Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NFL Draft 2019: NEP, ESPN Go All 1080p in Nashville With EN1 and ND1

01/05/2019

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.
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/04/30/nfl-draft-2019-nep-espn-go-all-...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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 Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Sonys Hugo Gaggioni Highlights HDR Advances, Software-Defined Workflows

At the 2026 NAB Show, Sony is showcasing a broad slate of innovations across liv...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Fujinons Stosh Durbacz on Expanding the 4K Broadcast Lens Lineup With New Portable Zooms, 94x Box Lens

Fujifilm is sharpening its focus on core broadcast production with a new wave of...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Rock-It Sports' John Walberg on Powering Logistics, Shipping for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup

This upcoming summer in North America is going to be a busy one. The 2026 FIFA M...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Glookast outlines product updates including Media Producer UX, connectors and Premiere Pro panel

Glookast (Booth W1661) announced a series of product updates at NAB Show 2026, c...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Matrox Video and Amagi collaborate on cloud-based broadcast workflows using ORIGIN framework

Matrox Video and Amagi announced a collaboration to integrate the Matrox ORIGIN ...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Riedel SimplyLive supports expanded centralised VAR system for Argentina football league

Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) announced that the Asociaci n del F tbol Arg...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Ikegami introduces VFE-P07D OLED viewfinder with integrated LCD monitor

Ikegami (Booth C3819) announced the VFE-P07D monocular OLED viewfinder at NAB Sh...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: IABM rebrands as IAMT and launches AI discovery platform and global alliance

International Association of MediaTech (IAMT), formerly known as IABM, announced...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Harmonic supports DIRECTV DTH platform upgrade with VOS Media Software

Harmonic (Booth W2831) announced that DIRECTV is updating its US direct-to-home (DTH) video platform using Harmonic's VOS Media Software. The deployment is...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Wasabi Technologies acquires Seagate Lyve Cloud business

Wasabi Technologies announced that it has acquired the Lyve Cloud business from Seagate Technology. As part of the agreement, Seagate received equity in Wasabi ...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: EVS introduces Choreon robotics orchestration platform for unified production control

EVS (Booth N1841) has launched Choreon, a robotics controller for media producti...

20/04/2026

SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2026, Day 2: Live Reports From the Show Floor in Vegas

The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Skyline Communications launches DataMiner packages on Grass Valley AMPP App Store

Skyline Communications announced the availability of its DataMiner xOps platform...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: SNS launches Outpost, Trio and AI Suite for connected post-production workflows

Studio Network Solutions (Booth N1129) introduced a set of new products at NAB S...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Dell Technologies and NVIDIA present AI data platform for media workflows

Dell Technologies is showcasing its Dell AI Data Platform with NVIDIA at NAB Sho...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces Fairlight Live Software Audio Mixer

Blackmagic Design has announced Fairlight Live, a software-based live audio mixer with SMPTE 2110 support and spatial audio mixing. A public beta is available n...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Imagine Comms Jimbo Haneklau Talks Prismon, Hybrid IP/SDI Workflows, and Cloud Playout

At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Imagine Communications VP of Sales, Sports an...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: LiveUs Phillip Broaddus on LU900Q Launch, Nexus Cloud Platform, and REMI Growth

At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, LiveU Senior Director of Sales, Sports Philli...

20/04/2026

3 New Ways to Dive Deeper Into the Music You Love

A song that perfectly captures a moment is magic. But when you uncover the story behind it, who made it, what inspired it, and the meaning woven into the lyrics...

20/04/2026

Deity Microphones announce the PR-4

Ultra-compact 32-bit recorder set for launch Deity Microphones will soon be launching a new 32-bit six-track recorder that's been designed with producti...

20/04/2026

Lectrosonics preview the S1

Uncoming lightweight shotgun mic announced Production-sound experts Lectrosonics have recently announced the upcoming launch of a new lightweight shotgun mi...

20/04/2026

The story of Focusrite ISA

New 20-minute documentary explores iconic preamp In 2025, Focusrite commissioned a new short-form documentary with filmmaker Chris Mayes-Wright - the direct...

20/04/2026

Sampleson release Boomcha

Turn quick sketches into real drum grooves Sampleson have been experimenting with assitive production tools recently, and their latest creation aims to make...

20/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz rolls out its full ARDRONIS counter UAS suite in a demonstration van at Counter UAS Technology Europe 2026

Rohde & Schwarz rolls out its full ARDRONIS counter UAS suite in a demonstration...

20/04/2026

Protecting America's Shores: L3Harris Keeps the Coast Guard Mission-Ready

L3Harris delivers integrated communications, navigation and C4ISR capabilities that empower the U.S. Coast Guard to protect Americas maritime interests and resp...

20/04/2026

Google Cloud Embraces the Rise of Agentic Production

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Creators Go All in on AI, Niche Content

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

NBC Sports' Jon Miller: Broadcast Is Having a Moment'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Beyond the Lift and Shift': Cloud Migration's New Mandate

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Virtual Production Finds Its Footing

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Corporate Creators: All Companies Are Media Companies Now

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

IABM Rebrands as the International Association of MediaTech

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

CBS Detroit Debuts New AR/VR Technology-Driven Studio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Fox Sports Taps Appear X Platform for Remote Production

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

CueScript and Lighting Design Group Expand Customer Oppor...

CueScript and Lighting Design Group Expand Customer Opportunities Through New Partnership Find both companies at 2026 NAB Show in CueScript Booth # C 4720 ...

20/04/2026

Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-En...

[Sydney, NSW, 20 April 2026] - Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media orchestration platform Streamcake, today announced the formalisation of its i...

20/04/2026

FOX Sports selects Appear X Platform for next-generation...

Deployment spans FOX Sports' REMI infrastructure, IP production for a major global soccer event, and its Jewel Events production systems Appear, a global l...

20/04/2026

Pro Sound Effects Launches the Industry's First and Only Native Sound Effects Integration for Avid Media Composer at NAB 2026

Pro Sound Effects Launches the Industry's First and Only Native Sound Effect...

20/04/2026

SBE Elevates Fred Willard to SBE Fellow

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3 Update

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3 Update Brie Clayton April 20, 2026 0 Comments New update adds camera control and monitoring ...

20/04/2026

Maxon Announces Free Tools and Mobile Expansion of ZBrush and Cinema 4D

Maxon Announces Free Tools and Mobile Expansion of ZBrush and Cinema 4D Brie Clayton April 20, 2026 0 Comments Cinema 4D brings professional 3D workfl...

20/04/2026

Vizrt AI Keyer kills the green screen and creates virtual scenes in any environment

Vizrt AI Keyer kills the green screen and creates virtual scenes in any environm...

20/04/2026

Register now - Market & Audience Department Ask Me Anything (AMA) Session

Register now - Market & Audience Department Ask Me Anything (AMA) Session 11 February 2026 Screen Australia Head of Market & Audience Rakel Tansley Talking to...