2019 Transport Summit Lays Out Vision for UHD, 5G, Remi Future By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, October 21, 2019 - 4:27 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
The 2019 SVG Transport Summit began with a panel discussion featuring representatives from CBS, ESPN, NBC Sports Group, and ESPN. They discussed a wide range of topics as the nature of signal transport moves well beyond backhauling a single feed from a remote venue to a broadcast center. Below are some highlights and key takeaways from the session.
The State of TranSPORT: Broadcaster Perspectives panel (from left): CBS's David Chilson, NBC Sports' Chris Connolly, Sinclair Broadcasting Group's Paul Spinelli, and ESPN's Adam Whitlock.
Transporting more than just linear signals is a game changer.
Adam Whitlock, ESPN, Associate Director, Remote Traffic Operations, on the changing nature of signal transport says that with a lot more connectivity in place now ESPN has adapted and now use that connectivity it for things other than linear signals, like file transfers. The challenge is that means that the connectivity providers are much more crucial to a successful event and, as such they need to have a bigger presence on site to solve problems quickly.
File transfer needs require pipes of up to 2 Gbps, even with file acceleration. And it isn't just video and audio that is being moved. Data increasingly is a big part of the demand and is often the first thing production personnel are asking for when they are on site, according to Chris Connolly, NBC Sports Group, Senior Director, Transmission Engineering and Operations.
Relying on public Internet for signal transport is on the rise.
Paul Spinelli, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Director of Engineering, says that public Internet is playing a bigger role for Sinclair Broadcasting Group, especially when it comes to lower tier events or bonus coverage on OTT services. He also says that as the opportunity presents itself there will be a growth in using it for primary distribution.
David Chilson, CBS, Director of Broadcast Distribution Operations and Engineering: Extended coverage is a great place for transmission over the Internet. Usage of the public internet is up quite a bit but so is the number of events and hours being covered.
The explosion of events (from 35,000 in 2018 to 40,000 in 2019) puts a greater burden on signal monitoring.
Monitoring a multitude of signals through the entire path to delivery to consumers has led to big struggles as those signals now go to so many places, different type of devices, and platforms. There is still no perfect solution for easily monitoring content in a multi-platform world, but it is something that needs to be addressed.
The convergence of broadcast and IT requires new mixes of people and tech on site as well as more collaboration.
Chilson says that the size of the IT team at a major sporting event can sometimes be multiples the size of the traditional transmission team. Spinelli adds that there is then a need to have knowledge transfer across those departments, with both IT and video engineers working together. And it's not just about staying on air: it's also about ensuring the team follows best practices to make sure operations are secure from attacks. Collaboration is important, says Connolly, to make sure everyone understands the risks and aren't fighting each other.
New remote production workflows like remi, at home, etc. will only continue to grow.
Ours is continuous, says Whitlock of the learning process and evolution around remi productions. Our dedication to centralized productions has not wavered and we have become wiser thanks to wonderful partnerships with transport vendors who have supported us as our requirements grow.
Connolly says NBC's investment in at-home efforts is focused a lot around international events like the IAAF World Championships, recently held in Doha, and next year's Olympic games in Tokyo. Yes, there are cost savings like not having to travel as many people or rent a truck and facilities but there are other benefits as well like making it easier to enhance a production with second feeds or early feeds.
The role 5G will play is a work in progress.
Chilson says he is looking forward to 5G as it will be another service that provides additional utility to professional broadcasters. We can take advantage of 5G if it bears fruit, but it is still early, he says. Connolly added that it also could help with quality of service and Spinelli says it will be interesting to see how it evolves and is put to use by various entities.
UHD and 4K are exciting but the focus is still on the signals that pay the bills.
This is most excited I have been since HD, says Whitlock of the recent ESPN efforts around UHD. The SDI production looks really good at home but in UHD and 4K the granularity is awesome and even the downconverted signals looks great. But we very intentionally make sure the core HD audience is not compromised.
Connolly says that NBC Sports coverage of University of Notre Dame football in 1080p HDR has also been great but that the production focus is still on the HD viewers. But as more and more contracts for rights get renewed and the industry moves to IP, he thinks UHD programming will increase.
Chilson added that broadcasters are caught in the middle as they are still trying to figure out a pathway to the home as they often have older infrastructures. But UHD is the future and 4K is inevitable, he says.
North America Stories
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
2019 Transport Summit Lays Out Vision for UHD, 5G, Remi Future By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
