Newsletter from 18/05/2011
LIVE in HD and 3D
Royal Wedding to be "London’s biggest OB to date"
The biggest, and most prestigious, part of the day of course will be the wedding itself with coverage being provided by a consortium of UK broadcasters – BBC, ITN and Sky. The BBC will be in charge of the main images from inside the Abbey, where access is at its most complicated. These pictures will also be made available to ITN which in turn will provide content for ITV, Sky News and a plethora of international broadcasters. In terms of the OB provision, NEP Visions is delivering the coverage from inside the Abbey, where more than 20 manned and fixed cameras will be in place. Included amongst that number will be 14 specialist cameras and mounts built by ACS for SIS Live specifically for the requirements of the Royal Wedding, including one that looks down on the Abbey interior from overhead. Once rings have been exchanged and brides kissed, ITN, Sky and the BBC will between them continue coverage of a processional route that takes in a number of notable landmarks including Buckingham Palace.
ESC 2011: And the Winner is NDR and the whole Technical Team
For the host broadcaster ARD there were two large HD OBVans on location: one from Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) and one from Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) respectively. The back-up scenario was implemented with these two vehicles. Both HD OBVans have pullout extensions to accommodate the personnel necessary to handle a production of this size. Sony vision mixers, cameras and VTRs were used together with Stagetec Aurus audio consoles for the event. The Hard disk concept was based on an EVS server system. The entire redundantly designed signal distribution backbone for HD Video, 5.1 Audio and Ethernet was based on Riedel’s MediorNet and/or RockNet. The artists performed their act with wireless microphones and in-ear monitiors from Sennheiser, the ambiance was recorded with wired microphones from Schoeps, while a Vizrt HD system was used to generate the graphics for the show. The 1,250sqm LED screen was supplied and installed by Creative Technology (CT) as well as the twelve 10m x 6m screens supported by twelve Barco FLM HD20 projectors. The PA loudspeaker system consisted of flown line-arrays from d&b Audiotechnik – J-Series systems supported with T10 delay lines and flown J-SUBs, as well as J-INFRA subs on the ground. For the FOH (Front ofHouse) music mix and the FOH final mix Yamaha PM5D-RH consoles were in operation. For the control of the nearly 2,500 moving lights and beams the team used grandMA lighting consoles.
Champions League Match Barca – Real in 3D
MEDIAPRO will set up six 3D camera positions in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The technology developed by MEDIAPRO and Kronomav will broadcast the match which includes calibration, analysis and automatic correction systems of stereoscopic 3D video images in real time. The entire match will be produced in 3D and no automatic 2D to 3D conversion will be used. A 3D ready outside broadcast van will be in place at the stadium to broadcast the signal as well as providing 3D graphics in real time. TV3 will broadcast the game live in 2D as usual and later it is slated to show the game in 3D with Dolby 5.1 sound in the time-slot set aside for stereoscopic broadcasts. MEDIAPRO has extensive international experience in the production of sporting events using 3D technology, including Spanish Division games. TV3, also broadcasts in 3D on its test channel featuring events such as plays, documentaries and sporting events.
NBA 2011 Live in Hi-Fi 3D
The NBA has been a sports pioneer in live 3D, and featured the first-ever live sports event in 3D during NBA All-Star 2007 in Las Vegas. Since 2007, the league has conducted numerous groundbreaking 3D events that have continued to advance the use of 3D technology in sports. PACE, a leader in Digital 3D that has worked with the league on all of their 3D initiatives, will produce the NBA 3D events. Coverage will include the use of eight 3D cameras throughout semi-finals and finals, including three special 3D Shadow cameras. The 3D Shadow cameras will be placed directly on top of the main broadcasts cameras, providing an efficient and non-intrusive way to capture all the action in 3D. Exclusive commentary, tailored for 3D, will be provided for international fans watching the 3D events.
Presteigne Charter to Supply the IBC Facilities Contract for America's Cup Event Authority
For the America’s Cup Finals in 2013, tt will be the first time in almost 20 years that the competition for the oldest sporting trophy in international sport returns to American waters, and the first time San Francisco will host the America’s Cup. Being the world’s oldest trophy in international sport presents its own set of broadcasting challenges, which will need viable technical solutions. Presteigne Charter will work tirelessly in association with the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) to construct the International Broadcast Centre, custom built in eight 40ft containers, which will be fully equipped to provide the rights holders with the exact requirements to transmit a seamless 34th America’s Cup. Presteigne Charter will design, integrate and maintain our systems and operations for the IBC, while providing High Definition Digital Production Control Rooms, two of which will then provide continuous live feeds from each yacht to the Rights-holding broadcasters.
