MLB All-Star 2019 Wrap-Up: Specialty Cameras, Virtual Graphics Take Center Stage in Cleveland

MLB All-Star 2019 Wrap-Up: Specialty Cameras, Virtual Graphics Take Center Stage in Cleveland A recap of the efforts by CP, Skycam, Fletcher, Admiral Video, SMT, Virtual Eye, Inertia Unlimited, and 4DReplay By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Tuesday, July 16, 2019 - 2:48 pm

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MLB All-Star week once again featured a cavalcade of specialty cameras, unique audio solutions, and virtual graphics to capture and enhance coverage by Fox Sports, ESPN, and MLB Network. Here's a look at the roles played by some of the key vendors onsite in Cleveland to make it all happen: CP Communications, Skycam, NEP Fletcher, Admiral Video, SMT, Virtual Eye, Inertia Unlimited, and 4DReplay.

CP Communications Shoulders RF Load

CP Communications, a longtime veteran at MLB All-Star week, provided RF cameras, microphones, and comms and also handled frequency coordination for the broadcasters onsite.

The CP Comms team at MLB All-Star (from left): Michael Mason, President; Aaron Segarra, VP Sales; Frank Rafka, Technical Manager; Brian Ready, Systems Engineer

The company supplied 14 RF camera systems in total, including handling RF for two new systems for ESPN's Home Run Derby coverage: the Flycam point-to-point aerial system and the CartCam escorting players from the underground batting cages to home plate.

The challenge of the CartCam was that the cart is not outside where our normal receive sites are, so we added receive sites downstairs, said Frank Rafka, technical manager, CP Communications. This is similar to the [cart] system we use in our golf [coverage], and it gives us the ability to route multiple receive sites to receivers. We have a receive site up at the top of the parking garage for the Flycam, and we have a receive site down in the tunnel to receive that CartCam. The beauty of it is, any of the cameras can go to any of these places. It's not limited to just the Flycam or the CartCam: if the handheld needs to go into the hallway, it can do that.

CP also supplied an RF Steadicam and three handhelds for ESPN; an RF M VI rig featuring a Sony HDC-P1R camera and a Sony HDC-2500 handheld for Fox Sports; three handhelds - one of which was for MLB Digital - and two RF systems for the batting cages for MLB Network. In addition, CP deployed three Mobile Viewpoint bonded-cellular systems for MLB Network's coverage of the Red Carpet Show.

On the audio side, CP supplied Fox Sports with 16 RF inground mics, RF talent mics, two RF ump mics, six RF player mics, two RF player IFBs for in-game interviews, eight RF FX mics, and RF mics on the bases. ESPN deployed CP reporter mics, field EFX mics, in-ground mics, player mics, IFB, PL, and RAD. For MLB Network, CP provided Dante networked audio and Shure Axient Digital mics. CP also provided a combined six Dante audio networks for the needs of broadcasters and operations onsite.

The big thing this year is, there's more Dante networked audio from all clients than there has been in the past, said Brian Ready, comms engineer and client support, CP Communications. Each client would individually do their own little thing, but now each one of them has grown. And so everybody is doing more and more Dante networked audio. Dante has grown by leaps and bounds.

CP also managed comms needs for all three broadcasters onsite, provided a Pliant Technologies Crewcomm system for MLB Digital, and served other MLB properties onsite.

In terms of comms here, we've become a hub for all the networks, as well as MLB [Office of the Commissioner], said CP Communications President Michael Mason. We're handling specific needs for [each broadcaster] and, at the same time, integrating all of them together. Not to mention also handling all their other communications with a truck compound that is in the basement, so we have installed a series of repeaters inside and outside the ballpark.

Skycam Back for Chapter 2 at MLB All-Star

After making its All-Star-Game debut last year in Washington, DC, Skycam returned for Fox Sports and MLB Network - positioned just behind the left-centerfield wall and used for both game coverage and beauty shots of the Cleveland skyline (as well as for coverage of the Tuesday's Red Carpet Show on MLB Network).

Skycam was back at MLB All-Star Game for the second consecutive year for Fox Sports.

MLB wants none of our support cables in fair play, noted Skycam COO/CTO Stephen Wharton. This can be a bit of a challenge, but our goal was to give a variety of shots to both Fox and MLB focusing on the Fox Studio set, the center and left-center fans, the bullpen area, and the Cleveland skyline. This versatility, along with covering the game from a higher angle from this location, allowed Fox and MLB Networks to get a lot of use and different looks across all their shows.

With its MLB All-Star experience, the Skycam operation ran smoothly in Cleveland, according to Wharton. Since Skycam covers several shows over three days on both Fox and MLB Network, it was imperative that everyone was aware of the schedule and that comms and shading operations were adjusted accordingly. To make this happen, Skycam was able to assign an EIC to each network to maintain a single point of contact for the broadcasters.

I think, logistically and technically, you always walk away from a show learning another trick on how to streamline, said Wharton. [In] our second year back, it helped MLB that they were already familiar with us and our setup: they knew exactly what we would be doing, and so approvals went very quickly.

We're still growing in the baseball space with the networks and the leagues, he continued. We have bigger plans to do more - like AR graphics and fly [Skycam] further onto the field - but it's a crawl-walk-run scenario. We look forward to expanding our coverage into baseball.

NEP's

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