NFL Draft 2019: NEP, ESPN Go All 1080p in Nashville With EN1 and ND1 NEP's Bexel, BSI, and Fletcher teams also played a major roles in Nashville By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 - 11:23 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
NEP leapt into the future in Nashville this week, rolling out its first side-by-side 1080p productions for ESPN's dual NFL Draft productions on ESPN and ABC, respectively. NEP's EN1 and ND1 were on hand to serve the pair of 1080p shows as part of NEP's massive presence on-site, which also included recent NEP acquisitions Bexel, BSI, and Fletcher.
From left: NEP's Mark DiCicco (EIC on ND1), Michael Pean (senior account manager, and Bruce HogenBoom (EIC on EN1)
This is the first time, at least I'm aware of, that two production trucks are working side-by-side in 1080p - at least certainly not on this scale, NEP's EN1 engineer-in-charge Bruce Hogenboom said in Nashville. We've done plenty of 1080p shows within EN1 with multiple control rooms, but now we're shipping signals back and forth between multiple mobile units. That's been probably our biggest challenge on this show - coming up with a way to do that efficiently and cost effectively. It was a little bit of trial and error, but we worked through it all.
Although ESPN provided facilities for ESPN's dual Draft telecasts - the main telecast on ESPN and a College GameDay telecast on ESPN2 - last year as well, the ESPN2 production was in 720p. While EN1 is a 1080p vet, the Draft marked ND1's first-ever 1080p production.
We've been doing the Draft for years with ESPN, so when they came to us with the opportunity to do the GameDay show with ND1 in 1080p, we knew it would be a great opportunity and also a great challenge for us, says NEP senior account manager Michael Pean. Doing one of these 1080p shows is no easy task, so doing it with multiple trucks is that much more complex. So I'm really proud of our team here in Nashville - at the shop, on the operations side, and everyone else involved in the planning stages of this to make sure that these guys had all the tools to execute what we promised ESPN.
Two Beasts in the Compound: EN1 and ND1 Offer Plenty of Firepower for ESPN
NEP's EN1 and ND1 mobile units were on hand to serve ESPN at the NFL Draft in Nashville.
Inside the compound, the two control rooms inside EN1 (A, B, C, and E units) handled the the ESPN Main Stage set and various studio programs, while ND1 (A, B, and C) control room was home to the ABC/College GameDay production. The seven mobile units were tightly integrated, allowing any source from throughout ESPN's Broadway setup to be accessed from anywhere.
The beauty of having EN1 and ND1 here is the sheer size of what they can deliver together, adds Pean. We're providing over 40 cameras between the two trucks. There aren't a lot of trucks out there that carry 20 cameras, so to have the firepower that we do with EN1 and ND1 here, to be able to roll in and have almost all of the necessary gear already onboard, it eliminates a lot of the fuss that often comes with doing a big show like this.
It's All in the NEP Family With Bexel, BSI, and Fletcher in Nashville
Of course, NEP's presence at the Draft was much more than just mobile units. The benefits of the company's acquisitions of Bexel, BSI, and Fletcher are already becoming apparent, especially when it comes to complex dual 1080p productions like ESPN's NFL Draft shows.
It's been real helpful working with BSI, Fletcher, and Bexel because we're collectively getting more and more used to working in 1080p as a group, says Hogenboom. So the gear that's coming in is already compatible and configured correctly for 1080p, which has helped a lot.
Pean adds: We're really proud of the fact that we've got not just our 40 cameras on the trucks here, but also robos from Fletcher, RF systems from BSI, and Bexel provided all the fiber to all the sets. Having the multiple sets and multiple shows going on, it's great to be able to service ESPN as greater NEP.
Fletcher Rolls Out Robos All Over Lower Broadway
This unique position above Redneck Riviera was one of several Fletcher robos deployed along Lower Broadway for the NFL Draft.
Fletcher's role at the Draft was big as ever, providing a dozen robos for ESPN and four for Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment Productions. In addition to standard positions such as in the green room and hallways and covering the mainstage podium and Selection Square, Fletcher provided ESPN with a unique robo position hanging over the sign at the Redneck Riviera on Lower Broadway.
That [Redneck Riviera position] is definitely the coolest spot this year and took a lot of effort. It's one of several amazing robo positions we've got up and down Lower Broadway here and we're really proud of them, says Ed Andrzejewski, manager of Fletcher's sports department. The Draft is not your typical stick-and-ball event. Best-laid plans often completely change on-site. Something that a director blocked out and thought was going to look great can change last minute just because of the nature of this event. But we're always ready to adjust at a moment's notice.
BSI Navigates RF Challenges of Downtown Nashville
BSI rolled out more than a dozen RF camera systems and microphones at the Draft. BSI also provided RF connectivity for both broadcasters' SupraCam point-to-point aerial systems, which ran parallel to one another down Lower Broadway.
BSI deployed more than a dozen RF camera systems for ESPN and NFL Media at the NFL Draft in Nashville.
BSI supplied ESPN with eight camera systems - an RF SteadiCam, a MoVI buildup, two handhelds, and RF for the SupraCam system - while ABC had three handhelds at its disposal.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Ikegami announces a major expansion to its range of broadcast-quality live production cameras. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegami booth 708 at NAB New York, ...
08/10/2026
Calrec will be located at Booth 444.
Freedom to choose
The media landscape is evolving quickly, and the broadcasters best placed for what comes next will be...
08/10/2026
LiveU has announced that CRD Audiovisuel relied on LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit, with built-in native LiveU IQ (LIQ ) connectivity, to deliver live...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Marshall Electronics, a globally recognized provider of high-performance video solutions for broadcast, streaming, AV and professional production, will exhibit ...
08/10/2026
14-hour package also includes A Remarkable Place to Die season 2 as well as libr...
NFL Draft 2019: NEP, ESPN Go All 1080p in Nashville With EN1 and ND1 NEP's Bexel, BSI, and Fletcher teams also played a major roles in Nashville By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