GlobeCast Bats Massive Cricket in Asia
For the IPL Twenty20 Cricket which began on April 8 and continues until May 28, GlobeCast is onsite delivering 450 hours and 74 matches from more than 12 venues in 51 days. GlobeCast is bringing the world feed in HD to Nimbus/Times Internet and a unilateral feed for Sony (multiscreen media) in SD. In March, GlobeCast delivered the ICC Cricket World Cup for ESPN STAR Sports, the host broadcaster and rights holder of the series. GlobeCast deployed crews to more than 13 venues in three countries, moving between India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. GlobeCast covered 49 matches in the series and a cumulative 600 hours over 43 days. ESPN STAR Sports received the live feed from the stadiums via GlobeCast at its studios in India for production and further customization for its networks. For both events, several sets of HD and SD SNG vehicles were deployed at all venues. GlobeCast uplinks the feeds straight from the event sites via the HD/SD SNGs on-site, sending the signals to the Americas, Asia, and the rest of the world via its agnostic hybrid satellite and fiber GlobeCast Backbone Network.
Indian Premier League Broadcast from Cameras to Web with EVS Technology
Since the 2008 launch of the Indian Premier League, every cricket match relies on EVS technology for live coverage. To cover all 74 matches of the 2011 season, an extensive EVS infrastructure been deployed offering world class production to worldwide cricket fans. For each match coverage, the set up consists of eight XT2+ 6-channel production servers under the control of MulticamLSM to record with all cameras, including super motion cameras, for advanced live slow motion replays and on the fly edits. In addition, the IPL TV rights holder for the local Indian market, Sony Entertainment Television, operates two EVS XT series 6-channel servers with IPDirector for IPL studio shows. IPL online and mobile media rights represent over one billion potential Times of India viewers. The challenge for the new rights holder was to provide high quality rapid streaming capabilities while allowing advertisers to insert commercials on live video feeds aiming at target audiences or local markets.
2011 IIHF World Championship is a global television and marketing success
The Official Sponsors of the IIHF World Championship are very much involved in making the event a success, providing many additional activities and enhancements for fans and demonstrating their products and services in an attractive environment. Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports, said: “The IIHF World Championship event has proved itself time and time again as one of the most effective winter sports sponsorship platforms available worldwide – attractive to international brands and local partners in the respective host country. There has been continual growth in television coverage since 1998, with a record cumulative audience of over 734 million in 2010. This underlines the popularity of the annual IIHF World Championship with fans and guarantees worldwide exposure to the sponsors. For this year, we expect the TV figures to remain on a high level and pass again 650 million.”
That ever-expanding object of desire – Bundesliga in 3D
Camera pairs #1 and #2 were Sony HDC-1500’s mounted on side-by-side rigs from Element Technica and positioned high next to the traditional HD camera platforms. Camera pair #3 consisted of two HDC-1500’s mounted on an Element Technica “Quasar” mirror rig while camera pair #4 saw two Sony HDC-P1’s on a Steadicam with an Element Technica “Pulsar” mirror rig. Camera pair #5 was a Polecam with an LMP side-by-side rig and two LMP HD:1200 chip cameras. Camera pair #6 (again two HDC-1500’s) was mounted on Elemet Technica’s “Quasar” mirrorrig. The “behind the goal” pairs #7 and #8 were made up of HD:1200 mini cameras fixed on side-by-side rigs from LMP. To cover the victory ceremony in the best way possible two more camera pairs have been set up: camera pair #9 (two HDC-P1’s on an Element Technica Pulsar mirror rig) and camera pair #10 (two HDC-1500’s on an Element Technica side-by-side rig). The left and the right eye camera signals from all the Element Technica rigs were fed into Sony’s fiber optic video transceiver HDFA-200 and send together with the camera, lens and rig control data via one optical fiber cable to Sony’s MPE-200 production processors in the convergence area, located in one of TopVision’s tender truck. All theHDC-1500/P1 cameras were equipped with Canon zoom lenses.
RaceTech HD OB Trucks Receive Rapturous Applause
The leading provider of horseracing pictures for both domestic and international broadcast, RaceTech was commissioned by Racing UK to build and operate a fleet of three bespoke OB vehicles capable of capturing race coverage, programme coverage, feeds to the stewards and commentators and on-course closed-circuit television production. These new MHz-built production vehicles are replacing three of the company’s existing fleet of six OB units. “Our dedicated technical teams worked diligently with RaceTech to provide the most appropriate designs and install the best technical solutions to match the challenging operational requirements needed for live event production,” said Frances Jarvis, managing director of Megahertz. “Our ability to provide the staged delivery of three new HD production trucks on time that matched the customer’s exact needs is testament to the commitment we have to our customers’ business and meeting their operational requirements at key sporting fixtures.”
