CBS, Turner Sports Put 4K to the Final Four Test
03/05/2013
We started hearing of 4K sets' becoming available, so, at one of the meetings, the idea was to see if there is something we can do with our partners to highlight 4K, says Tom Sahara, senior director, IT and remote operations, Turner Sports.
He describes the production process as back to basics because it quickly became apparent that not all of the production tools were available for end-to-end production.
When we started looking at the technologies that were available, we started to see that there isn't much, explains Sahara. The cameras are pretty far along, but everything else was on the bleeding edge, as much of the product was still to be introduced at NAB. We had to navigate that uncertainty as, aside from the standard 3G routing switchers, there was no way to do switching. We basically decided to record the camera feeds.
And even getting those recorded signals into the four 84-in. Ultra HD sets was difficult. The HDMI 2.0 standard, which will allow 4K signals to be delivered via an HDMI input on the sets, is not yet complete. To get the signals to the sets, the signals were delivered from the compound to 3G media converters, which converted them to an HDMI signal that could then be passed through display cards to the Ultra HD sets.
The production itself centered on two Canon 4K cameras, with one located in a typical high camera position coupled with a large lens and a second, portable camera used for B-roll material.
We wanted to show 4K pictures that people could relate to, not beauty shots or scenic shots, says Sahara. So we shot B-roll of banners and the exteriors of the Dome.
The two cameras were paired with AJA Ki Pro Quad and Gemini 4:4:4 digital recorders and Apple Final Cut Pro editing systems, which were set up at one end of a production trailer, obviating the need for an additional mobile unit.
We captured footage off of the cameras in both of those, recording Apple Pro Res in the AJA so we could test editing workflows, says Sahara. And we recorded raw images in Gemini so we could look at the quality and test a cinema workflow using the DPX, or Digital Picture Exchange, file format.
Recording began on the Friday of Final Four weekend during the All-Star game. That material was turned around for display during the semifinals on Saturday night, and footage from those games was turned around for Monday night's final.
We were dealing with RAW recording, and every frame is 33 MB, so it took time to copy the content from the drives [into the NLE] and then render it out, says Sahara. But we were able to get the content off the camera, transferred, converted, and edited overnight.
One aspect of the Ultra HD experience that was not undertaken was recording at 120 frames per second (fps). Prerelease hardware locked to 30 fps meant that 60-fps recording could be done only in the Gemini recorder. Even the LG sets are still in prerelease mode and do not yet support 60-fps viewing.
We were very aware of the frame-rate issues shooting at 30 fps, and trying to do a full production would have highlighted those issues, Sahara explains. So, in the end, we did the right thing, which was to frame each shot in the best possible way [for 30-fps viewing].
He adds that the viewing experience and reaction from people in the suites made the efforts worth it.
We made a 20-minute loop, and we saw people watching it three times in a row, he says. And you can sit about 1.5 times picture height away from the set and have a comfortable viewing experience where the screen fills the field of view and you can see lots of details.
Among those details? The grain in the wood of the floor and the ability to pick out celebrities sitting on celebrity row from a camera capturing an image that was slightly tighter than half court.
The talent and celebrities were easily recognizable, and those sorts of subtle differences made the picture more life-like, says Sahara.
The production also laid bare the biggest challenge of all in the move to 4K: going from an HD production world, with -in. sensors providing infinite depth of field with very good resolution, to full-frame sensors that provide a shallow depth of field with four times the resolution.
You have to study what you want to do and figure it out; you can't guess, he explains. We were using a 30-300mm lens where our minimum object distance was 18 ft., but, with HD, we are accustomed to having an MOD of more than 50 ft. so that both the near and far side of the court are in focus. So, with 4K, we had to decide which side of the court is in focus and picking the right f-stop to get the right depth of field. Those who have done a lot of film and photography work understand that, but it's going to be a big learning experience.
That will also mean more reliance on focus-assist technologies and, of course, systemization of cameras currently designed primarily for cinematic shooting into ones more suitable for live production.
Being able to capture, turn around, and display 4K content on a consumer devices at this stage of 4K development was pretty amazing, says Sahara. In the early days of HD and 3D, we had to go through endless steps of production and conversions. But here we were able to do it all with off-the-shelf components.
LINK: | http://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/2013/05/03/cbs-turner-sports-put-4k-t... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
21/05/2024
AMG Chooses Brightline For Frame' Ad Format
LOS ANGELES Allen Media Group (AMG) has launched an instream Frame ad for advertisers on its The Weather Channel, Local Now and HBCU Go connected TV (CTV) app...
21/05/2024
Wisconsin TV Stations Change Call Signs, Channel Numbers
MILWAUKEE Low power TV (LPTV) station operator Roseland Broadcasting has changed the call sign and the operating channel number of its two Wisconsin stations in...
