News
World Series shows HD teleproduction has come of age, says FOX Sports VP
Oct 28, 2005 2:47 PM
It’s not that the 85 mics, 28-plus cameras and three production trucks aren’t noteworthy when it comes to FOX Sports’ production of this year’s MLB World Series. It’s just that they aren’t the real story in the eyes of FOX Sports vice president of field operations Jerry Steinberg.
The big news from Chicago and Houston is that live production of HDTV has come of age. “The technology is now really TV,” Steinberg said from Houston before the White Sox clinched the series Wednesday. “What was a science project has become television.” Nearly all of the HD pieces are in place for the production crew to do their job. As recently as a few months ago “there was a lot of drama and people scratching their heads,” he said, because some production equipment was HD and others were SD.
With the conclusion of the series, Steinberg said, FOX Sports has one World Series, one NASCAR and one football season under its belt where 90 percent of the production was done in HD.
A surprising consequence of mainstreaming HD production is fun. “If you spend your life in the technical end of this business, it’s exciting to bring high definition home to the viewer,” he said.
Steinberg pointed to FOX Sports’ attention to 5.1 digital surround sound production as an example. “What we do from an audio and video standpoint is bringing viewers closer to the play. Now they can hear an outfielder diving for a ball and hear the breath leaving his chest. It’s a lot of fun.”
All of this isn’t to say that a few HD pieces aren’t still missing. Most notably, according to Steinberg, are a three-times super-slow-motion playback device and an HD RF link for portable cameras that doesn’t introduce a delay greater than 2 frames per second. However, Steinberg acknowledged that he and FOX Sports are willing to test any new solutions - even in beta - that come along in those areas to overcome any remaining HD hiccups.
IBM, NFL team to repurpose digital assets
Oct 28, 2005 2:49 PM
IBM and the National Football League have joined forces to speed up the process of republishing footage and statistics for sports TV shows, CNET News reported.
Under the partnership, IBM developed technology designed to allow TV producers and hosts to scan through coaches’ game footage, broadcast programming, video, audio and text using a PC and on-demand technology. The digital material can then be repackaged and viewed simultaneously by a variety of producers and hosts on television shows such as ESPN’s “NFL Insider,” “NFL Total Access” and “Playbook.”
It not only gives producers and hosts quick and easy access to any particular game element, but will help NFL Films capitalize on new business opportunities around digital content, Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, told CNET.
IBM hopes to leverage its partnership with the NFL to work with companies that want to accelerate the process of managing, storing and retrieving disparate pieces of digital media and information, such as a health care provider searching for medical records or a company seeking to assemble a training video, according to Steve Canepa, vice president of IBM’s global media and entertainment group.
The NFL deal is also a good example of how the technology could be applied toward tracking the movement of digital content throughout an organization and to various partners, he added. Audio and video are changing the way that businesses operate. Before the introduction of digital technologies, an NFL host or producer would have to manually search through printed game books or review reels of video tapes before assembling the material and later watching it on tape.
CBS Sports president McManus to lead news division
Oct 28, 2005 2:51 PM
CBS Sports president Sean McManus will take the helm as president of CBS News, holding both the top news and sports spots at the network, according to CBS chairman and Viacom co-president and co-chief operating officer Leslie Moonves. The appointment becomes effective Nov. 7. McManus will succeed Andrew Heyward, who will assist in the transition and leave the network when his contract expires at the end of the year.
McManus has been president of CBS Sports since November 1996. His accomplishments at CBS Sports include securing exclusive, long-term broadcast and Internet rights for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship until 2014 and broadcast rights for CBS Sports with the PGA through 2006.
According to a press statement from CBS, McManus will have offices in New York in both the sports and news divisions. He will spend most of his time at CBS News for the foreseeable future, according to a CBS statement. He has characterized the news business as changing and facing many challenges.
Teleproduction
ESPNU to telecast Miami-Virginia Tech football primarily with SkyCam
Oct 28, 2005 2:53 PM
In what it’s billed as a sports TV first, ESPNU will offer the Miami at Virginia Tech college football game Nov. 5 primarily from the SkyCam angle above the field.
The telecast on ESPNU, the network’s 24-hour offering devoted to college sports, will supplement ESPN’s traditional coverage of the game.
While the live play action will be presented on ESPNU from SkyCam’s overhead angle, the network will switch to ESPN’s game feed periodically for replays, statistics, cut-ins and analysis. Both networks will use the same commentator team.
SkyCam, first used by the network in 2001 to cover an NFL pre-season game, operates on a series of wires above the playing field.
It is able to go from end line to end line, sideline to sideline, and as high as 40 feet. The unmanned, remote-controlled camera can move 30mph to get into position. In general, SkyCam is positioned behind the ball so it doesn’t interfere with play.