Pacific Broadcast Captures the ‘Big Surf’ with Grass Valley Cameras
“Having a camera head with a choice of triax or fiber transmission is a fantastic feature. It’s reassuring to deploy the world’s best camera technology in harsh coastal conditions and be confident in the reliability of triax transmission, said Matt Percy, Managing Director for Pacific Broadcast. “The LDK 8000’s dockable capability also allows us to create a lightweight RF camera system that can be used without crippling the camera operator. The rugged 2RU basestation is built to withstand the rigors of international transport and we’re confident that our long-term investment will be protected by quality equipment design.” Pacific Broadcast also purchased two Grass Valley HD Triax Extenders to take advantage of extended cabling of up to 2.4 km (1.5 miles). Percy also added, “The outstanding new 7” LCD color viewfinder with sunhood is also very impressive working effortlessly under bright sunny or dull weather conditions”. “We see lots of applications for our LDK cameras and Kayak HD switchers, and this is yet another example where our HD Triax technology gives Pacific Broadcast the widest choice of technologies to meet their complex demands in the field of Outside Broadcast”, said Jeff Rosica, Executive Vice President at Grass Valley. The LDK 8000 camera’s ability to capture images in multiple HD and SD formats means Pacific Broadcast can choose different resolutions in 50 and 60 Hertz. It allows them to be creative with their global coverage of a sport that’s become very popular the world over.”
DTM 2011: Expansion and innovation in European TV coverage
For many years now, the DTM has been broadcast live throughout the season in almost every country. This year, the coverage incorporates new, even more attractive European broadcast slots, underlining the huge cross-border interest in the series. WIGE Int’l TV-Marketing GmbH, the series’ TV rights management and distribution partner, has successfully acquired leading live broadcasters in Italy (Sky Italia), Spain (TV3 Catalunya), the Netherlands (RTL7) and Scandinavia (Viasat Motor), adding another qualitative boost to the DTM’s European TV presence. WIGE TV-Marketing Managing Director Thorsten Schroeder commented: “For more than ten years, we have worked together with ITR in a partnership based on mutual trust. The DTM forms the core of our motor sport portfolio, so we identify 100 per cent with it. This mindset is fully reflected in our marketing efforts, which means we always strive for optimal media value, way beyond simple distribution and commercial exploitation of the series. The DTM is a premium product, and awareness of that is the top priority in our communications with TV partners.“ Overall, live coverage has been significantly extended, partly due to new slots in Asia, with an increase in the number of countries from 104 to more than 115. In Japan, the series will be broadcast live this year by J-Sports.
Arqiva Provides Global Distribution of ATP Tennis in High Definition
Arqiva provides the satellite capacity and teleport services to bring the live feeds from the tournaments, which take place in venues all around the world, and turn them around onto a range of satellites for global distribution to Europe, Asia and the Americas. For the biggest tournaments Arqiva will be simultaneously handling 25 feeds and using over 150MHz of satellite capacity. The first tournament was the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, part of the ATP World Tour 500, from Rotterdam on 7 February. The Masters series began in Indian Wells, USA on 10 March. Malcolm Campbell, Commercial Director at Arqiva Broadcast & Media, said: “The ATP World Tour has a huge following and Arqiva is proud to play a central role in ensuring that fans all around the world can enjoy the matches as they happen. Broadcasters like ATP Media demand robust teleport infrastructure and access to extensive global satellite coverage to simplify the successful distribution of these high-profile events from multiple locations.”
CBS Sports and Cameron-Pace Group win Sports Emmy Award
With live 3D sports production continuing to rise, CAMERON - PACE Group saw the opportunityto revolutionize the 2D and 3D live sports production capture process with thedesign of an integrated 2D/3D camera rig, known as Shadow D and the developmentof the Shadow Vision system technology. The Shadow D rig stacks a 3D cameranext to a longer 2D camera lens and allows one camera operator to control anddrive both cameras with one set of controls, capturing 2D and 3D imagessimultaneously. This allows 2D camera operators to capture 3D without learningnew production techniques, reduces 3D production costs and solves the conflictof 2D and 3D camera placement around a sports venue. "It's great that our technology is beingrecognized," said James Cameron, Co-Chairman of CAMERON - PACE Group."The Shadow D allows the use of shared camera positions and operators.It's all about creating a business model that works, that makes 3D cost effectivefor broadcasters."
