
At-Home Production Provides Bevy of Logistical Benefits, but Connectivity Challenges Remain In a discussion at the LiveTV:LA conference, broadcasters and vendors explain how they are meeting them By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Friday, August 11, 2017 - 10:06 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
At-home production, along with the IP technology that makes possible, is no longer emerging. It's here, and it's being deployed by many of the major broadcasters and sports leagues across the country, whether their viewers can tell or not. As the industry moves forward with growing confidence, how are they leveraging these opportunities, and what technological challenges remain?
The topic of at-home production and IP was addressed during a panel discussion at SVG's LiveTV:LA conference. From left: Deluxe's Rick Phelps, Pac-12 Networks' Leon Schweir, NFL Media's Dave Shaw, Aspera's Jonathan Solomon, and The Video Call Center's Larry Thaler
In San Francisco, Pac-12 Networks has been one of the early success stories in at-home production and IP technology. The five-year-old network produces 850 events for live television distribution per year, all featuring some element of IP and more than 400 produced with a full at-home workflow. To make it possible, Pac-12 Networks has established an Internet 2 network that connects nearly 100 venues on 12 campuses across the conference.
In the world that we're in, the network is where you start, said Leon Schweir, SVP, production, Pac-12 Networks, on a panel at LiveTV:LA. The network that we have is robust enough that we don't have to worry about how many cameras we're bringing; we don't really worry about latency, packet loss, or jitter. It's a very stable network.
For an at-home production, Pac-12 Networks will roll up to the venue with no more than a Sprinter van and six or seven cameras. The only people needed onsite are the camera operators and an A2 to test audio. The camera and audio feeds are sent to a control room in Pac-12 Networks' San Francisco facility, where it's cut as if it had gone to an onsite production truck .
In Schweir's view, this offers multiple benefits, including the ability to use top production and operations talent on more events than geography would normally allow. It means not only that the scale of programming is greater, with broadcasts that could never have been done in traditional production models, but that the quality of those shows is greater.
In San Francisco, we have our core group to do all of these events, he pointed out. We think that's an important component of why we're able to get quality into events that we maybe normally wouldn't be able to get such quality [into]. We have our regular skill positions all the time. It's always hard to hire - depending on what cities you are going to - TDs, A1s, replay [operators], graphics [operators]. So, for us, we are getting much better quality and consistency in at-home productions than if we tried to do this in 96 venues over six states.
Even the NFL and NFL Media are heavy users of IP technology and at-home workflows. Although NFL Network no longer produces any live NFL games, the network does provide hours per day of live studio programming, and for major events, such as the Super Bowl, the NFL Draft, or Thursday Night Football, at-home models are critical to the live network-produced shows from those sites.
Mostly, it was [done] to save money originally, but we bring it in for our digital packages; we bring it in for our highlights, said Dave Shaw, VP, production, NFL Media. We bring in a clean feed and a dirty feed. So we package nine muxes in every game from a single fiber.
Although this may sound like an operations manager's nirvana, the technology is still its infancy. From reliable networks to firewalls to finding connectivity in non-traditional venues, at-home production and IP technology still have plenty of hoops to jump through before becoming mainstream.
Perhaps no greater challenge remains then that of the first mile : getting broadcast-quality connectivity from a place that may not be very conducive to it. Numerous tech vendors are developing solutions to this problem, including Deluxe. Known primarily across the entertainment industry as the big creative-services and postproduction house, Deluxe also has an extensive IP network for broadcast distribution and cloud playout.
We use contested internet activity that's available at the venue, so each venue could, potentially, have an issue with that, said Rick Phelps, SVP, broadcast sales, Deluxe. We're experimenting with 4G and 5G technology to overcome any obstacles that you have with the connectivity. Once we get [the content] into our encoded environment and get it onto our broadcast-delivery network, that mitigates all the problems you would have. But that first connectivity at the venue is still the main issue.
For such vendors as Aspera, one of the industry leaders in transmission and high-speed file-transfer software, the solution for the time being is commoditized transport.
Not every event is going to be in a major venue, where you have [a connection to] The Switch or Level 3, noted Jonathan Solomon, senior sales and systems engineer, Aspera. So I think [we enable] it by going to commodity and working over the problems instead of around the problems.
Want to hear more about the current and future state of at-home production and IP technology? Watch the entire conversation from a panel on the topic from our LiveTV:LA conference below:
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...
14/04/2026
LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...
14/04/2026
Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...
14/04/2026
DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...
14/04/2026
Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...
14/04/2026
Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22.
Daktronics will showcase a...
14/04/2026
Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...
14/04/2026
BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...
14/04/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...
14/04/2026
Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...
14/04/2026
EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...
14/04/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026:
TV and Media
Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...
14/04/2026
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...
14/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...
14/04/2026
The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...
14/04/2026
BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show
The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...
14/04/2026
The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...
14/04/2026
Captures a trio of renowned polysynths
The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...
14/04/2026
Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins
United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...
14/04/2026
Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up
Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...
14/04/2026
WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....
14/04/2026
DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...
14/04/2026
GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...
14/04/2026
For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...
14/04/2026
Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision.
He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB 2026
New system removes PTZ pan restrictions for teleprompter-based productions
Shotoku US...
14/04/2026
Integration of Vantage, Pulse, and Telestream UP with Grass Valley AMPP Ecosystem enables scalable, interoperable workflows spanning live production and file-ba...
14/04/2026
Enterprise growth leader to scale Dalet's next phase of innovation and global expansion
New York, NY April 14, 2026 Dalet, a leading technology and ser...
14/04/2026
Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event Directed by Tia Fuller, the Prince Project (April 16-17) brings together more than ...
14/04/2026
Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable The singular artist explores the juxtaposition of grief and joy, dark and light, in her distinctive sound.
April 14, ...
14/04/2026
Appear launches include XM estate management and new X Platform processing enhancements to add density for next-generation hybrid & IP workflows, X5 is also now...
14/04/2026
Addressing the needs of a new generation's viewing habits, Synamedia launches GO Shorts. The AI-powered module turns existing catalogues into TikTok-style ...
14/04/2026
Vubiquity, an Amdocs company and global leader in technology-led media services, will be showcasing a new end-to-end streaming solution in collaboration with El...
14/04/2026
LiveU today announced a significant expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, introducing integrated support for Sony's file-based workflow solu...
14/04/2026
Open Broadcast Systems (https://www.obe.tv/) has announced that BBC World Service has selected its decoders for IP Television distribution. The high-quality, lo...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21
Brie Clayton April 14, 2026
0 Comments
Major update adds new Photo page bringing Hollywood's most a...