New York Giants rely on technology for pre-game fan education
Oct 28, 2005 2:54 PM
 Former New York Giants wide receiver Phil McConkey (left) and radio commentator Bob Papa use Chyron’s CodiStrator to illustrate key plays during the team’s pre-game show. |
The New York Giants are using technology to help illustrate all of the plays, patterns and tendencies of the rival team during the team’s pre-game show produced in Giants Stadium.
This season, the team is telestrating replays of opponents with Chyron’s new CodiStrator. Taking advantage of the several unique CodiStrator features, the operator can select from a variety of features to bring clarity to live-action strategy analysis.
The Sunday morning pre-game shows focus on the team the Giants will be playing in the afternoon. On-air analytical expert and CodiStrator operator Phil McConkey uses the device to sort out the action of the play in a clear, concise manner.
McConkey, a former wide receiver on the Super Bowl XXI champion Giants team, uses the CodiStrator not only to do familiar real-time line drawing, but also non-traditional shadow effects in which a player is highlighted and everything else in the frame is darkened. McConkey can add numbered bullets to a string of wide receivers and pull straight lines with arrows from each bullet to illustrate the action about to take place.
McConkey telestrates on the fly and thus moves guest coaches and players through an analysis more quickly. He switches from lines to numbers, shadows and arrows. It’s not unusual for him to use five different creative tools at once while he’s talking on camera. The graphics enhance his pre-game analysis of the Giants’ opposition and makes the presentation easy for fans to understand.
For more information, visit www.chyron.com.
ERTU prepares for African Football Cup coverage
Oct 28, 2005 2:56 PM
 ERTU’s preparations for covering the African Football Cup include 25 new mixers from Studer. |
Preparations by Maspiro-based Egyptian Radio and TV Union (ERTU) are underway for coverage of the January 2006 African Football Cup tournament in Cairo.
ERTU has ordered a substantial number of digital consoles from Studer, including 23 compact OnAir 500 mixers for mobile broadcasting locations and two OnAir 3000 desks for fixed installation.
With 12 radio and 13 TV channels, ERTU is one of the most advanced broadcasting corporations in the region, providing coverage to most all Arabic-speaking countries. More than 35,000 people work for ERTU, producing and broadcasting programs in 110 audio and 39 TV studios across Egypt.
Nine large-frame Studer D950 digital consoles and seven Studer OnAir1000s are already installed at ERTU facilities.
For more information, visit www.studer.ch.
Fastbreak
The latest happenings from around the world of sports
Oct 28, 2005 2:59 PM
LodgeNet to distribute ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD to hotel guests
ESPN announced last week an agreement with LodgeNet Entertainment, a provider of interactive television and broadband solutions to hotels, allowing the distribution of ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD through LodgeNet's sigNETure HDTV systems.
The agreement authorizes LodgeNet to add ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD to its high-definition guest room entertainment lineup.
For more information, visit www.lodgenet.com.
Harris concludes Leitch acquisition
Harris this week concluded its previously announced acquisition of Leitch Technology following the approval by Leitch shareholders and court approval of the transaction.
For more information, visit www.harris.com and www.leitch.com.
Frost & Sullivan honor Grass Valley for market leadership
For the fifth consecutive year, Frost & Sullivan has honored Grass Valley technology and products from Thomson with its Market Leadership Award.
This year’s 2005 Market Leadership Award was given in the category of “World Broadcast Switcher Markets."
For more information, visit www.grassvalley.com.
Horizon League forsakes TV in favor of Internet distribution
This season the Horizon League will spend the $400,000 used last year to produce telecasts of basketball on Fox Sports to deliver men’s and women’s hoops free via the Internet, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported this week.
The league began experimenting with Internet distribution last season.
ABC Sports, ESPN to telecast record number of men’s college hoops
ABC Sports, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360's 2005-2006 men's college basketball schedule will feature more than 475 games, including 144 games on the 24-hour college sports network ESPNU's first full season of coverage.
This year's lineup will set a record for total coverage by the media outlets. Last year, the networks televised a previous high of 340 games.
Sports Products
Panasonic unveils AG-DVX100B Mini-DV camcorder
Oct 28, 2005 3:02 PM
 The AG-DVX100B offers camera-to-camera time code sync and user-settable file transfer over IEEE 1394. |
Panasonic Broadcast has introduced the AG-DVX100B 24p/30p/60i Mini-DV camcorder with more than two dozen enhancements over its predecessors.
The successor to the AG-DVX100A and AG-DVX100, the camcorder is among the first professional camcorders to be RoHS-compliant, i.e. a product that is virtually free of lead, arsenic and other hazardous substances.
