Sound and Vision Entertainment and Freeman Provide Secure Remote Production Needs for Spring Draft posted: 30/05/2020
Clear-Com's Eclipse HX and Agent-IC Aid in Communications Solution
Sound and Vision Entertainment (SAV) stepped in to provide the secure communication infrastructure needed to broadcast the 2020 Spring Draft, keeping all production crew connected while working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Clear-Com Eclipse HX digital matrix system along with LQ IP Series was the chosen intercom solution to support the large network of remote Agent-IC intercom app clients required for this broadcast.
For the first time ever, the annual meeting of American football franchises to select newly eligible players for the upcoming season was held via video conference as a result of worldwide travel restrictions. Instead of the planned spectacular live event in Las Vegas, all team selections took place virtually, with league broadcasting picks taking place from the commissioner's basement as well as various other locations. This historic Draft was broadcast live from April 23 - 25.
Freeman, Brady Belavek of SAV and engineer Dave Ragains of Show Machine were hired to handle all production communications between the league, the networks and all production staff. Freeman, along with Belavek and Ragains have been providing the communications solution for the Draft for over a decade, but never in a virtualized setting.
Belavek said, When the decision was made to virtualize the Draft broadcast, we were tasked to come up with a reliable and secure remote communications solution that would enable a large number of production staff to operate from their homes while still being able to communicate on the production intercom freely over many channels. What turned out to be one of the biggest challenges was managing ISP connections in individual's homes and offices, not to mention the security requirements from the league, who were understandably concerned about cybersecurity threats.
Once the LQ license count demands and firewall concerns grew too much, SAV and Freeman turned to Clear-Com for support - and received an unprecedented offer.
Justin Emge, Applications Engineering Manager, Clear-Com, explained, We had an AE Lab Eclipse HX system in our Alameda headquarters that we use to run remote demonstrations across our product range, so it already had the required software licenses installed and the IP infrastructure set up to handle large numbers of remote Agent-IC client users. Freeman and SAV were already familiar with our equipment, so when we offered it as an emergency fix, they were happy to accept.
Over 80 members of the production crew downloaded Clear-Com's Agent-IC mobile app to their iOS and Android mobile devices, which connected back primarily to the Eclipse HX system, or alternatively to an LQ system set up at SAV in Los Angeles. Both the Eclipse and LQ systems were then connected to several phone conference lines for communication between Agent-IC and various control rooms.
Agent-IC is a proven and cost-effective solution for location productions, remote coordination and other critical tasks, essentially turning mobile devices into fully-featured, easy to use intercom panels that integrate into existing workflows and connect securely over 3G, 4G, LTE or Wi-Fi networks.
It was the first time that many of the crew had used Agent-IC but since it looks and feels like a regular intercom panel, the learning curve was very small - we gave them a one-page instruction guide for how to navigate the app and that was all they needed, added Ragains. Each crew member was able to listen and talk to as many conference lines as they needed to, as well as conversing point-to-point with specific staff, with the option to turn different audio streams on and off as required.
Since the Eclipse system was connected to Clear-Com's corporate network, Clear-Com's IT department was brought on to ensure the ISP data connections required were all running properly and to check that the firewall could facilitate all required connections, guaranteeing 100% uptime throughout the three-day event.
Belavek said, I've never been approached to do a remote production of this scale, it was nuts! But I am so proud of what we were able to achieve, and the entire production team was thrilled by how smoothly things went.
There were upwards of 90-100 end-point connections, including around 80 Agent-IC connections, up to nine conference lines for meetings of 10 people, and seven audio trunks running down to back-up equipment based in Los Angeles.
Everyone was able to work from wherever they were, and they were able to maintain the same person-to-person and group communication options that they would have had for a normal studio production, Ragains added.
Emge concludes, Production teams are having to invent new remote workflows on the fly to cope with this evolving situation, and Clear-Com was happy to partner with SAV and Freeman to come up with a solution in such a tight timeline. The communication solution for the Draft broadcast is a perfect example of the collaboration that we have fostered with our Partners. We're excited to help develop communication workflows that can serve other events, large or small, that need to go virtual.
About Clear-Com
Clear-Com, an HME company, is a trusted global provider of professional real-time communications solutions and services since 1968. We innovate market proven technologies that link people together through wired and wireless systems.
Clear-Com was first to market portable wired intercom systems for live performances. Since then, our history of technological advancements and innovations has delivered significant improvements to the way people collaborate in professional settings where real-time communicati
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
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
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...
18/08/2026
Riedel Communications has announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, ...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support their Scar...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Lightware announces an integration with SpectralBot that helps system integrators and AV operators troubleshoot faster using augmented reality (AR), AI-assisted...
18/08/2026
Command Frame for After Effects
Scott Black August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Free download, demonstrations, hands-on tests, and creator resources
Want to t...
18/08/2026
At Stand 14.A57, the data company will demonstrate GreenDot and IBM Aspera together, giving media and entertainment businesses real-time visibility of what thei...
Sound and Vision Entertainment and Freeman Provide Secure Remote Production Needs for Spring Draft posted: 30/05/2020 
