says Edge. “On our last show we had changes made to the very opening of the show
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industrynews continued The HD signals from Ashe and Armstrong stadiums were sent to a single international distribution center where each international broadcaster selected feeds to utilize. CBS reconfigured its international control room with HD-compatible broadcast equipment from Bexel. All together, the production used 40 cameras, about half of them HD, including four robotic cameras. In addition, 14 EVS devices, two Avid rooms with LAN unity, three Vizrt graphics systems, four HD Pinnacle 3000s, two HD Kayak switchers, and two Yamaha digital audio consoles operate behind the scenes. Nearly a dozen shotgun microphones line the main courts for CBS’ 5.1 surround-sound coverage. — Carolyn Braff
ESPN X Games Get Lift From NEP, B'cast Fusion Dallas-based Broadcast Fusion and NEP Supershooters played key roles in ESPN X Games coverage from Los Angeles, July 31 - Aug 3, helping the network deliver 20 hours of live HD coverage across three networks. Event coverage was seamless thanks to 25 EVS XT2 video servers, supported by three NEP Supershooters mobile production units, which captured all the action using Avid’s DNxHD codec. The crew was able to quickly share recorded files with the on-location post-production facility, bringing footage of six new events to the broadcast world with unparalleled efficiency. NEP’s SS11HD, SS20HD and SS25HD units were on hand to produce all four days of competition in 720p HD. Two Avid Symphony Nitris systems and six Avid Adrenaline edit workstations were on hand to enable direct editing of file-transferred footage at faster-than-realtime speeds from the EVS servers. Completed sequences were then transferred back to the EVS network for immediate airplay. — Carolyn Braff
Universal Sports Follows NBC’s Lead in Multiplatform Paralympics Coverage The 2008 Paralympic Games will be held Sept. 6-17 in Beijing, in the same venues that hosted the Olympics a month earlier, and spectators in the U.S. will be able to follow along as Universal Sports provides the first-ever multiplatform broadcast of the event. As with the Olympic broadcast, Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB) will provide the international broadcast feed from the 20 sports competitions, to which Universal Sports will add its own graphics and commentators, stationed in the U.S. Universal Sports will air at least 21 hours of delayed coverage on its Universal Sports TV network, beginning Oct. 8, and NBC will air a special presentation of the events on Oct. 18. During the Games, daily live and delayed highlight shows will be available on UniversalSports.com, along with live look-ins at some of the events, including swimming, track and field and basketball, as they unfold on Universal Sports TV. — Carolyn Braff
Instant Replay Comes to Little League With support from Dome Productions’ Horizon HD and Trillium HD mobile units, ABC/ESPN provided instant replay for all 32 games of this year’s Little League World Series, giving both broadcasters and baseball officials a viable testing ground for the technology. All 10 days of competition -- which kicked off on August 15 -- were broadcast in HD on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPN360.com. This year’s telecast relied on nearly 20 cameras, 13 to cover on-field action and additional units for the host set and broadcast booth. Trillium HD was assigned to one of the two fields of competition while Horizon HD covered the other with more than 150 staff members on site. The integration of instant replay follows the model of replays on ESPN’s NBA coverage. Off-field umpires and Little League officials had access to monitors below the stadium. If they saw a questionable call during the game, the umpires contacted the Red Hat, a Little League official stationed next to the field, who then contacted the umpire and the production truck, and ESPN piped all available camera angles to the officials’ monitors. — Carolyn Braff
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Beijing Games An HD, Online Technical Success
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While Michael Phelps was smashing records in the pool and NBC Olympics was smashing Olympic viewership records, the technical team behind the scenes was smashing records of its own in terms of sheer tonnage of material being pushed through massive EVS, Omneon and Isilon storage systems between Beijing and New York City. Coordinating the vast amount of traffic between Beijing and New York involved some unique workflows. For example, instead of having one-to-one redundancy for the 16 HD production circuits between Beijing and New York, EVS servers were recording feeds. In the event something needed to be retransmitted, those recorded feeds were available for quick turnaround. Along with the live HD feeds being pumped to New York and then out to viewers, there was also a wealth of low-resolution proxy video, from which editors in New York selected the highlight clips. ProCast technology from Omneon Video Networks was then used to transfer the high-resolution clips from Omneon Media Grids in Beijing to an Omneon Media Grid in New York City. Once there, an Avid editing system was used for final clip assembly before Anystream pumped out the clip in dozens of formats for delivery via online, mobile devices, or VOD. The crew was able to quickly share recorded files with the on-location postproduction facility, bringing footage of six new events to the broadcast world with unparalleled efficiency. —Ken Kerschbaumer
which I was able to get back to the truck five minutes before we went to air. If that had to be run over like in the past the graphic would have never been able to get to air.”
