Grass Valley

A new ESPN facility in Bristol, Conn., has introduced dramatic new virtual set capabilities for the sports network, taking its production game to the next level. Pictured: Studio X, the SportsCenter set, showing the 45’ by 16’ LED “depth wall” that supports dynamic virtual production elements.

Post-pandemic normalcy returned to Amsterdam as broadcasters and vendors convened, but a palpable sense of economy and efficiency blanketed the International Broadcasting Convention.

Technology executives from Paramount Global, Sinclair, Graham Media, Grass Valley and swXtch.io told a TVNewsCheck webinar last week improvements in cloud playout software are enabling wholesale shifts in networks’ and stations’ architecture. But getting a fix on the cost of launching cloud playout remains frustratingly elusive.

Executives from Paramount, Sinclair, Graham Media, Grass Valley and swXtch.io will discuss advances in linear playout for live sports and news in a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch webinar on July 20. Register here.

Noticeably heavier crowds filled a conference swinging back from the pandemic, while strategic partnerships between vendors signaled a new tack for the industry.

TV stations are still putting most of their dollars into on-prem hardware for master control functions, with their cloud investments aimed at OTT and disaster recovery. Pictured: Imagine recently partnered with Vizrt to integrate its cloud playout software with Vizrt’s live production tools.

It says the new posts for Tim Banks, Marek Kielczewski and Jim Kirkland lines up with its plans for expanded product expansion, AMPP open ecosystem, service and delivery, and alliances.

For Fox’s 10^th Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., this Sunday, the broadcaster will integrate modular “flypacks” built for the FIFA World Cup along with new augmented reality graphics. Above, State Farm Stadium and the Fox pregame set (Christian Petersen/Getty Images).

Sinclair’s Ernie Ensign says while there are numerous long-term upshots to adopting cloud switching, the group is cautiously taking its time with multiple proofs-of-concept for at least another year. Meanwhile, at least one vendor is pursuing a dramatically different approach to cloud switching. Above, Vizrt hosted a day at a beach house to show local producers how easy live production in the cloud can be.

Several years after the pandemic pushed a wide embrace of cloud editing, the technology has made significant strides in speed and automation. Above, Avid’s Edit on Demand is a cloud-based premium editing and post-production solution that can be deployed and scaled on demand.

Fox has created a modular 2110 system that ties into U.S. operations for its upcoming World Cup coverage. Both Fox and Telemundo, which has U.S. Spanish-language rights to the tournament, will see a series of firsts when the Cup launches in Qatar next week.

Cross, who joined Grass Valley earlier this year, made the decision to leave following a restructure of the company due to market conditions, but will continue to serve as an adviser.

The fully remote production launches tonight with a new mobile fleet of 16 that’s producing the games in 1080p with High Dynamic Range with around 250 people onsite for each TNF game. (Courtesy of Prime Video)

IBC’s first in-person event since 2019 may have fewer days and attendees than at its high-water mark, but vendors are packing their schedules with meetings and say they’re excited to be doing business in person again.

Vendors are emphatic that content metadata holds myriad value for broadcasters, increasing video’s findability and searchability, tracking rights and protecting against deepfakes and using AI to make the entire process easier. Above: An example of using machine learning to identify objects in video with correlating time markers. In this way, users can search across video with increasingly sophisticated queries such as “2 Persons + 7 Cars” to show all matches across an entire content library.

NDI may have been built as a means of bringing video workflow to the masses, but broadcasters have embraced it to be a viable alternative to the ST 2110 uncompressed IP standard and as a more cost-effective way to add routing capacity to SDI plants.

Whether offered as a standalone unit or combined with other components of the broadcast workflow, multiviewers are tackling a mix of formats and a higher volume of content to monitor. Above, Studio Berlin uses the Apantac KVM over IP solution for its multiviewers.

Attendance may have been almost halved by the pandemic, but tech vendors felt the more intimate environment allowed them to conduct business on a more productive level. On the show floor, the continued shift of broadcast workflows to the public cloud dominated many discussions, while others focused on NextGen TV’s pressing need to monetize.