21/05/2024
U.S. FAST Channels Hit Record Numbers
NEW YORK Despite rapid growth in recent years and worries that the FAST channel market may be reaching saturation, a new report from FASTMaster shows that the t...
21/05/2024
Cineverse to Offer Remastered HD, 4K Episodes of the Bob Rosss 'Joy of Painting
LOS ANGELES Hoping to build on the success of The Bob Ross Channel, Cineverse ha...
21/05/2024
DLT Launches 80's Sitcom Flashback Fast Channel
NEW YORK DLT Entertainment has announced the launch of 80's Sitcom Flashback, a FAST Channel exclusively curated to celebrate the comedies that dominated pr...
21/05/2024
SPL Media House Selects Grass Valley's AMPP
MONTREAL Grass Valley has announced that SPL Media House (SPL MH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP SaaS Platform deployment in the r...
21/05/2024
Christ Church Deploys Pliant Technologies Intercoms at West Monroe Location
WEST MONROE, La. Pliant Technologies has announced that Christ Church, which has campuses in West Monroe, Ruston, and Sterlington, has deployed its CrewCom Wire...
21/05/2024
Hollyland Announces Pyro S, a New Wireless 4K Video Monitoring System for Filmmakers
Hollyland Announces Pyro S, a New Wireless 4K Video Monitoring System for Filmma...
21/05/2024
Avid Unveils Revolutionary Post-Production Micro-Certifications with New Learning Partner, Post Super
Avid Unveils Revolutionary Post-Production Micro-Certifications with New Learnin...
21/05/2024
MIX's Carpool Casanova Announces Spirit Award Finalists for Season 3
MIX 101.5's Carpool Casanova will wrap season three this Friday, May 24, 2024, but his final location has yet to be determined. The ultimate Spirit Award W...
21/05/2024
Dr. Ray Seol Awarded Grant for Creative Individuals from Mass Cultural Council
Dr. Ray Seol Awarded Grant for Creative Individuals from Mass Cultural Council The grant will expand his Seu Aprendiz project designed to help individuals bui...
21/05/2024
May 20, 2024
New method to reveal what drives brain diseases Scripps Research scientists develop CRISPR screen technology to determine disease mechanism from tissues with ac...
20/05/2024
Masters of Reinvention commissioned for Yesterday & UKTV Play
22nd May 2024 UKTV has commissioned Masters of Reinvention (6x60) for its leading factual channel Yesterday and free streaming service UKTV Play, to be produced...
20/05/2024
The Tuba Thieves Asks What It Means to Listen
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 22: The cast and crew of The Tuba Thieves pose during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival The Tuba Thieves premiere at Prospector Squa...
20/05/2024
Spotify CLASSICS: The 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of the Streaming Era
Reviews by Carl Chery, Kemet High, and Adrian Covert In February, we launched Spotify CLASSICS-our first-ever program to celebrate catalog music. Our inaugur...
20/05/2024
Hamish Blake to host Alone Australia Season 2: The Reunion on 29 May
Hamish Blake to host Alone Australia Season 2: The Reunion on 29 May 20 May, 2024 Media releases As the season nears its end, SBS's hit series cements ...
20/05/2024
Poolside Gossip
Created by showrunner Abe Sylvia, the Apple TV+ comedic drama Palm Royale navigates the tale of one womans ambitious journey to make it amongst the upper crust,...
20/05/2024
SPL Media House selects Grass Valley AMPP SaaS Platform to Distribute Live Saudi Pro League Football Matches Globally
AMPP's cloud enabled rapid deployment of live production workflows with dist...
20/05/2024
EditShare celebrates anniversaries at CABSAT with innovations, integrations and implementations
EditShare Celebrates Anniversaries at CABSAT with Innovations, Integrations and ...
20/05/2024
Sony-Apollo's Bid for Paramount Gets Serious
A bid from Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management to acquire Paramount gained steam late last week, according to a report in the New York Time...
20/05/2024
Vizrt Unveils Viz Libro 8.3 With New Social Media Cropping Function
BERGEN, Norway Vizrt has released Viz Libero 8.3 with the announcement that its latest software version enables users to crop video to various aspect ratios fro...
20/05/2024
The Vampire Next Door Created with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and DaVinci Resolve
The Vampire Next Door Created with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and DaVinci Resolve Brie Clayton May 20, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design today announced ...
20/05/2024
Tom Wills To Retire After Nearly 50 Years at WJXT Jacksonville
Tom Wills, long-running anchor at WJXT Jacksonville, Florida, has announced his retirement. He started at WJXT in 1975 and has anchored early-evening news for o...
20/05/2024
AMC Networks Promotes Emily Gotto to Senior VP at Shudder
AMC Networks said it promoted Emily Gotto to senior VP of acquisition and production for Shudder, the company's horror-themed streaming service....