Olympics Shine With Silverlight Standing firmly behind NBC’s pledge to deliver more than 2,200 hours of streaming content from the Beijing Olympics was Microsoft’s web-based media player through which sports fans consumed that content. Anticipating up to 600,000 live streams for peak-interest events during the Games, Microsoft enlisted the help of additional bandwidth from Limelight, a CDN based in Phoenix, Arizona, to help cushion some of the expected demand. The first live implementation of Silverlight’s Olympic portal began with the Olympic Trials earlier this summer, but the true test of strength occurred as the Opening Ceremonies began. There were no additional bells or whistles planned to accompany the opening stream, just a commitment to deliver every minute of everything that takes place during the Games. — Carolyn Braff
Sports Market Embraces SSL Gravity Solid State Logic’s Gravity media asset management system is having some pull on major media organizations, as Fox, CBS and ABC in the U.S. have embraced the system for their joint Network News Service (NNS) facility in New York City. “Gravity is an editing system,” describes Jerry Berger, SSL vice president, sales for Media Production Systems. “It’s an asset management system. It’s an automation system. And while it’s not a video server it controls servers. And while it’s not an automation system it has machine control.” Gravity is designed on an open standards-based Windows architecture that, thanks to scalable and user configurable GUI’s, allows it to be dropped into an existing plant and bring greater performance out of existing storage, editing, and other systems. User workstations, encoders, storage, transcoders, decoders and servers may grow from one to literally hundreds in single incremental units.
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NASCAR Chase Gets More-Intense Sound Viewers of this season’s NASCAR Chase for the Cup will get a somewhat bigger earful, thanks to more-intensive microphone placement throughout the activity spectrum. For example, a pit crewmember is wired for sound with a Sennheiser noise-canceling RF microphone inside the helmet, which picks up both the person’s running description of the task at hand, such as gassing the vehicle or changing a tire, and ambient pit sound. The signal is sent to a 48-input Calrec Zeta mixer manned by Jeff Bratta, who records the audio to
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NBC Universal Finds Appeal in New Approach to Audience Measurement NBC Olympics’ new approach to audience measurement, the Total Audience Member Index or TAMi, measured the exposure of the 3,600 hours of Beijing Games content NBC Universal presented across TV, online, mobile and video-ondemand platforms. “We needed to figure out a way in which we could evaluate ourselves not just for the Olympics but for all the cross platform content that we will be putting out going forward,” says Alan Wurtzel, President of Research, NBC Universal. According TAMi, on Sunday, over 100 million watched the Olympics on TV. Early TAMi online video consumption showed a jump from 4.2 million on Opening Ceremony Friday to 7.8 million on Monday. Wurtzel notes that while 50% of users went online to see video of events they missed, 40% wanted to revisit some of the major events again. Wurtzel also said that half of the mobile video users were using it for the first time. “After the Olympics, we will see if some of these behaviors people learned during the Olympics become adopted and become part of their media behavior,” adds Wurtzel. But the point of TAMI is to show an event’s total impact. For example, the dramatic win for the U.S. in the men’s swimming relay on Tuesday was viewed on TV by 81 million. On NBCOlympics. com, it was streamed by another 1.7 million, and 1.5 million video streams were shared with others. Wurtzel adds, “It is just fascinating to see how people are beginning to use this in a community and viral way.” — Andrew Lippe
