Live From NBA All-Star Game Weekend: Turner Sports Has New Production Home via NEP EN1; Skycam Set to Transform NBA Coverage By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Sunday, February 17, 2019 - 1:27 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
If TV coverage of the 2019 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, NC this weekend goes as planned the game will have a legacy: the acceptance of Skycam as a production tool that can be deployed to cover game action. It was first deployed on Friday for the Rising Stars game at the Spectrum Center, then used during last night's Skills Challenge, and tonight, for the main event, Skycam coverage will not only be integrated into the main broadcast on TNT but available as the main camera in an alternate broadcast available on TBS.
Chris Brown, Turner Sports, director of technical operations (left) with Pete Rintelman, Turner Sports, senior technical manager, in the TV compound for NBA All-Star Weekend.
People are enjoying the unique angles Skycam gives, says Chris Brown, Turner Sports, director of technical operations. It's similar to what it brought to football coverage in that you can have a sense of the space between players.
The deployment of Skycam began with answering a key question: how can it be used but also guarantee that it won't be distracting to players or, more importantly, actual get hit by a basketball that is in play? Helping in answering those concerns was the use of shot data from Second Spectrum which tracks the height of every shot taken during NBA games. As long as the Skycam stays above that height (approximately 28 feet) it should steer clear of any balls in flight. It also will be raised higher during the final minute of each quarter as that is when there are going to be cross court shots or passes that might go above the heights of average shots.
If there's going to be any problems [with the acceptance of Skycam] this group of elite players will be where it will be brought up, says Brown. But for now, it is crawl before you run.
Also new this year is the use of NEP's EN1 as the production unit for tonight's All-Star Game.
It's exciting to have that truck because of the additional resources it brings to the table, says Brown. The audio console is a little bit bigger than the one on SS24 and it also has a larger router, so resource sharing isn't a problem.
NEP also refurbished the EN1 C unit and the layout allows for the Turner production team to consolidate replay and super slo-mo operations compared to previous All-Star events where they needed to be split apart.
We now have all of the EVS operations in one trailer and that has definitely helped to streamline that operation, says Brown.
Game coverage tonight will rely on approximately 40 cameras with the major new additional being a robotic camera on a large crane behind the basket.
Hopefully it will provide some dramatic replays, says Brown.
An important part of the weekend (especially the Skills Challenge on Saturday night is the use of RF cameras and AVS is on hand with two RF steadicams and two RF handheld cameras. With only one vendor there are no frequency issues, and everyone is definitely happy with what they've provided, says Brown.
NEP's SS16 will be used for the halftime show while NCP X truck is once again back for All-Star Saturday and the truck will also be used to produce the live alternate broadcast that will air on TBS (the main broadcast, produced out of EN1, will be seen on TNT).
The team that will produce the alternate broadcast will be in charge of directing the Skycam coverage during the All-Star game, says Brown. This will be first time we will have two independent productions running side by side.
The TBS side-by-side telecast will have six of its own cameras, including one camera for a sideline reporter.
The TNT telecast has 80% of the camera positions so that didn't leave a lot of options for the side-by-side show so, like the Final Four Teamcast they will be using a lot of the TNT resources, says Brown.
The changes in the production truck lineup isn't the only thing offering improvements this year. This year is the NBA has brought in a new LED lighting system that has been installed by Baxter Controls and all of the intercoms systems have made the move to digital-based technology.
With respect to the LED lighting, Brown says the LED systems have been installed in the arena on a temporary basis. Tests were conducted at last year's All-Star Game in Los Angeles last year and everyone was happy with the results. So, this year all of the events in the Spectrum Center will be lit by the LED systems as well as the theatrical lighting systems that will play a big part during the entertainment portions.
It's been fantastic, and the colors look great and it's something we look forward to working with more as more NBA venues come on line. It offers lower power consumption, but you also don't need to wait for the lights to warm up before they hit their peak temperature. You can turn them on, and our video department can instantly adjust the cameras. Plus, there are no harsh shadows.
Turner Sports and the NBA are also once again relying on Firehouse to manage communication systems and the RF environment. Mark Dittmar, VP of Firehouse, says that the All-Star Game is a complicated weekend due to the vast array of external media entities that roll in to cover the festivities. There are approximately 600 intercom users, 260 located inside the Spectrum Center and an additional 300 outside of the arena in the TV compound across the street.
The use of a Riedel Bolero wireless intercom system has made a difference has it operates in the 1.9 GHz spectrum band, allowing for about 80 users and 140 frequencies to be moved out of the UHF band which continues to shrink.
We are p
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Live From NBA All-Star Game Weekend: Turner Sports Has New Production Home via NEP EN1; Skycam Set to Transform NBA Coverage By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