20/05/2024
Paramount Names Jonathan Bingaman President, Domestic Multi-Platform Licensing & Distribution
Jonathan Bingaman has been named president, domestic multi-platform licensing & ...
20/05/2024
DLT Entertainment Gets FAST Laughs With 80's Sitcom Flashback Channel
Producer and distributor DLT Entertainment said it launched a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel called 80's Sitcom Flashback....
20/05/2024
Zeam Media Names Sandie Trombert CMO
Zeam Media said it hired Sandie Trombert as chief marketing officer....
20/05/2024
Meet the VFX producer
Angus Berryman, VFX producer at UNIT studio tells TVBEurope how perseverance paid off as his career progressed By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 20, 2024 ...
20/05/2024
Sony signs NDA with Paramount Global but is reticent about earlier plan
The New York Times said the move was a significant step forward in their effort to court Paramount By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 20, 2024 The New Yor...
20/05/2024
CBC HR Team Getting Ballpark Staff Ready to Play Ball
A pair of stalwart members of the Capitol Broadcasting's dream team have been getting the company's two Coastal Plain League teams ready to launch their...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Dintle's work life suffers as she struggles to hold it all together
Tonight on Scandal: Dintle's work life suffers as she struggles to hold it a...
20/05/2024
Every Company to Be an Intelligence Manufacturer,' Declares NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang at Dell Technologies World
AI heralds a new era of innovation for every business in every industry, NVIDIA ...
20/05/2024
VEON's Banglalink and Robi Axiata Partner to Explore Network Sharing to Expand 4G Access in Bangladesh
20 May 2024 VEON's Banglalink and Robi Axiata Partner to Explore Network Sh...
20/05/2024
Queensland Rugby League Taps Layercake, DoubleTake Sports, Enveu for OTT Tech Stack
Queensland Rugby League Taps Layercake, DoubleTake Sports, Enveu for OTT Tech St...
20/05/2024
Maglia Rosa: EMG Italy on Managing the Logistics and Technicalities of the 2024 Giro d'Italia
Maglia rosa: EMG Italy on managing the logistics and technicalities of the 2024 ...
20/05/2024
Next-Generation Technology: EMG Italy Completes Extensive San Siro Infrastructure Overhaul
Next-generation technology: EMG Italy completes extensive San Siro infrastructur...
20/05/2024
Broadcast Innovation in India: How Augmented Reality, Data-Driven Graphics Production Are Changing Everything
Broadcast Innovation in India: How Augmented Reality, Data-Driven Graphics Produ...
20/05/2024
A Year-Long Planning Process: How Game Presentation of Super Bowl LVIII Influences Next Year's Party in New Orleans
A Year-Long Planning Process: How Game Presentation of Super Bowl LVIII Influenc...
20/05/2024
SVG College Summit 2024: Clemson's Kyle Coulter Breaks Down the Tigers' Fourth Quarter Hype Video
SVG College Summit 2024: Clemson's Kyle Coulter Breaks Down the Tigers' ...
20/05/2024
HARMAN Professional Solutions Appoints Algam Ibrica as the Official Distribution Partner in Spain
May 20, 2024 LONDON-HARMAN Professional Solutions, the global leader in audio, ...
20/05/2024
RIP: Two deaths' on Shaka ILembe' production
RIP: Two deaths' on Shaka ILembe' productionTwo people, who are part of the Shaka Ilembe' production set to return for a second season, have repo...
20/05/2024
Gangsterism in movies and television: Wees geskool'
Gangsterism in movies and television: Wees geskool'Gangsterism has been portrayed in movies and television: but have you ever seen these films and televisi...
20/05/2024
School project features Die Antwoord' [Watch]
School project features Die Antwoord' [Watch]School projects are difficult. However, this student took some inspiration from the controversial band Die An...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Ntswaki sneaks Toby into the house but sadly for her, Leeto arrives unannounced
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Ntswaki sneaks Toby into the house but sadly for her, Lee...
20/05/2024
Thales and Nokia partner to deliver seamless renewal to London Underground
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales, with its transmission network technology partner, Nokia, has been selected by Transport for London (TfL) to deliver an i...
20/05/2024
May 17, 2024
Scripps Research chemists develop new method for making gamma chiral centers on simple carboxylic acids C-H activation-based method should speed drug molecule ...
20/05/2024
First European Election Major TV Debate this Monday Night on Upfront with Katie Hannon
As part of RT 's extensive coverage in the run up to the European Parliament...
19/05/2024
TV Techs Weekly Product Wrap-Up
Missed any of our product coverage during your busy week? The TV Tech weekly product and services news wrap-up provides links to all of our coverage from May 13...