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techTRENDS continued YouTube Delivers Olympics For Those Not Served By Local Broadcasters YouTube got some major Olympics play, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had its own online digital channel offering Beijing highlights to 77 territories around the world, excluding America. “The Beijing Games mark the first time that digital media coverage will be freely available across the world,” says Chris Dale, YouTube manager of public affairs and corporate communications. The content on the IOC site will remain for the duration of the games and be available up to 30 days after the closing ceremony. The IOC Channel, available in territories where digital rights have not been sold to a broadcaster, is a boon for Olympic fans in Africa, Asia, India and the Middle East. “What is great is we got to countries like Afghanistan and Iraq,” says Dale. Geographic blocking identifies users by their IP address and blocks them from viewing the channel. YouTube, of course, is also known as a place where user-generated and sometimes copyrighted material is shared. “The IOC like any other copyright holder out there can use the YouTube video ID and is using our video ID technology to manage and protect their content on the site,” says Dale. Olympic Broadcasting Services produced the content for the IOC channel. YouTube also created a channel for news outlets as major news outlets including the Associated Press, Getty Images, The New York Times and Reuters have dedicated channels. “Video is uploaded to YouTube from news partners, travel partners and even a group of citizen journalists shooting their experiences,” says Steve Grove, head of news and politics for YouTube. “You get a 360-degree view of what is happening in Beijing.” —Andrew Lippe
Adobe Flash Delivers Olympics for CCTV.com Using Adobe Flash, CCTV.com streamed 5,000 hours of Beijing Olympics video content to mainland China and Macau, 3,800 hours of broadcast content from the IOC and BOB, and 1,200 hours of CCTV.com original content.
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audionews continued a pair of Tascam X-48 multitrack recorders (also used for other RF incoming audio from pits, cockpits, and helmet cams) and edits them for content for broadcast later within the race. “Overall, there’s more emphasis on what’s coming in from the RF mics this season,” says Denis Ryan, senior mixer for ESPN’s NASCAR broadcasts. “It really gives the fans a new level of insight into the teams.” In addition, track announcers are using the Sennheiser HSP4 headset microphone and in-ear monitors, a concept introduced midseason last year. Ryan says the move has improved the consistency of the audio during standups but is not immune to the never-ending tug of war between audio and picture. “The headset microphones need more attention to positioning,”he explains.“It’s inevitable that it’s often a compromise between the best location for the sound and for the camera.” Field audio rides on Calrec’s Hydra fiber-optic networking system back to the broadcast compound, where Ryan and his crew mix primary audio through a 76-fader/152-input Alpha desk with Bluefin processing and the effects mix through a 76-fader/152-input Calrec Sigma console, also with Bluefin. —Dan Daley
New Audio Products From Dolby, Sony & Neutrik Dolby, Sony, and Neutrik have announced products to meet a wide range of broadcast audio needs. Dolby Labs’ Media Meter, slated to ship in mid September at an MSRP of $795, will bring program-loudness measurement to a software environment. Intended to measure perceived loudness differentials as broadcast viewers experience them, the Media Meter uses Dialogue Intelligence technology adapted from Dolby’s DP600 Program Optimizer, which automatically detects and then measures loudness only during the presence of speech in an audio track. It can be used as a Mac/Widows standalone application, as a Digidesign Pro Tools AudioSuite or RTAS plug-in and as a plug-in for Minnetonka AudioTools AWE. It supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby E, and PCM audio formats. New from Sony is a digital wireless microphone system, the DWT-B01 bodypack transmitter and DWR-S01D slot-in-type two-channel receiver, which takes audio to HD, with 24-bit/48-kHz sampling. The receiver and transmitter are available in two channel ranges: 30–32 or 42–50. A proprietary Sony codec delivers dynamic range of more than 106 dB, frequency response of 20 Hz to 22 kHz, and system latency of 3.6 ms. Other features include simultaneous multichannel operation with intermodulation-free, equally spaced channel allocation (up to 12 channels of simultaneous operation is possible on a 6-MHz-bandwidth TV channel in the U.S.), and preprogrammed frequency groups. A dual-channel portable receiver (DWR-S01D) is priced at $3,245; a body-pack transmitter (DWT-B01), at $2,575. And, Neutrik’s new ConvertCon is a unisex three-pin XLR male/female cable connector in a single housing. Sliding the housing back and forth transforms ConvertCon from male to female and enables a single connector to mate with either a male or female three-pin XLR. —Dan Daley
