When SVG was launched in January 2006, we set out to be an association with a difference. Yes, as with most associations, our members and sponsors help us lay out an agenda for activities and initiatives. But we do boast one major difference: a dedicated (and global) editorial team that spends countless hours every week reporting on the industry's biggest events and technological advances.The goal is simple: to use the power of the written word (and video) to tell our members' and sponsors' stories in an in-depth way, helping inform sports-video professionals around the globe.
SVG's Advisory Board Chairmen have been an integral part of the company's mission since Day 1, beginning with CBS's Ken Aagaard (left), followed by NBA's Steve Hellmuth (right) and Turner's Tom Sahara (center).
That approach has allowed us to spend much of the past 10 years reporting firsthand from inside the world's largest sports events. We have witnessed the way sports TV production has evolved and, in many ways, led the industry in deployment of new technologies. Some of those new technologies create a template for future operations; others fall by the wayside. But, regardless of whether a technology finds a place in the marketplace, those early efforts of putting it to use involved tons of effort, a lot of faith, and plenty of patience.
The Dynamism of Sports
It goes without saying that the sports segment of the TV-production industry is the most dynamic. In the past five years, TV-viewing habits have undergone a profound shift, with streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu competing with the TV networks for eyeballs. But the traditional broadcast and cable networks hold the ultimate weapon in appointment television: live sports.
The Olympic Flame, visible over the iconic Bird's Nest, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Yes, part of that is because the value of sports rights and franchises continues to rise. But the real reason the industry is so dynamic is that visionary production professionals are always looking to improve the quality of the TV-viewing experience and manufacturers and production-services vendors look to stay one step ahead of the competition. That constant push-pull - coupled with the support of networks, teams, and leagues that make the necessary financial investment to distinguish the on-air (or in-venue) production from the competition - is the magic formula for the industry.
Just look back to 2006 and see where our industry was in terms of innovation. The 2006 World Cup made the move to all-HD production, a step that had repercussions around the globe because many European broadcasters were not yet sold on the benefits of HD. Hi-def was still in its formative stages domestically, despite the fact that there were 50 HD production units on the road (today, there are more than 230). Tennis's Hawk-Eye instant-replay system debuted and seemed to be about as far as technology could go in overturning an official's ruling. The massive scoreboards and top-notch video- and audio-production facilities that have become the norm in venues were not even a dream; justifying expenditures on HD cameras, EVS replay servers, and fully broadcast-capable production switchers seemed impossible. And the college-video marketplace did not extend beyond team video coordinators, who used the power of video- and audio-content creation to improve on-the-field performance but, otherwise, were seen as nothing more than an extension of the coaching staff.
New Orleans welcome Super Bowl XLVII, and CBS Sports, to the Superdome in 2013.
During the decade, there have been plenty of amazing highlights and accomplishments in sports production. Some of them turned out to be the beginning of industry trends and laid the groundwork for the future of sports production. Others, most notably 3D, were amazing accomplishments that ran into consumer resistance.
The Global Transition to HD
Today, it's hard to recall a time when HD was not the norm. That's why the 2006 World Cup was so important: it was the first global sports event to commit to all-HD production. That decision was important not just to U.S. domestic-rights holder ESPN, which already had an HD service, but to broadcasters around the globe that were looking for a reason to flip the HD switch. The World Cup provided that reason.
OBS cameramen capture curling at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Grass Valley worked closely with Host Broadcast Services (HBS) to ensure that the HD production became a reality. Seven HD remote-production trucks (coupled with seven HD slow-motion-replay vans) covered all the action from 12 stadiums across Germany. Grass Valley supplied more than 182 LDK 6000 and LDK 6200 cameras, Kalypso and Xten DD HD switchers, 12 large-scale routers with 6,000 6,000 inputs and outputs, and more than 900 modular signal-processing devices.
Other equipment included Tektronix waveform monitors; Panasonic, Sony, and Barco monitors; Dolby and Glensound audio gear; and Avid and EVS media servers and editing systems.
The HD efforts for the World Cup were also important for another reason: the use of two fiber rings from T-Systems allowed transport of uncompressed HD feeds as well as unilateral SD feeds.
The 3D Experimental Phase
Less than six months after the global success of the World Cup, there was another major accomplishment in sports production: the 2007 NBA All-Star Game in 3D.
The view from the camera booth behind Centre Court, where Wimbledon was captured in 3D in 2011
Tech geeks who attended the NBA All-Star Game will never forget the experience, for which NBA Entertainment and the league went all out in 3D. Working with PACE's Vince Pace (who played a key role in the 3D Avatar experience that captivated moviegoers in 2009), the league's production team deployed five 1080i st
