Ronny van Geel, director of product management at Grass Valley, examines some of the key areas media companies need to consider when investing in live broadcast cameras
By Contributor
Published: October 14, 2021
Ronny van Geel, director of product management at Grass Valley, examines some of the key areas media companies need to consider when investing in live broadcast cameras
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Choosing the right camera can be a complex process, and represents a significant investment for any media organisation. There are several long-term strategic and commercial considerations to weigh up when investigating the options available. It's critical to make the best choices to fit your organisation's needs, requirements, and future roadmap, but what are the key questions you need to ask yourself, and what are the main factors to consider when it comes to purchasing live broadcast cameras?
Pressures in today's environment The media market is evolving at speed. Research commissioned by advertising specialist Thinkbox found that viewing increased by 40 minutes per person per day in 2020 over 2019, with broadcast television accounting for 64 per cent of the total.
Demand for television is strong. Within that, live video is the most prized form of content in our industry, and the most challenging to deliver. There are no second chances with live production, so it's essential you have the best media workflows at your disposal, and the camera is where it all starts.
Nowadays, consumers expect live media delivered across an ever-increasing number of platforms. Supporting a rapidly expanding range of distribution options is challenging and requires additional time and equipment expenditures.
Furthermore, the cost of producing live content is rising. Sports federations expect ever-higher payments for media rights, while global audiences demand continued innovation in production values. After an action-packed summer of live sports content produced in 4K UHD, such as UEFA Euro 2020 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, fans are hungry for more immersive viewing experiences.
Delivering these enhanced media experiences often requires additional solutions, and increased infrastructure bandwidth for improved picture quality.
The IP revolution Major media enterprises recognise the transformational potential of IP-based platforms, enabling greater scalability and flexibility across production and distribution. For many years, an SDI interface was the only method to transmit a steady stream at what was then considered a high speed. What once required bespoke hardware connected via SDI is now replaced by IP connectivity. Due to advances in IP, video and audio signals can now be transmitted with much higher bandwidth and over greater distances, using readily available IP networking solutions.
Innovation in IP-enabled camera technology means media companies can seamlessly transition to IP-focussed models. Camera solutions with built-in native IP connectivity can connect over a standard SMPTE hybrid fibre cable, enabling easy and quick adoption across sports venues worldwide. With native SMPTE ST 2110 IP outputs, these cameras can connect directly to your data infrastructure. If your facility has already made the move to live IP production, you eliminate the need for the bulky CCU, as uncompressed or compressed streams can now connect directly to your IP networking.
There is now a widely recognised suite of interoperability standards, meaning the migration towards IP connectivity can be a seamless and secure proposition. But SDI and IP will co-exist for many years to come; this is a gradual transition and not an overnight revolution. Therefore, media technology workflows must be designed to work in a hybrid environment. The migration to IP is no one-size-fits-all process and many companies are at differing stages and paces of their transition. The ability to operate on a production-by-production basis, leveraging technology platforms that can handle outputs in SDI, IP, or any hybrid form, is critical.
A new commercial approach The shift to software-centric technology workflows has brought about new commercial considerations in the media market. Traditional media equipment was mainly fixed in functionality and scale and regarded as a capital investment with a typical working life of five to seven years.
Software systems running on standard computer hardware have a different commercial model. Media organisations are increasingly adopting software-centric solutions, moving away from a heavy capex model favouring an opex-based approach, enabling enhanced business agility and commercial flexibility.
Software for media-specific functionality can be routinely updated and extended, with the option of additional feature sets and licensed for a specified period.
Licensing software typically transforms a purchase model from a significant upfront payment based on the largest expected capacity of a system to smaller incremental payments based on evolving requirements. This helps preserve cashflows for other investments, and enables a much better ROI of content, as licences for additional functionality or capacity can be directly linked to specific projects, creating a clear link between revenues and opex outlay.
Due to advances in cloud- and software-based solutions, considerable amounts of a media organisation's technology platform can be delivered via SaaS workflows. Software applications play a fundamental role within the broadcast camera, providing extensive operational functionality housed within the device-specific hardware. However, the requirement for some bespoke hardware, such as the broadcast camera itself, is naturally clear. You can't virtualise a broadcast camera at least, not yet.
Decision time
Fundamentally, when choosing a came
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
01/07/2026
Nectar360, the Retail Media, Loyalty and Insights business of the Sainsburys Gro...
01/07/2026
9.2 million streams on RT Player between 11 and 28 June
Reach of 2.9 million viewers during Group stages of FIFA World Cup on RT 2
23 million video views acr...
30/06/2026
Could your journalism reach an international stage?
Entries are now open for the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2026, one of the most prestigi...