NASCAR Chase Gets More-Intense Sound Viewers of this season’s NASCAR Chase for the Cup will get a somewhat bigger earful, thanks to more-intensive microphone placement throughout the activity spectrum. For example, a pit crewmember is wired for sound with a Sennheiser noise-canceling RF microphone inside the helmet, which picks up both the person’s running description of the task at hand, such as gassing the vehicle or changing a tire, and ambient pit sound. The signal is sent to a 48-input Calrec Zeta mixer manned by Jeff Bratta, who records the audio to a pair of Tascam X-48 multitrack recorders (also used for other RF incoming audio from pits, cockpits, and helmet cams) and edits them for content for broadcast later within the race. “Overall, there’s more emphasis on what’s coming in from the RF mics this season,” says Denis Ryan, senior mixer for ESPN’s NASCAR broadcasts. “It really gives the fans a new level of insight into the teams.” In addition, track announcers are using the Sennheiser HSP4 headset microphone and
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in-ear monitors, a concept introduced midseason last year. Ryan says the move has improved the consistency of the audio during standups but is not immune to the never-ending tug of war between audio and picture. “The headset microphones need more attention to positioning,”he explains.“It’s inevitable that it’s often a compromise between the best location for the sound and for the camera.” Field audio rides on Calrec’s Hydra fiber-optic networking system back to the broadcast compound, where Ryan and his crew mix primary audio through a 76-fader/152-input Alpha desk with Bluefin processing and the effects mix through a 76-fader/152-input Calrec Sigma console, also with Bluefin. —Dan Daley
collegenews
SEC/CBS Deal Bundles Rights for a Digital Future CBS and the Southeastern Conference have extended their broadcast contract by 15 years, an unprecedented length for a collegiate deal, but more impressive than the length of the contract is its breadth. Beginning with the 2009-10 season, CBS Sports will continue to be the exclusive network broadcaster of SEC home football and regular-season basketball games, but the contract announced last week also covers digital, Internet, wireless, videoon-demand, data, and highlight rights across all CBS platforms, including the CBS College Sports Network. Since 2001, when CBS took a gamble on its national college-football package, centering it on a single conference, the network benefited as the SEC climbed to the top of the national scene. “We’ve seen our ratings really explode outside the region,” says Mike Aresco, executive VP of programming for CBS Sports. “We’re finding that people are so interested in the BCS standings that, when Florida or Georgia or LSU is No. 1, [viewers in other parts of the country] are watching these games.” To better serve those fans, this new deal covers all digital rights, with plans to build on the streaming experiments done in earlier seasons by CBS College Sports. “The future is crosspromotion,” Aresco explains, “putting it on various platforms.” CBS may begin utilizing one of those platforms immediately by exercising its streaming rights a year early, putting games on CBSSports.com in a March Madness On Demand-style offering. With the CBS College Sports Network still finding its footing in the cable landscape, portions of the new SEC deal were negotiated with direct benefits to the College network in mind. “With this deal, we have the ability to help brand CBS College with the SEC, which will help grow a fledgling network,” notes Aresco. Cross-promotion will certainly be in the cards for CBS College, both on the pre-game Tailgate and studio shows. CBS’ pre-game shows, as well as the games themselves, may be simulcast on CBS College, which will be able to re-air SEC games during the week. —Carolyn Braff
ESPNU Goes HD, With Help From Lyon Video, Sure Shot and Token Creek ESPNU is graduating to HD, but the network can’t do it alone. Spreading the wealth among three major mobile-production providers—Lyon Video, Sure Shot and Token Creek—ESPNU HD has found the production firepower to produce more than 200 live HD events in its first year, including all of its Thursday and Saturday college-football games. “We’ve structured it so we’re going to do a little less than half of our total amount of events in HD, as we phase it in over the next year or two,” explains Dan Margulis, director of programming and acquisitions for ESPNU. “We’ll get to the point where it’s significantly more than that, but that’s a pretty big chunk to begin with.” ESPNU’s HD football schedule kicked off at Miami (Ohio) on August 28, and its site surveys ensure that every campus that needs to handle an HD telecast are ready long before kickoff. “Lyon Video, Token Creek and Sure Shot will cover the majority of our shows for the first six to eight months,” says Steve Cozort, senior director of remote operations for ESPN