Scorpions: Live on Tape in 3D
The whole event in Saarbrucken and the recording in 3D was carried out by Music-Delight GmbH under the direction of Gerd F. Schultze. ”The 3D recording of the Scorpions live on stage was a real technical challenge. Never before a live performance was recorded with ten 3D cameras – not the NFL Super Bowl nor last year’s Champions League final,” Schultze commented and he continued, “we know that 3D is in the early stage of its rise and we have learnt a lot. However the potential of the format is exceptionally, because it brings the reality of an event even to spectators in front of a 3D TV set.” Among others Schultze has worked with international stars such as Michael Jackson, Bryan Adams, Joe Cocker, Carlos Santana and recently has directed and produced the actual #1 Blu-ray for Peter Maffay. TopVision has provided 10 3D camera pairs including a Steadicam, a Polecam, a SupertecnoCrane, a Panther Dolly and a PMT CruiseCam. In addition one 3D ENG camera was shooting spectators and relevant material for the bonus track of the Blu-ray. The technical setup of the 3D cameras was supervised by Achim Jendges and Eduard Palasan from TopVision, while the 5.1 surround sound recording was carried out by Sweetspot Music (Ulf Ronneberger) and Record Lab (Markus Maschke). The convergence engineers were overlooked by the the stereographer Stephan Stahl who also will the post-production.
TV3 – the First 3D Broadcaster in Spain
For Televisió de Catalunya TV3 produced and recorded the Tarragona human towers contest in 3D. The 3D signal could be seen live on a screen outside the square where the contest was taking place. The event was also broadcasted in 3D on TV3 – in total it was a 4 hour live broadcast in 3D. TV3 recorded and post-produced the first “lipdub3D” program in the village of Porrera with the music band “Obrint Pas”. Also some events of the Patum of Berga festival were recorded in 3D. TV3 has also produced the musical Geronimo Stilton in 3D. It was screened at the Dogville 3D Film Festival, the first international 3D short film festival, which took place in Viladecans. Currently TV3 is post-producing the materials for the marketing of the film in 3D and 2D. Geronimo Stilton will be presented in cinemas and on television. In 2011, TV3 has co-produced the UEFA Champions League semifinal matches between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in 3D. The matches were broadcasted live across the world and shown at some cinemas in Barcelona. The matches will be reissued shortly in 3D on TV3HD.
Christie Behind the Largest Screen in Spain’s TV News Programmes
The most visible and striking element of this new studio set is a giant 11m x 2.5m rear projection display made up of thirty-three 50” Christie Entero LED tiles with SXGA+ resolution, built on proven DLP technology with LED illumination. This is the biggest display of any news programme in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. The videowall was installed jointly by Christie and Videoreport, a company belonging to the audiovisual group Vértice 360, and a Christie partner in Spain. In early 2010 the Content & Production Division of Antena 3 considered the possibility of revamping the image of its news bulletin. To do so, they wanted to use the latest innovations in technology: “The idea was to create a different news bulletin, opening a window on the world through a giant display with superb quality image as the centrepiece of the new set, that would also be used as a backdrop for the news bulletin,” recalls Jesús Lozano Corchón, Director of Image and Production at Antena 3.
3D OBVan Directory now on Sale
20 3D OBVans are described in detail in our 3D OBVan Directory 2011:
Alfacam OB43-3D – AMP CAR8 – Cinevideogroup OB14 and OB15 – Game Creek Video Dynasty – Global Television HD1 – HD Broadcast HD1 – Lyon Video Unit-11 – NEP SS31-3D and SS32-3D – NHK-MT 3DHD OBVan – Outside Broadcast Unit 14 – PACE Fusion 3D – Pulsar Freedom – SIS LIVE OB3 – Telegenic T16, T18 and T19 – TopVision Ü5 3D – TV Skyline HD Ü5
You also will find the following reports:
· OB Trucks for 2D and 3D Production
· The Power of Partnership
· 3D Rigs – An Overview
· 3D Broadcasters – An Overview
· CAN Communicate
· 3ality Digital Provides Cool Viewing
· 2D Graphics for the Hockey Night in Canada
· Ryder Cup 2010 – Live and in 3D
· Broadcast Milestones – Audio for 3D
· 3D Cinemas – Two Examples
· 3D Productions – Sports, Concerts, Shows