The live 4K UHD sports boom arrives in Canada this month, and Toronto-based mobile-unit provider Dome Productions is ready with multiple 4K trucks set to launch over the next six months.
Both of Dome Productions' owners - Rogers Communications and Bell Media - will begin producing and delivering NBA and NHL games live in 4K to their respective subscribers this month, and Rogers plans to produce all 81 Toronto Blue Jays MLB home games in 4K with HDR beginning this spring. With that in mind, Dome Productions will roll out a side-by-side HD/4K mobile production unit next week to serve both companies' immediate production needs and is set to launch a single-trailer HD/4K hybrid trucks in both March and July.
Dome's Unite mobile unit has been transformed into a 4K/UHD truck to serve the growing number of live 4K sports productions set for 2016 from Sportsnet and TSN.
The unique part about Dome Productions is our owners, says Dome Productions SVP/GM Mary Ellen Carlyle on why Dome has leaped out in front of the 4K-production curve. I think that, because they are trying to figure out how to sell more set-top boxes and survive in this new world, they have come to us with very big challenge. And, because our engineering group is innovative and, I believe, the best in the business, we were ready to go. So they just pulled the trigger, and we have been able to do it.
Although Rogers's Sportsnet delivered its first live 4K telecast - the Toronto Raptors-Orlando Magic NBA game from London's 02 Arena (in conjunction with BT Sport and the NBA) - its first production within Canadian borders will take place on Jan. 23, when the Montreal Canadiens visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre (ACC), with another 20-plus NHL shows and 81 Blue Jays games to follow this year. For its part, Bell Media's TSN launches its live 4K offering on Jan. 20 with the Raptors-Boston Celtics matchup and a full slate of 4K broadcasts featuring the Raptors, Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators.
Dome To Unite' 4K and HD With Side-by-Side Units
Dome Productions has acted quickly since Rogers announced its plans in October, opting to transform its Unite double-expando mobile unit (previously a CAMERON|PACE Group 3D truck) into a dedicated 4K truck that will serve alongside the primary HD mobile unit for NHL and NBA productions in the near term. Dome conducted a proof-of-concept with Sportsnet during a CHL game in London, ON, on Dec. 4 and another with TSN on Dec. 8 during the Maple Leafs-New Jersey Devils matchup. This side-by-side 4K/HD production model will have a full rehearsal at Sportsnet's Chicago Blackhawks-Maple Leafs game tonight at the ACC and then will go live for Sportsnet on Jan. 23.
Ten Sony HDC-4300 cameras (outfitted with Canon UHD lenses), which can output both HD and 4K concurrently, make this side-by-side workflow possible. In addition, HD robos, net cams, and overhead cameras will be upconverted to 4K.
Since the launch was so quick, we had to figure out some workflows just to get them on the air, and, believe me, we changed our minds daily, says Carlyle. In the end, we decided to go with Unite as a side-by-side 4K truck, and we are doing a shadow cut, so, when the director in the main truck takes camera two, we take camera two.
With a Grass Valley Kayenne K-Frame switcher on the Unite truck, she adds, the technical director faces one of the largest learning curves of any operator in the truck, having to deal now with four quadrants instead of one.
4K is a big payload, so it's imposing on the switcher, says Mike Johnson, director of engineering, Dome Productions. We've had to adjust the things that we can do on the switcher in terms of layering and how many channels of keying we can do. So that's an imposition, but the manufacturers are working on that; they'll come around.
In addition, Dome has upped Unite's complement of EVS XT3 replay systems and operators, since the number of replay channels are essentially cut in half in a 4K production.
We're still working through a lot of that replay workflow, Johnson adds, but, for example, if you had a six-channel replay station with four inputs and two outputs, it takes three frames to do that in the UHD world. So we have had to get creative in terms of how we use our [replay resources] and operators to try to make it as similar to an [HD show] as possible. But, at the same time, just like 3D, we didn't want to size up the crew too much.
ChyronHego HD graphics will also be upconverted for the 4K show.
Delivering 4K to the Home
Dome's cross-Canada fiber network will serve as the backbone for transmission services for both Sportsnet and TSN 4K telecasts. Dome began testing 4K transmission over its fiber in December 2014 and delivered live 4K and 8K content from the Women's World Cup last summer for Japanese broadcaster NHK. According to Johnson, Dome will use a mix of J2K, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 compression schemes and deliver the 4K signal over an assortment of 10-gig and 1-gig circuits.
TSN's NHL 4K rehearsal inside Dome's Unite 4K truck at the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 8 during the Maple Leafs-Devils game
[With] 4K transmission, instead of one encoder, you need four encoders and add a spare to that, he says. And the same thing on the other end: you need multiple decoders to move the signal around.
Trillium on the Way
The 4K/HD side-by-side model is only a temporary solution, however. Dome is currently revamping its Trillium mobile unit as a standalone 4K/HD hybrid production truck (intended for Blue Jays games) in March. Trillium will produce a 4K show and then downconvert to create the HD feed.
The overhauled Trillium mobile unit already features a Grass Valley Kayenne switcher and Trinix router and will also use Sony HDC-4300 HD/4K cameras. It wil
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
The live 4K UHD sports boom arrives in Canada this month, and Toronto-based mobile-unit provider Dome Productions is ready with multiple 4K trucks set to launch over the next six months.
