
From Fiserv Forum to the Forest, Part 2: The Famous Group's Virtual Camera System, Refined Graphics-Rendering Introduce New Chapter in Mixed Reality The production leaned heavily on four cameras from IO Industries, Fiserv Forum's IP connectivity By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Monday, March 10, 2025 - 8:05 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Sunday night in Milwaukee was a significant step in the history of mixed-reality (MR) activations at sporting events. To make this robust in-venue open possible, a large amount of technological expertise and workflows were put on display at Fiserv Forum, including The Famous Group's upgraded virtual camera system, the reliance on the building's top-tier broadcast infrastructure, the use of pre-rendered graphics for higher fidelity, and more.
It's been an incredible collaboration where we're always willing to try something new, says Andrew Isaacson, EVP and partner, The Famous Group. It takes a little bit of trust, but after a decade-long relationship, we're both in a really good spot.
To learn about the creative side of this project, click HERE for Part 1 of our two-part report from Milwaukee.
The Famous Group's 8K camera system is leveraging four cameras from IO Industries.
A Strong Tech Infrastructure: Detailed LIDR Scanning, 8K Cameras Impact the Show The crucial aspect of this activation, the essential LIDAR scan of Fiserv Forum, was done about six weeks ago with the assistance of Laser Scanning Solutions Owner Andy Foshee. During this visit, The Famous Group's Engineering Producer Justin Molter also surveyed the space to get a better lay of the land. He also received the help of Director, Video Operations, Jeff Bins; Director, Broadcast Technology, Stevan Sokolovic; and numerous engineers including Digital Display Engineer II Joe Frost to acclimate himself with the building's capabilities.
Enhancements in TFG's virtual-camera technology allows for the cameras to be left alone during the activation.
We essentially picked out a bunch of locations around the building for our cameras, says Molter. We also needed that three-dimensional scan of the entire building to understand how we can converge the augmented-reality graphics with the physical world.
Certain camera positions, including this one focused on the videoboard, provided different angles of the open video.
In addition, the team got a deeper feel of the technological infrastructure that they'd rely on for Sunday's game. Luckily, this lofty production would be done in one of the newer venues in the National Basketball Association. Opened in August 2018, Fiserv Forum is still a gold standard of the league and is running with a SMPTE 2110-based, IP-flavored control room. With connectivity and efficiency not being an issue, Molter felt a bit more comfortable.
This state-of-the-art facility allows us to not have to run miles of fiber, he says. It's been awesome having the ability to patch right into the building without a ton of challenges.
A minimal amount of fiber was installed at the seven-year-old Fiserv Forum.
With many resources dedicated to the overall in-venue run of show, The Famous Group's virtual-camera technology allowed the team to bake in pan, tilt, and zoom features into the MR sequence and sidestep the need for human camera operators. When you match that wrinkle of the production with the pre-production rendering, the material was displayed at a higher quality in a shortened turnaround time.
This system allows us to set up our camera angles before getting on site, says Isaacson. Not only is that important for what we're trying to do with virtual graphics, but it also helps us explain [to the Bucks] what the narrative's going to be well ahead of time. The pre-produced aspect gives us a lot more flexibility and time to dial into the details instead of always worrying about the big picture.
Various touchpoints of connectivity tied the cameras to the control room.
Near the court, the hardware in The Famous Group's 8K camera system that broadcasted the content were four cameras from IO Industries with Cyanview's C10 camera interface to synchronize with the Bucks' IP-based workflows. The video feeds from these cameras were tied back to the in-venue production team via connectivity boxes that are routed back to the control room. The camera positions, including the main concourse level to shoot the court and above the player tunnels to shoot the videoboard, were optimal to showcase the full breadth of the lower bowl and the packed crowd in attendance.
A view inside the IP-based control room.
We want our content to look really amazing, and this 8K technology is going to really help us with that, says Hemu Karadkar, creative director, The Famous Group. With our footprint being small, our cameras aren't bound to the typical broadcast camera positions that are in every stadium, which enhances how the story can be told within the physical environment.
On gameday, The Famous Group's Senior Producer Luke Hinojosa and Technical Director Ben Ryle were onsite to insure the activation was produced as smooth as possible.
Technical Director Ben Ryle and Senior Producer Luke Hinojosa monitored the video from their setup.
Staying Ahead of the Pack: Bucks Find Competitive Edge With Upgraded Tech Around the National Basketball League, the Milwaukee Bucks are perpetually near the top of the most engaging and entertaining in-venue shows. Creativity is a huge reason, but a major factor to their consistency is embracing current technology trends and not being afraid to experiment with new workflows.
Our leadership team wants us to raise our standards, so we're constantly talking about what we can do that will separate us from the rest, says Johnny Watso
More from Sports Video Group
18/04/2025
NHL Playoffs 2025: TNT Sports Hits the Road for Onsite Productions With Mobile U...
18/04/2025
EVSs S bastien Verlaine on U.S. Expansion, Next-Generation Products Beyond replay, offerings also target asset management and media infrastructure By Ken Kersc...
18/04/2025
ESPN Unleashes 4DREPLAY as NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships Hit ABC Men's championships to follow Saturday night on ESPN2 By Brandon Costa, Direct...
18/04/2025
Visualizing Victory: The Latest in AR, XR, and Virtual Production in Live Sports This panel discussion featured leaders from ESPN, CBS Sports, Warner Bros. Disc...