The 4lb handheld camcorder offers camera-to-camera time code sync and user-settable file transfer over IEEE 1394, which allows the camera to be used in simultaneous, multi-camera shoots.
Other innovations include 16:9 letterbox display mode on the large, electronic viewfinder; remote control of focus and iris for easier operation when mounted on a jib or tripod; improved video S/N for better low light recording; and higher resolution LCD (210,000 pixels) and EVF (235,000 pixels) monitors.
For more information, visit www.panasonic.com/broadcast.
Megahertz builds two vans for Sky Sports soccer coverage
Oct 28, 2005 3:03 PM
 The custom-built vans include three full-height equipment racks, script desk and box seat with internal stowage. |
Independent UK-based systems integrator Megahertz Broadcast Systems supplied two HD-capable camera vans to Surrey-based Aerial Camera Systems, a provider of camera and broadcast facilities.
The vans, based on a Ford Transit 330MWB, will be used to provide specialist camera control for Sky Sports soccer coverage.
The vans were custom-built to include three full-height equipment racks, script desk and box seat with internal stowage. Coach building also included an isolation transformer, air conditioning unit and overhead stowage area. Megahertz also designed and installed a custom power distribution system for the video and audio system installation.
Both vehicles can handle four remotely controlled cameras either via triax or fiber. Up to three operators can work the vehicle. All monitoring is HD capable with three Sony 17in widescreen LCD monitors and their graphics engines, which can process and display both 720p and 1080i formats. Each vehicle has two high-resolution 19in LCD monitors, which display assignable sources from two Evertz HD multiviewers. Each vehicle also contains two Leitch X75 multiformat processors. A Hamlet LCD HD waveform monitor is used for quality control.
For more information, visit www.megahertz.co.uk.
Belden introduces Brilliance DigiTruck coaxial cable
Oct 28, 2005 3:05 PM
 The new DigiTruck 179DT weighs 60 percent less and requires up to 40 percent less space than standard mini RG-59/U type coaxes. |
The new Brilliance DigiTruck 179DT lightweight, precision video coaxial cable from Belden CDT Electronics is designed for use in mobile television broadcast trucks where equipment load weight is a prime concern and space is scarce.
This lightweight and compact cable can be used for analog, SDI, HDTV and AES/EBU digital audio transmissions.
Compared with standard mini RG-59/U coaxes, the new cable weighs 60 percent less and requires up to 40 percent less space. Standard mini RG-59/U type coaxes have a nominal OD of 0.159in; the 179DT has a nominal OD of 0.100in.
Despite its lightweight construction and small size, the coax is durable. It features crush-resistant, foamed high-density polyethylene dielectric. The cables also provide superior return loss characteristics.
For more information, visit www.belden.com.
HATV equips OB van with Synergy 2 switcher
Oct 28, 2005 3:07 PM
Huai’an Television Station (HATV) purchased a Synergy 2 SD digital production switcher from Ross Video. The switcher has been installed in HATV's new six-camera OB van.
HATV is located in the north Jiangsu Province of China and is an influential local television station with approximately 1.18 million viewers.
The Synergy 2 can be upgraded to a Synergy 3 or 4 or to a multidefinition system for future production needs.
For more information, visit www.rossvideo.com.
Pro-Bel acquires Vistek Electronics
Oct 28, 2005 3:09 PM
Pro-Bel announced on Oct. 25 that it will acquire Vistek Electronics.
Vistek Electronics is a privately owned company based in the United Kingdom and a global supplier of interface products to the broadcast media industry. According to Pro-Bel, Vistek’s products complement its existing product lineup.
For more information, visit www.pro-bel.com.
Path 1 announces Vx8000 2.0, NET to support broadcast video via IP
Oct 28, 2005 3:10 PM
Path 1 Network Technologies will launch two new products to support its strategy for using the public Internet infrastructure as a reliable network for broadcast video contribution.
Vx8000 2.0 is a multiport, bidirectional IP video gateway that combines standards and proprietary-based forward error correction (FEC) technologies for live broadcast applications. NET is a network evaluation tool that analyzes the condition of IP networks and their ability to transport broadcast-quality video.
With a 60x increase in FEC performance, the video gateway is designed to address the problems of delivering real-time video content over the Internet. It combines support for standards-compliant Pro-MPEG COP #3 and enhances the standard by adding Path 1's proprietary high-performance encapsulation and FEC technology, ClearPath.
It also allows broadcasters to deliver real-time, broadcast-quality MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and VC-1 (MPEG-2 TS) video in both SD and HD formats.
NET is a pre-deployment evaluation and analysis tool that enables network administrators to visualize and determine the condition of IP networks and their ability to transport perfect video, including measuring the right amount of FEC required in a network to eliminate video packet loss and reduce time to deployment.
For more information, visit www.path1.com.