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techtrendS continued “At CCTV.com, we have focused our vision on using dynamic Internet and video technologies, and we believe that Adobe Flash technology provides a compelling online video experience in the Web 2.0 era,” says Steven Shan, Director of Technical Management at CCTV.com. “As a result of this partnership, we believe that our online users will experience the best possible Olympic viewing experience on the Web.” CCTV built its Olympics website using Adobe Flex builder technology. Video streams from IOC and BOB are encoded by the CCTV.com production team and streamed to CCTV.com’s own Adobe Flash media server. ChinaCache and 21Vianet deliver the VOD content for CCTV.com. The advantage of Adobe Flash is backwards compatibility. “You don’t have to have the latest PC with the latest operating system to have a great experience with Flash,” says Jim Guerard, vice president and general manager of Dynamic Media for Adobe. “Adobe Flash gives great playback and great performance at slower bandwidth connections and plays on older machines and older operating systems.” Adobe Flash players run seamlessly and smoothly on Windows, on Macs and Linux PC’s. —Andrew Lippe
Viz Link Brings Still Graphics to Life
Bridging graphics and video workflows, Vizrt’s Viz Link enables an operator to embed video into graphics for quickturnaround on-air images, creating a real-time editing system that syncs with an existing video archive. Viz Link “skips the traditional editing route where one person has to go to an editing room and merge graphics manually before play out,” says Vizrt Chief Technology Officer, Petter Ole Jakobsen. “This will be much richer, too, because the video is embedded into the graphics in one package.” Jakobsen says Vizrt clients have so much available content stored away in video and graphics systems, but that bringing it together quickly during the editing process can be tedious. “The Viz Link takes care of that,” he says, “because suddenly the repertoire of video material in the large asset management system is now accessible to any graphics template.” —Carolyn Braff
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collegenews continued
Comcast SportsNet (CSN) Bay Area hired Chris Olivere as news director for the regional sports network featuring the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Golden State Warriors, San Jose Sharks, San Jose SaberCats and San Jose Earthquakes. Olivere will play a key role in establishing Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s locallyproduced daily newscasts and sportstalk programming with an emphasis on Northern California sports, scheduled to launch in the spring of 2009…Comcast also promoted Devon Fox to director of production/live events. In her new role, Fox’s responsibilities include tracking the finances of approximately 400 live event telecasts per year, supervising the technical operations of the network’s Athletics and Sharks coverage, and coordinating the integration of the network’s new pregame, postgame and studio programming with game production crews…Mike Franklin has been named Euphonix executive vice president of worldwide sales. In this new role, Franklin will be responsible for identifying and targeting new market segments in which to introduce Euphonix’ expanding line of products…Clear-Com has named Bob Romero its new Global Customer Operations Director. Romero will lead and manage the company’s worldwide service and support teams, including the application engineering, technical support and service and repair teams, based in the U.S. and UK…ProBel has promoted two of its senior executives to global leadership positions: Patrick Morel has been named SVP of Worldwide Sales, responsible for managing all sales activity in EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and Karl Mehring has become Head of Solutions Group Worldwide, responsible for managing the delivery of a wide range of services including consultancy, system architecting, implementation, training and support. Morel set up Pro-Bel’s French office in 1998, and since 2003 has been the company’s EMEA Sales Director. Mehring is another Pro-Bel veteran, originally joining the
