The X Games bid adieu to Austin this week: the event's third year at Circuit of the Americas (CoTA) will be its last. The ESPN production departs South-by-Southwest a very different event from the one in Los Angeles in 2013 and leaves a legacy of technical and production innovation.
I think every X Games evolves, and we learn something and get smarter about how we do things, where we place cameras, and the layout of the venue, which makes the best fan experience better and translates into a better TV show, says ESPN Remote Operations Producer Patty Mattero. Another [innovation] is the heavy-music integration with Metallica and Kanye the past two years and now Blink 182 and All-Time Low this year. We've gotten to the point where we're doing two live performances this year during the event by pulling a stage out in front of the Big Air and doing one song each night in primetime. It's a pretty big undertaking and something that we're really proud of.
Camera Complement: Repos, Repos, Repos
Although the X Games production always boasts a sizable camera complement, it's the number of repos that reveals just how big a show ESPN puts on. The network uses 39 cameras in all, but 30 of them will be deployed at a total of 101 locations, each covering as many as seven events. The remaining nine cameras are Fletcher robos and Marshall POVs from Admiral Video, which are used at 18 locations, including on course, in announce booths, and in judging areas.
Operators with handhelds, scissor lifts with mounted cameras, and robos are shuttled from event to event, explains Shane Smith, ESPN Remote Operations, maximizing inventory utilization and man-hours while allowing for a full spectrum of coverage for every televised event.
Besides the robos and POVs, ESPN's specialty gear at CoTA comprises two Sony HDC-4300 4K/high-speed cameras, two jib cranes, a 125-ft. camera crane, two 85-ft. Strada camera cranes, three RF handhelds (provided by BSI), and a helicopter with gyro-stabilized camera attached.
The [camera] numbers aren't necessarily all that overwhelming, but it's pretty impressive that the team can cover so much competition over the four days and so many different venues with this [level of camera complement], says Paul DiPietro, coordinating director, ESPN Remote Production Operations. We don't go in with 700 cameras and plop them down. They really maximize the use of their gear to make things as efficient as possible. What this team can do with the resources they're given is pretty amazing.
Inside the Compound and On the Set
At ESPN's CoTA truck compound, NEP MIRA M-14 (A and B units) is handling Venue A (Big Air, Vert, and Park, as well as the X Games Extra studio show); NEP SS24 (A and B) is handling Venue B (Flat Track racing on Thursday night and MotoX and BMX Dirt/Street the remaining days). Because M-14 carries Grass Valley cameras and SS24 carries Sony cameras, the X Games team was faced with a new challenge this year.
Usually, we're all-Sony. So we can mix and move camera heads around, and we don't have to be quite as careful. But, this year, we've got one Grass Valley truck and one Sony truck, says ESPN Operations Specialist Joe Rainey. We've just had to plan out carefully and not paint ourselves into any corners as far as repos or what goes with what. But the teams have done a great job with that; we're not really anticipating any problems.
ESPN has also rolled out NEP's ESU2 to handle signal distribution throughout CoTA, as well as eight office trailers. Also on hand are BSI's mobile unit for RF frequency coordination.
After previously locating its primary set atop the paddock, ESPN has relocated it to CoTA's Galleria near the entrance to the festival villages in order to interact more with the crowd onsite.
We decided to go for a more of [an ESPN College] GameDay feel and get closer to the public, says Mattero. We're going to do a combination set where we'll use it for our set, SportsCenter integration, and later each night for our X Games Extra show.
Intel Curie Returns
After debuting at Winter X Games in Aspen in January, Intel's pencil-eraser-size Curie module is back in action in Austin for the Big Air and BMX Dirt competitions. The module transmits real-time acceleration, motion, and location data via more than a dozen antennas mounted down the sides of the courses. The Intel team delivers the metrics to the Visual Technologies (VT) operation housed in ESPN's truck, where real-time graphics are generated automatically for the ESPN telecast.
Audio Goes Dante
X Games Austin will be once again be presented in 5.1 surround sound, and ESPN will deploy more than 350 individual mic positions to capture the sounds around the venue, all interconnected through a variety of transport mediums, such as Andiamo MADI and Calrec Hydra. Although the audio side of the production is very similar to previous iterations, the ESPN Event Productions (EP) team is breaking new ground in its onsite videoboard production, basing the audio infrastructure on Dante.
[EP] is using Dante this year for their master distribution plan for audio, says Rainey. We're just dipping our toes into that water with a MADI-to-Dante interface between the two groups, which is a unique technology to this year.
At-Home Production Is Back
ESPN's X Games production was a pioneer in at-home production years ago, and that legacy continues this year in Austin. The X Games production team will once again be tied to ESPN's broadcast center in Bristol, CT, via two 1-GBps fiber paths, allowing the bulk of the features- and craft-editing staff to remain in Bristol to take advantage of the facilities there.
Content can be pushed and pulled via file transfer and ESPN's EVS portal. ESPN has five
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
The X Games bid adieu to Austin this week: the event's third year at Circuit of the Americas (CoTA) will be its last. The ESPN production departs South-by-Southwest a very different event from the one in Los Angeles in 2013 and leaves a legacy of technical and production innovation.
