Case Study: How IMS Productions and FOX Sports Scaled Coverage of the 109th Indianapolis 500

IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds, and an expanded graphics package for the 109th Indianapolis 500, which ended with a record closest finish of 0.0233 seconds.

This year, we were just tipping just over 100 cameras for the show, says Jason King, Director of Engineering, IMS Productions. Then you have all the replay channels and all of the onboards. We had 16 onboard cameras with dual paths simultaneously pulling two video signals. That gives us 32 feeds before you even start looking at clean and dirty versions.

FOX Sports introduced a graphics system that automatically tracks onboard camera movement and adjusts HUD graphic overlays as the camera pans around the cockpit, creating a driver's-eye-view effect. FOX has come up with a system that automatically keys in the HUD' Graphic over the Roll Hoop camera as it pans. It makes it look like the graphic is actually there and part of the car, says Steve Dixon, Supervising Engineer and Engineer in Charge, IMS Productions. The fans loved it.

For the switcher infrastructure, IMS Productions used its Grass Valley Kayenne K-Frame SXP-I system and brought in a Grass Valley K-Frame VXP as a loaner for sub-switching workflows, handling replay switching separately from the main show. The sub-compact VXP came in and took care of all our replay switching and worked really well. It allowed the main show TD to keep everything onboard-based in the switcher while the Tape Release TD handled replay resources separately, says Dixon. Even with the VXP, they maxed out all 48 inputs.

FOX Sports also set up a dedicated central engineering facility this year to consolidate infrastructure across the compound. It really is a game changer. No more throwing things into belly bays and running cables across the compound. We were largely ready to go before they arrived because so much of the infrastructure was already connected, says King.

Looking ahead, FOX Sports is planning to expand IP workflows across the production. Being able to have multiple Grass Valley switchers tied together and working cohesively in an environment that allows us to speed up production to meet the speed of racing is hugely important, says Brad Cheney, FOX Sports. As we've embarked on this new IP world, we've done so knowing that we have a lot of opportunities over the next couple of years to really push forward with connectivity, flexibility and the creative capabilities we've been looking for.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/07/06/case-study-how-ims-productions-...
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