Regional Television. “We will also reach out to other vendors that have mobile unit trucks in the industry to cover some of the shows that those three vendors might not be able to get to.” Having a new branch of the ESPN family evolve to HD is a boon for ESPN’s other networks, as a new-technology testing ground has effectively been born in ESPNU HD. “In its short tenure, ESPNU has prided itself on trying different things that you wouldn’t see on a traditional broadcast,” explains Chuck Scatterday, coordinating producer of college football for ESPNU. “We might put cameras in a different location or shoot a couple of series strictly from the end zone.” Margulis adds, “We want to learn about the technology here first so that, when it’s ready to be developed on one of the other platforms, we’ve already gone through the lumps.” —Carolyn Braff
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SVGeuropeROUNDUP
Broadcasts of French Football Matches Are Specifically Adapted to Mobile Screens Football season is under way across Europe, and France is leading the way in exploiting new technology with live Ligue 1 matches to Orange mobile phones. This is a first not only for the French La Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) but also on a world level: the images are specifically adapted mobile device screens, an innovation by Host Broadcast Services (HBS). HBS won the contract to provide host broadcast facilities and production services for the French premier league in April of this year, expanding its activities from the international football stage and the World Cup main feed. It will cover Ligue 1 until 2012, when the deal comes up for renewal. HBS is handling 324 matches each season, with the remaining 38 produced by Canal+, which, with Orange, is a domestic rightsholder. Eight of the nine games covered by HBS on each match day are being shown live on mobile and new-media platforms. Because they are going directly to supporters’ mobiles, these are known as Fan games and are part of the Mobile International Signal (MIS, or, from the French, SIM for Signal International Mobile); games also going to television broadcast are classified as Premium matches. The main TV coverage uses 18 cameras, but the eight Fan games are shot with 11, one of which is solely for the MIS.ֹ The MIS camera is located next to the main Premium-feed wide-angle camera and delivers a tighter overall shot that takes into account the demands of mobile-phone screen sizes, so that pictures do not have to be resized. This dedicated MIS angle is automatically mixed into the program feed and replaces the Premium wide camera signal. Graphics have also been designed specifically for the Fan transmissions. HBS will produce approximately 4,104 hours over four Ligue 1 seasons and has created a data bank for rightsholders, who will have access to 30 minutes of unused pictures per game. —Kevin Hilton
Europe Shines in Televising the Games The Beijing Olympics proved to be a major showcase for European broadcasters, facilities companies and satellite link providers involved in either producing pictures of the action or getting them back to viewers in the West. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) holds the rights to broadcast the Games for the EBU Territory, which comprises mainland Europe and some territories in North Africa and the Middle East, on TV, radio, the Web and mobile services. Online at www.eurovisionsports.tv/olympics and the official Beijing 2008 Web site,
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Eurovision covered all sports and venues during the Olympics by pulling together more than 30 simulcast streams from EBU broadcasters, plus 12 Eurovision live feeds. The Eurovision network offered more than 2,000 hours of HD and SD programming to 61 European countries, plus other territories. There were mobile-TV services from more than 20 broadcasters, and 30 TV organizations provided coverage on their Web sites. To cope with the demand for HD connections, the EBU used NTT Electronics HE5100 MPEG-2 contribution encoders to ensure good quality on live pictures. Globecast, a subsidiary of France Telecom, worked with both rights-holding and non– rights-holding broadcasters and reportedly handled the majority of transmissions leaving the International Broadcast Center (IBC). Direct-to-home satellite platform SES ASTRA beamed 42 HD channels across Europe and provided space for many of the broadcasters covering the event in the format, including BBC HD (UK), CANAL+ HD (France), ANIXE HD (Germany), and many more. The Euro Media group sent over a number of outside broadcast trucks from its SFP subsidiary, which supplied its RF expertise for coverage of the cycling and other events. Among the vehicles in Beijing were SFP 732, SFP 740 and VCF 21 — all three housing 10 LDK 8000 triax cameras, a two-M/E XtenDD HD switcher and a Concerto Series HD router—and SFP 741 and Road 3 (both with 10 LDK 8000 cameras and a Kayak HD fourM/E switcher). Eurosport billed itself as “Europe’s official Olympics Games broadcaster," and provided round-the-clock coverage, with 400 hours of transmissions, including 15 hours live each day between three o’clock in the morning and six in the evening, with its HD channel also carrying a high proportion of the action. —Kevin Hilton
