ES Broadcast technical director Jonathan Lyth outlines how his company designed, specified and built the backend video and audio infrastructure for the OGN Super Arena in California, discussing the challenges faced and sharing the lessons learnt along the way.
It's hard to overestimate the impact that eSports is having on the video games market.
Indeed, the impact is being felt across the entertainment sector with the scale of competitive playing, the level of sponsorship and the associated prize money impossible to ignore.
Then there's the plethora of Twitch TV and YouTube influencers. According to a recent report by DataReportal, almost one billion people around the world have watched eSports, with 22 per cent of internet users saying that they have watched an online tournament in recent months, with audiences growing by 50 per cent in the past year.
OGN is an eSports network and content producer based in South Korea and has a long-established reputation in the field. 2018 saw the initiation of a new project by OGN: the 35,000-square-foot OGN Super Arena in Manhattan Beach, California. It's specifically designed for Battle Royale eSports games like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).
ES Broadcast was initially contacted about this project at NAB 2018. OGN has a longstanding relationship with systems integrator De Tune Company and had worked on several projects with them. De Tune already had previously worked with ES Broadcast for their equipment hire needs, and so turned to us as a key partner on this systems integration project.
In essence, we worked with them to design, specify and build the backend video and audio infrastructure, while De Tune also focussed on the complex and very impressive front-of-house systems. This includes an Astro Spatial Audio 3D surround system.
Having met with the key people involved at NAB 2018, we then set about designing the system.
Lyth: eSports content producers are using kit in ways that broadcasters simply wouldn't think of
One of the key requirements was that it had to be designed and built as a modular system, allowing it to be moved from venue to venue if required. A second key point, one that we had to learn and adapt to, was that this wasn't a broadcast install.
While it may feature much of the same technology, the way that it's being used, particularly the sheer number of I/Os in relation to the small technology footprint, is quite something else. OGN - along with other eSports providers - also sometimes thinks differently as to how a particular piece of kit can be used compared to more traditional workflows.
We went through the suggested kit list and made significant changes to it. On the video side we selected key technology from Sony, EVS, Evertz, Ross, Adobe, Elements and TSL. When it came to specifying the audio requirements, ES Broadcast had worked with Calrec on several other projects and so we have a good understanding of the flexibility of Calrec audio consoles in combination with its Hydra2 networking technology - not to forget the sound quality and mixing options available.
Bearing in mind the levels of audio complexity eSports demands, it made sense to specify an Artemis console as well as a Brio, which is now used for front-of-house (FOH). Of course, we deployed the Calrec Hyrda2 network too.
Once formalised, we then built and tested the system in the UK and we also completed the furniture design and layout for the building. We worked closely with De Tune throughout the whole process as they have a huge amount of eSports experience.
Once we were happy with the testing we did in the UK, the equipment was shipped to LA and as the control areas for the arena were still under construction (despite the arena opening in December 2018), the system was initially installed in an OB unit, with De Tune completing the final move into the building in April 2019.
In addition, De Tune installed an NDI network for collecting game screen and POV camera content for use with in-venue coverage, driving the huge wraparound screen, desk and floor LED display. This system also allows the host broadcaster to convert some of these feeds for use in their own output.
As mentioned, because this venue - at the time the largest fixed eSports technology install globally - is designed to handle huge multiplayer events, it's the way that the technology is used in terms of the volume of feeds that really stands out. It's a bit like covering two major, non-virtual, sports events at the same time, for many hours at once - again, not something you see every day.
Taking the example of an 80-player Battle Royale event, there are 10 full system cameras, though there's capacity for a little more. Then there are 20 team cameras, which are concentrated on the team captain and team members down the line. At the end of each of the 20-team desks there's an SDI mini-cam.
There's a primary vision mixer (Sony XVS-7000X) which is fed by the 10 system cameras, sub-mix outputs, replay, graphics and VR. We then have one sub-mix handling the selection of feeds from the 20 team cameras (POV) and then feeding that into the main mix. Via the NDI layer, there are feeds from every gamer's screen and every gamer's webcam, which gives another 160 sources.
This is used mainly to drive the FOH big screen content. But we can take SDI out from any eight of those 160 feeds into the main mix. Excluding the NDI content, that's 160 discrete sources.
A second sub-mixer, directed by two supervisors, cuts feeds from the Observer pen - there are a further 12 game machines being operated in spectator mode by experienced gamers. They can use their knowledge to predict the best places to position themselves, providing an array of perspectives for the director to choose in-game action from. The nearest comparison
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
07/05/2026
Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision
Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...
07/05/2026
Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...
07/05/2026
Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...
07/05/2026
Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...
07/05/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...
07/05/2026
Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...
ES Broadcast technical director Jonathan Lyth outlines how his company designed, specified and built the backend video and audio infrastructure for the OGN Super Arena in California, discussing the challenges faced and sharing the lessons learnt along the way.
