REMOTE SPORTS PRODUCTION ENABLED BY MERGING TECHNOLOGIES posted: 24/11/2020
Merging ASIO technology used with auto-mixing on Virtual Machines
The introduction of IP technology is having a profound impact on how major events are managed and provides opportunities for significant improvements in efficiency with a reduction in hardware needing to be shipped to the venue. This program of change was ongoing before COVID-19 added to the momentum. Initially, with major sporting events all being cancelled, it might be assumed that the rate of change would have slowed. The need for social distancing at all stages of the broadcast chain further emphasised the need to reduce the crew travelling to the event, but still provide the capacity for local commentaries and programming. The recent Grand Slam tennis events in New York and Paris saw the Eurosport Cube introduced, accompanied by some major changes in the technical solutions employed. One of these was addition of auto-mixing from LAMA (Lean And Mean Audio) working with Virtual Machines which requires an ASIO driver that can synchronise all audio machines with low latency. This system depends on additional hardware and some software from Merging Technologies.
The demands of these major events need to be understood to make sense of why moving to this workflow not only makes sense but is essential. The sheer size and complexity need to be understood. A major driver is the need to cater for more commentators without purchasing more hardware. The first request was to produce 45 concurrent feeds during the Olympics in 21 languages, so almost 1,000 mixes are required for program mixes for Discovery and Eurosport's digital platform (Eurosport Player). By contrast, the week after the Olympics the daily requirement might return to only 60 different mixes. Being able to define exactly what was needed and deliver this quickly through software is crucial. Flexibility and scalability are the two key words prevailing.
The Olympics and many other major sports events were either cancelled or postponed early in 2020, but there are similar temporary peaks in demand for tennis tournaments like the recent US and French Open Tennis. With the traditional hardware setup, Eurosport would have been faced with an extra challenge when commentators had to work remotely due to Covid. Working with a software solution was key in responding to this situation. The need to be able to increase capacity on demand, prompted the decision to start using virtual machines. Simply stated, VM's are more interesting in terms of cost, because having a pool of virtual machines reduces the price. Also, one can move a VM or recreate a VM if there is a problem and you can scale VM's for what you need tomorrow.
There are other strong drivers for broadcasters to look at similar solutions. Although there are hopes for some return to normality in 2021, nobody can be sure under what conditions. Looking to the Olympics as an example, the need for a solution with a mix minus system such as provided by the LAMA is paramount, so that commentaries and virtual crowds can be added remotely. COVID rules next August may prevent having several commentators in one booth. Meaning that if you have 300 mixes with 2 commentators, who have to be in different booths, that would be 600 booths which is impractical and too expensive. It is also possible to control more mixes with just one operator. This is a logical development and not just because of medical advice; it is clearly a natural progression to increase efficiency without compromising the viewer experience that is driving broadcasters as technology permits. The key is to provide more mixes without adding more operators.
Many broadcasters are now delivering content on digital platforms, with a selection of different events available continuously. There are also moves within the industry to improve the user experience. This is not just introducing immersive audio and new accessibility solutions, there is now a requirement to offer user selectable options. With sports, there is already a move to have more commentaries in one language. For example, with a football match you can have one commentary from the perspective of one team and another from the opposing team or just audio from the pitch without the commentary. So, if you imagine there 45 events with all these languages, multiplied by the number of different options for commentaries, it then becomes essential to move to these types of self-running solutions.
Eurosport has invested in Hapi and Horus networked audio converters that were ST2110-30 compliant. There are now over 20 Hapi units deployed with a handful of the larger Horus units. More recently, MERGING+ANUBIS units are being added as are an increasing number of Ovation Media Servers. The AETA ScoopTeam commentary units also share the Merging ZMAN technology that is a central component of Anubis. This ensures that AES67 compatibility is guaranteed between these essential hardware devices. What became clear was that some additional custom features would be required to realise the full potential of the system. ANEMAN Enterprise was tailored to suit the much larger facility but it was also necessary to develop an ASIO driver capable of working with Virtual Machines. This driver technology is now employed in two Tech-Hubs located in the UK and the Netherlands with 36 VMs in each location with plans for future expansion. The Merging units provide the ASIO clock derived from the PTP Grand Master and the audio VMs are running applications such as LAMA or Merging's Ovation Media Server.
Merging recently introduced the Anubis SPS to add ST2022-7 to the NMOS and ST2110-30 capability shared by all Merging interfaces. These protocols are also provided by the new Merging Audio Device (MAD) when the Infrastructure Pack is adde
Europe Stories
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
15/07/2025
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...
15/07/2025
Harmonic's Hybrid, AI-Powered and Live Sports Streaming Innovations are Key ...
15/07/2025
The well-known and well-loved 4099 has been completely revamped. It features amazing CORE+ technology, which eliminates distortion and extends dynamic range, a ...
15/07/2025
Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Mea...
15/07/2025
Peak audiences of over half a million tune into both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal ...
