Live From the Indy 500: NEP Specialty Camera's Sean Seavers on a Historic RF Effort

Live From the Indy 500: NEP Specialty Camera's Sean Seavers on a Historic RF Effort It's almost like a Super Bowl or golf show' By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Thursday, May 22, 2025 - 9:43 pm

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NEP Specialty Cameras is on hand at the Indy 500 in a big way. A team of around 20 people are working in four production units to prepare a wealth of RF gear, as well as the required infrastructure to get the signals to the compound, for race day on Sunday and for numerous events, such as qualifying, over the past couple of weeks.

NEP Specialty Camera's Sean Seavers says the NEP presence this year is the largest ever with respect to RF wireless systems.

This is a really big show for us, says Sean Seavers, business development manager, NEP Specialty Cameras. With an RF camera/link count unlike anything we've had a previous Indy 500, It's almost like a Super Bowl or golf show.

For the big race on Sunday, the NEP team will deploy 40 RF links to handle signals from 20 RF talent microphones and 82 RF cameras, including three cameras (a 360 camera on the roof, a camera in the car facing the driver, a camera in the nose of the car) in each of 17 cars, one in the pace car, and three in a two-seater car, which will also drive around the track pre-race.

One of the go-to shots that gets on the air the most is from the 360 cameras above the roll hoop pan, adds Seavers. Each of those cameras also has 15 ft. of clear tape on it so, when it gets dirty, the camera operator can hit a button and clean the lens.

Also, six drivers will be equipped with Driver's Eye systems, a tiny camera mounted in the visor of the helmet and cabled to the RF transmitter. We worked with Racing Force Group to integrate this cutting-edge perspective, says Seavers. We were able to get those installed at the race in Long Beach, which gave everyone a chance to collaborate and work together ahead of this race. Indy 500 Director Mitch Riggin has said they look great.

Other specialty cameras for which NEP is overseeing RF connectivity include a Rovercam, two drones from Beverly Hills Aerials, a chopper cam, and an RF-connected Sony P50 Steadicam system.

The big technical leap has been going to HDR, a move that has required deployment of nine additional RF receive sites around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to handle the HDR signals (the in-car cameras are still 720p SDR, which will be upconverted to HDR).

Mike Davies [EVP, technical and field operations, FOX Sports] asked us to see if we could do the studio show in HDR and [whether] flipping the race coverage cameras to HDR could be done, says Seavers. So we've rolled in the truck we had at the PGA Championship this past weekend, and we'll be handling the HDR from there.

The biggest challenge from an RF perspective is the size of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The track is 2.5 miles long, and the infield is so large that it actually contains a golf course. For NEP, that large footprint means deploying 40 RF receive sites, including nine duplicate receive sites to handle the HDR signals.

It has meant deploying a lot of infrastructure, a lot of fiber, and a lot of receive sites to make sure the coverage is seamless, says Seavers. We're here the whole month, so it was a big push in the beginning, and now we are fine-tuning all the way up to Sunday.

Seavers credits the NEP Specialty Camera racing group not only for its commitment to the production but also for a love of the sport that enables the crew to operate at maximum mode for many long days, weeks, and months.

Steve Miller, our operations manager for the racing division, is on his 40th Indy 500 this month, Seavers notes. We have a lot of guys that are excited and love it here. They've been here for a month so it's a grind, but you can feel everyone getting excited, especially because FOX is really bringing the firepower.

The FOX/NEP Specialty Camera Group has deep roots in NASCAR, NFL, and MLB coverage, and NEP has supported the Indy Race Series (and the Indy 500) for decades.

We're pushing technology to get the most out of it, Seavers adds. It has been full throttle all season to get to this point. This 109th Indianapolis 500 is shaping up to be something truly special.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/05/22/live-from-the-indy-500-nep-spec...
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