30/06/2026
Brings together saturation & lo-fi effects
Following on from the release of their Voxcraft vocal-processing plug-in, UJAM have announced the launch of Retro...
30/06/2026
New IR reverb engine, Juno-inspired chorus & more
The latest version of Rapid Flow's hardware-emulation synth plug-in expands on its predecessor with a ...
30/06/2026
Excels at heavy-handed VCA compression
For their latest release, Shy Audio have recreated the crunchy' sound of a rackmount compressor that found its w...
30/06/2026
Component scarcity drives cost increases
Shortly after Apple's CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that cost increases would soon be inevitable , the company hav...
30/06/2026
Hitachi and Bank Pekao S.A. have completed the installation of the first Hitachi...
30/06/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/06/2026
Four-layer instrument aimed at dark electronic music
Excite Audio's latest software instrument has been designed with dark drum and bass, atmospheric te...
29/06/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
29/06/2026
Details environmental policies & results
The Focusrite Group have just announced that following a long audit process, they have published their 2026 sustain...
29/06/2026
Arvato Systems Achieves AWS Cloud Operations Competency
The team behind the AWS Cloud Operations Competency (from left to right: Philipp Hellmich, Johanna Bod...
29/06/2026
RT today announced that Ger Gilroy will join the RT Podcasts team to present a daily sports podcast. Launching later this year, the new show will set the spor...
29/06/2026
RT Commercial announced OUTsurance as sponsor of the Oliver Callan show on RT Radio 1 from Wednesday 1 July.
Oliver Callan doubles the fun, delivering two ...
28/06/2026
Half-size model joins Console 1 line-up
Shortly after the release of their new Flow Studio controller, Softube have announced the launch of another new surf...
28/06/2026
New EXO Series DSP control software announced
EVE Audio's EXO Series monitor range has just gained a new software element that provides remote access to...
27/06/2026
Brings together saturation & lo-fi effects
Following on from the release of their Voxcraft vocal-processing plug-in, UJAM have announced the launch of Retro...
26/06/2026
Virtual session musician plug-in gains new percussion options
Celemony's latest update for their virtual session musician platform complements the exist...
26/06/2026
Half-size model joins Console 1 line-up
Shortly after the release of their new Flow Studio controller, Softube have announced the launch of another new surf...
26/06/2026
ELT Group and Rohde & Schwarz sign a cooperation agreement to explore commercial...
26/06/2026
Flicker Productions to produce five-part docu-reality series following women who have fallen for men in prison and have become TikTok sensations, with brands an...
26/06/2026
Catch up on the latest developments across Baselight and Daylight v7, Nara and F...
26/06/2026
26. June 2026 News
DFT is pleased to announce that a second Polar HQ film s...
26/06/2026
A fresh look at how the Irish helped shape the foundations of the United States
...
25/06/2026
Six free workshops across two days
Global music education platform Music Production for Women (MPW), have just announced a brand new and highly anticipated ...
25/06/2026
Popular pedalboard PSU gets an upgrade
The DC7 v2 is a new and improved version of the renowned effects pedal PSU from CIOKS, and is said to be the thinnest...
25/06/2026
Optimised for lush, enveloping sounds
Described as an instantly rewarding reverb , the latest addition to Arturia's range of creative effects plug-ins ...
25/06/2026
27 June 2026, Westminster University Harrow Campus
GearExpo UK is now upon us, with just two days to go until 150 of the worlds top pro-audio brands and ind...
25/06/2026
alt= data-nectar-img-srcset=https://www.antonbauer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/0...
25/06/2026
Thursday 25 June 2026
Read all about it! The Paper will return for a second sea...
25/06/2026
Thursday 25 June 2026
How to watch the 2026/27 EFL season on Sky Sports
Which EFL matches are Sky Sports showing on the 2026/27 opening weekend?
Sky Sports w...
25/06/2026
Launching today (Thursday 25 June), new RT podcast Ramble with Joe McGucken is a series of curiosity-driven conversations where actor, writer and comedian Joe ...
24/06/2026
Plus: VoiceAssist Basic now available to UA LUNA users
NoiseWorks Audio have just released an update that adds a new Mouth De-Click module to the Advanced t...
24/06/2026
New heavy-duty mic stand joins range
The latest arrival to Gator's Frameworks family introduces a new heavy-duty boom stand that's been designed for...
24/06/2026
Latest major plug-in update goes live
Waves have just announced that the latest major update for their hugely popular plug-in range is now officially availa...
24/06/2026
When assessing cellular coverage, many people look at the signal bars displayed on a smartphone, router or modem. More bars are often assumed to mean better per...
Ronny van Geel, director of product management at Grass Valley, examines some of the key areas media companies need to consider when investing in live broadcast cameras
