University of Washington Opens Four-Control-Room IP Produ...

University of Washington Intercollegiate Athletics has brought its new Sundodger Studios production facility on air, with Grass Valley cameras and production switchers supporting four control rooms on an SMPTE ST 2110 network. The installation combines two K-Frame SXP production switcher frames and ten LDX 100 Series cameras, providing the capacity to manage multiple live sports productions simultaneously.

The project replaces a smaller, aging SDI production system with an IP infrastructure capable of supporting 1080p, UHD and HDR workflows. Designed in collaboration with broadcast technology consultant Anthony James Partners (AJP) and integrated by Conference Technologies, Inc. (CTI), the new facility was completed during summer 2026 and went live for the Washington Huskies' opening men's soccer game on August 12th.

The University of Washington is a member of the Big Ten Conference, with its Intercollegiate Athletics department producing live coverage of Huskies sporting events. Located on the Seattle campus, Sundodger Studios serves the university's athletics production requirements while providing students with access to professional broadcast technology and workflows.

Moving from our previous SDI system to a facility of this scale was a significant undertaking for our production and engineering teams, said Sam Wojtalewicz, Associate Athletic Director of Broadcast Operations, University of Washington Intercollegiate Athletics. We needed more capacity to support our athletics schedule, along with the flexibility to accommodate different production requirements. The new facility gives us four control rooms and the ability to develop our workflows as we gain experience with the IP infrastructure.

Shared Production Resources

The facility uses two Grass Valley K-Frame SXP IP production switcher frames, each serving two control rooms. Each room has its own control surface, with two Kayenne 3 M/E and two Karrera 3 M/E panels across the facility. This allows production teams to work independently while sharing the processing resources of the two frames, reducing the hardware required to support four simultaneous productions.

Each K-Frame supports 128 IP inputs and 64 IP outputs, with SMPTE ST 2022-7 redundancy and 12G UHD capability. Operators can also move between Kayenne and Karrera control positions without having to learn a different switching system.

The camera installation comprises four LDX 135 native UHD cameras for primary coverage, four LDX 150 cameras equipped for 3x and 6x high-speed capture, and two wireless LDX 135 cameras for roaming and sideline positions. Eight XCU Xpress UXF base stations connect the cabled cameras to the IP network, while Grass Valley Creative Grading panels and a CCS-ONE camera control server provide consistent camera shading and color management.

The design needed to support several productions running at the same time, with each control room retaining its own operational flexibility, said Michael Martin, VP of Technology, Anthony James Partners. Using two K-Frame systems across four rooms makes efficient use of the production resources, while the ST 2110 infrastructure allows signals to be shared throughout the facility. That gives Washington greater freedom to configure its productions around the events it needs to cover.

Supporting Collegiate and Professional Sports Production

The move to ST 2110 marked a significant change for the university's production team, which worked with AJP, CTI and Grass Valley to adapt its workflows to the new infrastructure.

Following its August 12th debut, the facility was showcased at an industry open house on September 18, co-hosted by the university, Grass Valley and CTI.

Grass Valley's established presence in professional live sports production was an important factor in the university's technology selection. The new studios give students practical experience with K-Frame switching and LDX camera systems they are likely to encounter in their future careers.

The University of Washington is an important new customer for Grass Valley in collegiate sports, said Greg Doggett, Vice President of Sports Sales, North America, Grass Valley. Sundodger Studios reflects the level of production capability universities now require for their live events, alongside their commitment to developing the next generation of broadcast professionals.

The university also plans to integrate its Grass Valley production systems with Daktronics technology already deployed across its athletics venues.

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