Busy in Bristol: ESPN Headquarters Come Alive With New Studio W, Remote-Production Workflows

REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions this season

Tonight, the National Hockey League will drop the puck on one of the earliest starts to a season in league history. ESPN has the honor of broadcasting the first three nationwide games of the new 84-game regular season, and the tripleheader of Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes at 5 p.m. ET, New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins at 8 p.m., and Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vegas Golden Knights at 10:30 p.m. will rely on the one-month-old Studio W and a SMPTE ST 2110 backbone with remote workflows for live coverage in Bristol, CT.

In an era when sport-specific studios are becoming increasingly rare, Studio W feels like it was built for hockey coverage, says Christopher Russano, supervising director, ESPN. Strategic monitor placement and blocking of cameras will bring both our team and the viewer closer to the action.

First NHL Shift: Studio W Brings Renewed Energy to The Point

Making its debut on Aug. 29 for ESPN's first week of college-football coverage, Studio W has already created a new standard for studio programming. Used by NFL Live and the network's marquee shows under their NFL umbrella, the studio combines the various facets of an infrastructure that ESPN has worked to revamp over the past couple of years.

Studio W advances ESPN's production capabilities with next-gen IP infrastructure, virtual-production technology, and enhanced automation, says Anthony Lacaprucia, senior director, production operations, ESPN. Together, these innovations deliver greater creative flexibility, better storytelling, improved production efficiency, and expanded augmented- and extended-reality possibilities.

The one-month-old Studio W debuted on Aug. 29 during Week 1 of the college football season.Armed with the ability to render and shift among virtual settings in real time, more than 148 million pixels in the entire environment, more than 9,200 sq. ft. of LED displays, and 44.7 million pixels of that total dedicated to XR and AR technology, the production and operations teams behind Studio W have received ample lessons to improve their approach to shows heading into the NHL season.

The NHL team has benefited from our college-football and NFL productions using Studio W, says Lacaprucia. As we continue to grow in the space, we're refining how we blend technology, storytelling, and production techniques to create more-dynamic, engaging, and better-looking shows.

Anchoring pre/postgame and intermission coverage in Studio W, The Point will feature the return of host Steve Levy and analysts Mark Messier and P.K. Subban. With numerous seasons under their belts, the trio mesh well together. As this studio promotes more creative freedom, the shows have the chance to get even better.

The new space strengthens their on-air chemistry by creating more opportunities for talent to interact, collaborate, and tell stories in dynamic ways, adds Lacaprucia. The purpose-built LED volume enables immersive demonstrations, while advanced virtual-production capabilities allow the team to bring analysis to life through engaging AR- and XR-enhanced storytelling.

Tuesday's Tripleheader: 22-Path REMIs Drive Games in 1080p HDR

The bustling activity in Bristol continues with live game coverage. Remote technologies, in the form of both REMCO (remote-controlled) solutions and full REMI (remote-integration) productions, will power a fair number of live broadcasts this season. For the latter, the new D-72 and D-32 production-control rooms will house a majority of these REMIs built on top of more than 22 paths of video headed back to ESPN's headquarters. These IP-driven control rooms, and the entire REMI model, will accommodate new 1080p HDR workflows. On the REMCO front, graphics and Viz Libero telestration will augment the live broadcasts. For example, the first two games on Tuesday will be produced by the REMCO model, and the night's final game will be a full REMI production.

At the venue, ESPN will have a traditional mobile unit parked outside in the broadcast compound. The first game at Lenovo Center will feature Game Creek Video Nitro, the second game at TD Garden will feature Game Creek Video Gotham, and the third game at T-Mobile Arena will feature Game Creek Video Riverhawk.

Much like last season, there will be a handful of Game Creek trucks in steady rotation to provide coverage throughout the season, says Paul Horrell, manger, remote operations, ESPN. The coordination and efforts by their team to accommodate us have been tremendous.

Studio W comprises more than 148 million pixels in the space, and 44.7 million pixels of that total is dedicated to XR and AR technology.In the building, the tripleheader will feature three separate announce teams. Play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen, analyst Erik Johnson, and reporter Leah Hextall will be on the call in Raleigh, NC; play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough, analyst Ray Ferraro, and reporter Emily Kaplan will voice the broadcast in Boston; and play-by-play announcer Mike Monaco, analyst Kevin Weekes, and reporter Stormy Buonantony will be behind the mic in Las Vegas.

Need for Speed: Super-Slo-Mo Cams Illustrate the Pace of the Game

The pace in the NHL is blinding, but ESPN is stacked with technology that will either help fans keep up with the game's speed or slow down the action for those watching at home. On the ice at Lenovo Center, Skatecam with RF capabilities from CP Communications will document the game during stoppages in play. In Raleigh and Boston, Speed Shot robotic cameras from NEP Specialty Capture (formerly Fletcher) and six Proton POVs will join the standard 11 game cameras. In Las Vegas, the broadcast will be pieced together with nine game cameras and four Proton POVs.

Selected games during the regular-season sche

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