15/07/2025
PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 posted: 15/07/2025
Proton Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025
Alongs...
14/07/2025
Enhancing Public Service Broadcasting with
Innovation, Accuracy & Sustainability
New regional detail and local towns featured...
11/07/2025
If you've ever wondered what might be playing in Clark Kent's headphones...
11/07/2025
AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration launches two papers to guide the future of AI integration, today at the AI for Good Global Summit
The...
10/07/2025
The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...
10/07/2025
Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stag...
10/07/2025
This is not a drill: Oasis is back on the road-marking its first live performanc...
10/07/2025
The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft...
10/07/2025
10 Jul 2025
VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing Kyiv, New York, Dubai, and Philadelphia - July 10, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq:...
10/07/2025
Thursday 10 July 2025
The Very Small Creatures
Jaime's Treetop Tales
Emerald
BooSnoo! Christmas Mashup
Pip & Posy's Spooktacular Party
The Very Sm...
10/07/2025
Thursday 10 July 2025
Brand new rewards are coming to Sky customers, with free ...
10/07/2025
Comscore Achieves Full JIC Certification for National TV Measurement Including...
09/07/2025
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Sky Broadband now has the UK's fastest broadband spee...
09/07/2025
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced Jeff Williams will transition his role as chief operating officer later this month to Sabih Khan, Apple's senior...
08/07/2025
In an era where digital threats to journalists are becoming increasingly aggressive and widespread, MediaSafe Africa launches as a vital online resource to help...
08/07/2025
This summer, as the energy builds for one of the biggest moments in women's ...
08/07/2025
UKTV today announces that Richard Watsham, Chief Creative Officer at UKTV and Global Director of Acquisitions for BBC Studios/UKTV, has decided to step down fro...
08/07/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - July 8, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a reco...
08/07/2025
Arvato Systems Optimizes Customer Communication with AOK Niedersachsen
New project in the statutory health insurance sector
Arvato Systems and AOK Niedersach...
08/07/2025
On August 7, Apple Arcade is adding four exclusive games to its diverse catalogue of more than 200 fun games for players to enjoy, all free from ads and in-app ...
07/07/2025
** MEDIA ALERT **
VIZ Media Ignites AX 2025 with Star-Studded Panels, Exclus...
07/07/2025
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA As Apple Music marks its 10th anniversary this year, Apple unveils its most ambitious creative project to date: a brand-new state-of-the...
07/07/2025
RT has announced that Mark Bignell has been appointed Commissioning Editor for Comedy following a public competition. This senior editorial position will drive...
04/07/2025
The Summer Reading Challenge has inspired children across the U.K. to embrace a ...
04/07/2025
Friday 4 July 2025
Watch the trailer here https://youtu.be/Od5WpvWmDr8
Further...
04/07/2025
The Pitch comes to RT Radio 1 airwaves this Sunday at 7pm. The Pitch is a brand...
03/07/2025
For our Vario-Jib, as well as for a repertoire of weights, we now have carts that make transport easier...
03/07/2025
One of our latest innovations: Slider Drive Unit!
Our Vario Slider not only comes with improvements and new features, but also with its own drive unit!
Our i...
03/07/2025
The 360 EVO lives up to its name: 360-degree rotation not only on the pan axis, but also on the roll axis, enables filmmakers to take their creative visions eve...
03/07/2025
What a buzzing few days at BSCExpo in London!
We were thrilled to connect with so many talented professionals from the world of cinematography.
A huge thank ...
03/07/2025
ADOLESCENCE - Shot with Panther Tower"The whole rig had to be detachable mid-episode
Netflix limited drama series Adolescence has been gaining attentio...
03/07/2025
** MEDIA ALERT ** Shonen Jump Store Hosting Los Angeles Pop-up During Anime Exp...
03/07/2025
Thursday 3 July 2025
David Harewood and Matthew Broome in Mozart: Genius for Hi...
03/07/2025
The Sky WNT Fund supports Womens National Team players with a 30,000 bursaryThursday 3 July 2025
Sky Ireland has announced the four recipients of the 2025 Sky...
02/07/2025
Calrec expands ecosystem at NAB 2025 giving broadcasters access to dynamic workflows and ultimate flexibility Helping broadcasters meet the shifting needs of me...
02/07/2025
02 Jul 2025
VEON Raises USD 200 Million in Private Bond Placement Dubai, July 1, 2025: VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator ( VEON ), announces ...
02/07/2025
Brand new factual series follows mechanic and self-taught engineer Dom Chinea as he makes the move of his life to the far west of Cornwall
UKTV today announces...
02/07/2025
Rohde & Schwarz acquires ZES ZIMMER Electronic Systems GmbH and expands its T&M ...
02/07/2025
Wuppertal July 2, 2025
Riedel Communications Launches RefSuite Ecosystem for S...
REMOTE SPORTS PRODUCTION ENABLED BY MERGING TECHNOLOGIES posted: 24/11/2020 
