When the worlds best golfers converged on the Chambers Bay golf course in Washington state for the 115th U.S. Open, Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT), a leader in advanced digital microwave systems serving the broadcast, sports, entertainment and law enforcement markets, saw its microLite HD Transmitter soaring high above the green. Mounted on a UAV, the transmitter helped Helivideo Productions provide unprecedented coverage of the championship tournament for FOX Sports.
Eric Austin, owner and operator of Helivideo Productions, a premier provider of FAA-approved cinematography services for television and film, turned to IMTs microLite system after previous attempts to achieve UAV shots with other manufacturers equipment were unsuccessful. Prior to using the microLite, we were unable to maintain a reliable signal for this type of application, he says. Using a drone for golf coverage is especially challenging, and the microLite system has worked great. It allowed us to fly at low altitudes and hover behind sand dunes and sand traps while maintaining a solid signal. The microLite is a game changer for UAV-based broadcasts.
For the tournament coverage, Austin and his team of licensed pilots flew a Panasonic GH4 and Black Magic 4K camera on two different types of drones, one for recording on the camera and another for the live HD broadcast feeds. This marked the first use of live HD footage from a UAV or drone for a sports telecast.
Austin and his production team positioned the UAVs over Puget Sound, focusing them on capturing coverage of holes 16, 17 and 18. Later in the week, team members stationed themselves throughout the course in the early morning to capture footage of some of the players from a distance. In order to comply with the FAAs standards, the UAV had to remain at least 500-feet away from spectators, a significant challenge. Employing a high-quality COFDM transmitter was the only viable solution, as it supports long ranges and is not restricted by line-of-sight limitations.
We are excited to work with Helivideo, as the microLite is an ideal application for UAV video operations, says John Payne IV, CTO, Integrated Microwave Technologies. The robust COFDM technology of the microLite makes it extremely reliable, which allowed the drone to capture video without line-of-sight requirements at various low altitudes. The ability to capture this aerial view gave viewers a unique perspective of this event.
IMTs microLite features superb H.264 HD encoding capabilities, and operates in the standard 2k DVB-T COFDM mode. The H.264 video encoder supports Part 10 of the H.264 standard, providing a 30-percent bit-rate reduction or video-quality improvement compared to encoders that only support the H.264 baseline profile.
Each model features user-friendly control panels, and is the perfect companion to IMTs Direct View handheld monitor/receiver, which was also used throughout the tournament. Direct View is specially designed to be used without a sunshade in bright sunlight making it perfect for this application. Used together, the microLite and the Direct VU combine to form a complete transmitter and receiver link in the field. The ability to view footage captured above from a ground position is invaluable to any UAV broadcast application, as it guarantees production team members are getting the shots they require.
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...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
15/06/2026
Detach from Direct-Attached: How Remote Editing with EVO Keeps Creative Teams Mo...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
When the worlds best golfers converged on the Chambers Bay golf course in Washington state for the 115th U.S. Open, Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT), a leader in advanced digital microwave systems serving the broadcast, sports, entertainment and law enforcement markets, saw its microLite HD Transmitter soaring high above the green. Mounted on a UAV, the transmitter helped Helivideo Productions provide unprecedented coverage of the championship tournament for FOX Sports.