Alfacam OB Fleet Sparkles at Beijing Olympics Alfacam’s fleet of 19 HD trucks covered the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies as well as plenty of sporting event action for Beijing Olympic Broadcasting. During the Olympic games, Alfacam CEO Gabriel Fehervari commented, “Things have been going well, to absolute perfection. Things are much better and easier than they were in Athens [for the 2004 Olympics.]” The Olympics conclude a busy period of construction that began more than two years ago with assembly work on 12 new HD production trailers. For the previous 18 months, the company had a team of 20 engineers building out those units with massive amounts of Thomson Grass Valley equipment as well as JVC monitors, Lawo audio consoles, EVS replay devices and Canon lenses Thomson Kayak production switchers and 200 Thomson cameras, including 24 new LDK-8300 super-slo mo systems and 128 LDK-800 cameras, played a key role in covering not only the track and field events but also gymnastics, swimming, diving, badminton, archery, football, hockey, fencing, handball, wrestling and boxing. “The 8300 cameras were absolutely perfect,” says Fehervari. “And the 566 JVC monitors, for example, have a built-in power supply which prevents having power supplies hanging around the truck.” Seventy EVS XT HD instant replay servers were also built into the trucks.“Both our team and BOB worked together and there was a great amount of knowledge transfer,” says Fehervari. The biggest change since the Athens games was moving to a single 16:9 HD workflow, a move that has made things easier with respect to video signals. The major difficulty this year compared to Athens was dealing with surround sound issues, but 17 Lawo consoles helped get the job done. After the Closing ceremonies, the trucks began their return voyage to Europe, where they will have an impact on the HD transition in Europe by giving content producers and networks more HD options. “We do around 2,400 HD productions a year of which 800 are football and another 800 are other sports,” explains Fehervari. “We’ve been waiting seven years for this moment, when the industry transitions to HD in Europe, as we were an active promoter in the early days.” —Ken Kerschbaumer
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peopleINSPORTSVIDEO company as a project technician in 1991… EAW has announced two new personnel changes to the EAW Europe Sales and Application Support Group (ASG): Kevin McNally will be joining EAW Europe as the UK Sales Manager, responsible for all sales activities in the UK territory for both live and installed applications. Kevin comes to EAW from an active career in installed sound design, including a stint at Metropolis AV and FX in Surrey. Previous UK Sales Manager, Moray McMillin, will be taking over European ASG duties. McMillin has been looking after UK Sales for the past two years and now moves his talents to the support of the entire EMEA region from the technical application standpoint… Miranda Technologies has announced that it is strengthening its technical support provision with the appointment of Richard Savoie as Vice-President, Worldwide Technical Support. Savoie will be responsible for the development and management of the international field support and training teams to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction. Miranda has technical support teams based in Canada, across the US, UK, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo…Twenty-four year microwave industry veteran Stephen W. Shpock has taken on the role of president and managing director of the Vitec Group RF Systems (VGRFS), where he will oversee the worldwide operations of VGRFS companies Microwave Services Corporation (MSC), Nucomm and RF Central. Prior to his current role, Shpock was CEO of Thales Components Corporation, where he was responsible for all North American component activities for the multinational Thales Group…And, QuStream has appointed Jerry M. Haasch as the company’s western area sales manager. Operating out of the Sacramento, CA area, Haasch will be responsible for sales, marketing, dealer and customer support in California, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Western Canada.
