Remote Production Keeps Ryerson University Content Flowing During Shutdown of Collegiate Athletics The educational curriculum is still serving students local and international By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Thursday, February 18, 2021 - 12:39 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Canada is still dealing with a nationwide shutdown in response to the global pandemic, and Ryerson University, in downtown Toronto, has transitioned to a full remote-production model to continue the generation of content and the education of its students around the world.
The unique thing is that we're not doing anything virtually, says Joe Scrozzo, media systems team lead and broadcast engineer, Ryerson University. We're physically controlling the hardware in our control room.
Away From Home: New Infrastructure for RTA School of Media After the start of the pandemic last March, Scrozzo's team, including Broadcast IT Technician Grace Hu, met with Production and Programming Lead Brian Withers and the staff at RTA School of Media, the university's notable radio and television program, to devise a plan to continue the education of students off-campus. In the past, the community school has always provided in-person instruction and the ability to learn the art of television production with actual equipment at students' disposal. With students and faculty sequestered in their respective homes, the two entities developed a system that would link everyone together.
Students are using Unity intercom and Zoom to communicate with each other.
We started in June and worked through a bunch of different tests to see what software worked the best, says Scrozzo. We didn't know what was going to happen in September 2020, so Brian came up with a few ideas. At one point, we came together to mesh our two ideas.
The two ideas turned into an infrastructure that can be accessed from all corners of the globe. Control-room technology features Ross Video's Acuity production switcher, XPression graphics, and NK Series routing system, which students are able to use via the web-based platform.
The different pieces of equipment all have software panels that allow the students to control them, so they still get all of the benefits of a 3M/E switcher, a 32-channel audio mixer, and the full capabilities of a playback record server, Scrozzo adds. We're taking the output of our switcher, streaming it, and embedding different audio channels so that the audio operator can hear what they need to hear.
From an outsider's perspective, this seems a total no-brainer to fulfill the course curriculum without any interruptions. From a technological standpoint, it's a lot trickier when you're connecting local students, others elsewhere in Canada, and students in Russia, Malaysia, and different parts of the U.S.
Initially, says Scrozzo, I was concerned with latency and how we get the student who's an hour outside of Toronto to sync with someone who's in Dubai or Asia. We made adjustments in our setup to reduce it as much as possible, but we were also aware that some latency was inevitable when dealing with remote sources and operators.
Educational Tool: Students Adapt to Remote Learning At Ryerson, education in television production starts at its foundation. Normally, first-year students would learn the basics in a traditional setting, but now, their first foray into the medium is in a virtualized setting. Returning students, for their part, have learned the traditional techniques and methods in previous semesters. Withers, then, is tasked with the delicate balancing of guiding the first-year students while easing returning students' transition into this new frame of thinking.
A 10-box multiviewer brings all sources into one location.
Upper-class students can lean on their pre-pandemic experience because these are the remote versions of the tools [they've learned with], he explains. When we do get back to campus, I think it'll be cool to see the first-year students, who have never touched any of this [physical] equipment, seamlessly transition into an in-person environment.
Getting accustomed to the technology was one thing, but bringing everyone online into unison was something entirely different. Ryerson's global reach provided obstacles in terms of video and audio delays, but coursework based on Eastern Time was hard for those operating in a different time zone.
I really feel for the students who are in Dubai and Malaysia, because that's a 12- to 13-hour time difference, Withers adds. Courses run from noon to 6:00 p.m. ET, so they're working from midnight until 6:00 in the morning, but they want to learn and be a part of the team.
Despite the time-sensitive and tech-based struggles, this model is a true game-changer. Around the world, remote learning may be integrated into the curriculum when things get back to normal. This style of teaching may attract more students to the university. In 2021, it can be used as a tool for those studying for upcoming exams or needing extra reps outside of the classroom.
When we get out of the pandemic, says Scrozzo, the remote system will open up a bunch of teaching opportunities. If a student is doing a workshop on a switcher and needs extra time to learn it for their test two weeks down the road, they don't have to learn it in person. It can be done remotely.
Back on Campus: Onsite Technician Troubleshoots Three Control Rooms Since the end of 2020, the production workflow has been turned into a science at Ryerson. The system was once confined to a single control room but now has spread to two others, for a total of three separate control rooms online. With the additional spaces, students will be able to experience every position.
We needed to mimic the in-person classroo
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture -Zac Fields, Fox Sports, SVP of Graphic Technology and Integration...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Remote Production Keeps Ryerson University Content Flowing During Shutdown of Collegiate Athletics The educational curriculum is still serving students local and international By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