18/04/2025
NHL Playoffs 2025: With 16 Games in First Six Days, ESPN Deploys Variety of Remo...
17/04/2025
The Curling Group Puts On Inaugural Curling All-Star Game in Nashville The location in Music City is intended to broaden the sport's appeal By Dan Daley, ...
17/04/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cisco's Bryan Bedford on Providing End-to-End Support for Clie...
17/04/2025
FIFA's Oscar Sanchez on the Task of Producing a North American World Cup The head of host broadcast production spoke during SVG Europe's Football Summit...
17/04/2025
NBA Playoffs 2025: As Play-In Tourney Continues, TNT Sports Preps Escalated Game...
17/04/2025
NBA Playoffs 2025: ESPN's Postseason Run Highlighted by New Cameras, Player ...
16/04/2025
SVG Digital Engagement Forum 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PL...
16/04/2025
SVG College Sports Media Awards 2025: Today is the Final Deadline to Enter! All entries must be received by end-of-day April 16 By Brandon Costa, Director of D...
16/04/2025
Ross Video's Kevin Cottam on Carbonite HyperMax, Other Innovations at NAB 20...
15/04/2025
From Homer to Mickey, How ESPN Is Blazing the Live Animated Broadcast Trail ESPNs Amy Nelson, Sparky Sparrgrove, and Spike Szykowny offer an inside look at the ...
15/04/2025
SVG College Sports Media Awards 2025: Final Deadline to Enter is Wednesday All entries must be received by end-of-day April 16 By Brandon Costa, Director of Di...
15/04/2025
Football Summit 2025: BBC Sport and Sunset Vine share plans for UEFA Women's...
15/04/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: ScorePlay Cofounder and CEO Vic Tixier on Media Manag...
15/04/2025
Inside IOWN: Envisioning a high-speed, high-capacity future for live productions By Joe OHalloran
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 09:38
Print This Story
As dele...
15/04/2025
Neither fair nor objective , Mediapro reacts strongly to LaLiga decision to awar...
15/04/2025
HBS and NVP take LaLiga production and distribution for first and second divisio...
15/04/2025
LA28 Details Venue Plans for 2028 Summer Games By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 1:37 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
St...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: Broadcast Audio Faces a Future of Tariff-Induced Higher Cost...
14/04/2025
Changing the world: Behind the collaborative production of the 2025 Special Olym...
14/04/2025
From Paris to Milano Cortina: The International Paralympic Committee on the move...
14/04/2025
SVG College Summit 2025: Jimmy Platt, ESPN's College Football Playoff, Women...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: SVG Audio Roundtable Reflects On a Changing Industry Global sports, speech intelligibility, digital microphones are on the table By Dan Dal...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: The Pairing of AI and Audio Is Possible But it won't necessarily happen tomorrow By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monday, April 14, 2025 - ...
14/04/2025
WNBA Draft 2025: ESPN's Onsite Effort Fits Into NYC Grid for National Teleca...
11/04/2025
The Teeter Totter Podcast featuring Mario Zecca and Corey Alberty: Super Bowl LI...
11/04/2025
Formula E Heads to Miami With Racing and Broadcast Innovations To Drive Fan Enga...
11/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: Our Full Collection of Video Interviews From the Show Floor By SVG Staff
Friday, April 11, 2025 - 12:09 pm
Print This Story
NAB Show 2...
11/04/2025
Ratings Roundup: NCAA March Madness Ends With Third Most-Watched Women's Tit...
11/04/2025
Mike Bilbow, Veteran College Sports Video Director, Passes Away at 56 Industry remembers a giving, innovative, and welcoming leader gone too soon By Brandon Co...
11/04/2025
2025 NAB Show Draws 55K Attendees, Down From Past Two Years But Still Up From 20...
10/04/2025
Monumental Sports, Dalet Snag 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award By SVG Staff
Thursday, April 10, 2025 - 10:44 am
Print This Story
Monumental Sports ...
10/04/2025
Masters 2025: For 70th Year, CBS Sports Plans Surprise in Amen Corner Coverage Latest innovations are part of the tournament's legendary traditions By Ken...
09/04/2025
SVG College Sports Media Awards 2025: Entry Deadline Extended to April 16 By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - 5:14 pm
Print Th...
09/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: AT&Ts Scott Beckett Showcases Portable Private Wireless Netw...
09/04/2025
NAB Show Announces 2025 Product of the Year and Project of the Year Awards Winne...
08/04/2025
2025 Sports Emmy Award Nominations Unveiled; Technical Nods Go to 2024 Paris Gam...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: LiveUs Janel Moorefield on New Bonded Cellular, Cloud-Based ...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Aggrekos Brittany Shannon on Powering Live Sports Events Fro...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Amagis Dan Marshall on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Vecima Networks Paul Strickland on Ensuring High-Quality Con...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: SOS Globals James Newell on Addressing Logistical Needs of S...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Solid State Logics Enrique Perez Gonzalez on the Continued E...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Blackmagic Designs Bob Caniglia on Bulking Up Their Lineup o...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Canons Jamon Lomax, Josh Stoner Show Off New Advanced Optica...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: T-Mobile for Business George Schnellbacher on 5G, Network Sl...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: AWSs Julie Souza on Latest Developments in Live Cloud Produc...