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the Advisory Board CHAIRMAN Ken Aagaard, CBS Sports, EVP Operations and Production Services
When it comes to technology, sports television leads the way We’re proud to represent those professionals who enrich the fan’s experience, break new barriers and establish new standards for all forms of live television, mobile and broadband entertainment. SVG’s advocacy, communication, education and market development activities are made possible by the following sponsors: platinum sponsors
PREMIER SPONSORS alliance digital • Calrec Audio • Dolby • Euphonix • Glowpoint • Ikegami • Inertia • Linear Acoustic • NewTek • Omneon • RC Gear • SES AMERICOM • Show Partners • soundcraft/Studer • Wohler Technologies CORPORATE SPONSORS Abekas • Akamai Technologies • Ascent Media • Aspera • Audio-Technica • B&H Photo Video • Chyron • Clear-Com • Clyne Media • Dale Pro Audio • Dixon Sports Computing • EVS Broadcast Equipment • EUTELSAT AMERICA • Fischer Connectors • Fletcher Chicago • Genesis Networks • Gerling & Associates • HTN • IBM • Inlet Technologies • Joseph Electronics/JFS • JVC • Miranda • Motorola • MRC Broadcast • MultiDyne • National City Media Finance • Nesbit Systems Inc. • NeuLion • Neutrik USA • New Pro Video Systems • Nvision • Orad • Pixel Power Inc. • Polar Media • Quantel • RayV • Riedel • Samma Systems • Screen Subtitling • Sennheiser • SGI • Shure • Snell & Wilcox • Solid State Logic • SOS Global • Tandberg TV • Technicolor • Tekserve • Telecast Fiber • VER • Vinten (Camera Dynamics) • VISTA Satellite • Vividas • WiseDV, Inc. • Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems
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Members Adam Acone, NHL, VP Broadcasting and Programming Glenn Adamo, NFL VP, Media Operations and Broadcasting Peter Angell, Infront Sports and Media, Production & Programming Division Director Chuck Blazer, FIFA Marketing and TV, Director David Catzel, Industry Consultant Joe Cohen, HTN, Chairman and CEO Don Colantonio, ESPN, Senior Director, Original Entertainment-Media Packaging Preston Davis, ABC, President, Broadcast Operations and Engineering Jim DeFillipis, Fox Technology Group, SVP, Television Engineering Ed Delaney, YES, Network VP, Operations Russell Gabay, Major League Baseball International, VP and Executive Producer Jerry Gepner, L5 Media Services, President Steve Gorsuch, USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center, Director of Broadcast Operations Steve Hellmuth, NBA, EVP Operations and Technology Ardell Hill, Media General, SVP Broadcast Operations Robert D. Jordan, New York Jets, VP Design & Construction John Kvatek, University of Central Florida Athletics Association, Director of Video Services John Leland, IMG Media, Senior Director, Video Operations Michael Meehan, NBC Sports, VP André Mendes, Special Olympics Global Information Officer Ken Norris, UCLA, Director of Video Operations Chuck Pagano, ESPN, CTO Del Parks, Sinclair Broadcast Group, VP of Engineering and Operations Patty Power, CBS College Sports Network, SVP of Operations Paul Puccio, Industry Consultant Russell Quy, IMG Media, VP and Executive Producer Scott Rinehart, NASCAR Media Group, Director of Internal Operations Mike Rokosa, NBA, VP of Engineering Bob Ross, CBS, SVP East Coast Operations Rich Routman, Collegiate Images, Director of Sales and Business Development Tom Sahara, Turner Sports, Senior Director, IT and Remote Operations Chuck Scoggins, PGA Tour Productions, VP Operations Bruce Shapiro, Speed, Coordinating Technical Producer Jack Simmons, Fox Sports, SVP Production Don Sperling, New York Giants Entertainment, VP, Executive Producer Jerry Steinberg, Fox Sports, SVP Field Operations Ernie Watts, Turner Studios, Senior Director, Technical Ops, Live Events Richard Wolf, ABC, Senior Vice President, Telecommunications & Network Origination Services Dave Zur, Altitude Sports & Entertainment, VP Operations
