Looking for a way to move 40,000 signals in and around ESPN, the broadcaster created a cutting edge IP workflow.
Originally written and published by TVNewsCheck.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Evidence that aphorism is just as true today as it was in the days of Plato comes from ESPN and its award-winning Digital Center 2 facility.
The 193,000-square-foot DC-2 on ESPN's campus in Bristol, Conn., is a showpiece of just what IP-based video can do for the TV industry.
But the home to SportsCenter, most of ESPN's NFL studio coverage, sports news updates and assorted online programming didn't set out to be a cutting-edge technology standard bearer. The designers of the facility simply were looking for a way move about 40,000 signals in and around the facility. It would have required installing many conventional routers at a substantial cost, says Jonathan Pannaman, ESPN VP, content and production systems.
Whats more, that approach would have constrained DC-2, locking it into predetermined signal paths and compounding the problem of signal transport by requiring new baseband infrastructure to be installed to tie it in with other buildings on the campus, he says.
Using conventional techniques that didn't scale would have painted us more and more into a corner," says Pannaman. We just decided we had to get out of there some way."
ESPN's solution was a trio of technologies: IP networking, JPEG 2000 (J2K) compression and MPEG transport streams.
Together, they form the core infrastructure that is capable of handling 30,000 sources and 150,000 separate content streams and that can be expanded to accommodate more as demand grows.
The whole point was to get to an unlimited number of sources and destinations so that we could build without having to physically plan the exact design of each room, each facility within DC-2, Pannaman says.
Consisting of five studios, 16 edit suites and six control rooms, with 1,100 miles of fiber optic cable carrying signals throughout, DC-2 earned an IBC Innovation Award in the Content Management category last month for ESPN and its technical partners, Evertz, Vizrt and Arista Networks.
Initial planning for the facility began six years ago, but it wasn't until 18 months before its June 22, 2014, on-air date that Pannaman and his team decided the facility would be IP-based.
Evertz and the other vendors had to develop hardware for it, he says. I would say 85% of all the equipment in this facility didn't exist prior to this project. In fact, a lot of it still hasn't made it into the catalog of products yet."
As vendors, we see ESPN as a very progressive customer, says Mo Goyal, Evertz director of product marketing. They are one of the most valued assets in the industry - one of the biggest providers of content. I think as vendors, we look at how we can continue to push technology to satisfy their needs.
A major Evertz contribution was its EXE-VSR, a IP video routing platform, he says. It provides the switching scale ESPN needed to handle the many sources, destinations and signals envisioned.
The 40RU routing platform, which sits at the core of the Evertz 10 gig software-defined video networking solution, can switch about 14,000 uncompressed HD-SDI signals.
However, when JPEG 2000 compression is employed, signal switching capacity grows dramatically, meeting ESPN's current and future requirements.
Vizrt, too, developed technology that didn't previously exist to meet ESPN's requirements, says company CTO Petter Ole Jakobsen. We started exploring together with NVIDIA a solution that could do eight simultaneous HD displays, which was unprecedented.
What grew out of that effort was Octoviz, a real-time, live graphics generator that uses a pair of Nvidia Quadro K6000 boards and technology to sync the two together.
The thing that makes Octoviz unique is its ability to composite and render visuals for eight separate monitors. That sort of scale was instrumental in satisfying the need ESPN had to drive live graphics to more than 120 monitors on the set of SportsCenter, says Jakobsen.
Rather than 30 or more systems, ESPN could use eight, he says. (Not all SportsCenter monitors need to be active at the same time.)
The DVI output from the Octoviz systems is compressed using J2K, packetized and fed into DC-2's IP network. Before reaching the SportsCenter monitors, it's converted back to DVI.
Committing wholly to IP video switching in January 2013 was a leap," says Pannaman. That's why ESPN also designed in a Plan B where we would use some more conventional technology.
ESPN has parallel IP and SDI infrastructures, says Goyal, both running under the [Evertz] Magnum control system.
From the outset, having the legacy infrastructure in place gave ESPN a comfort level that there is an SDI core behind there that they are familiar with, he says. It also makes it easier to migrate operations fully to IP as new IP-based production equipment becomes available.
What gave ESPN enough confidence to tackle IP in the first place was that the core technology modules needed to succeed - specifically J2K encoding, IP networking and MPEG transport streams - were mostly there, says Pannaman.
ESPN is confident IP will carry it far into the future. One sign of that IP buy-in is the technology update that is being contemplated for the 12-year-old Digital Center 1, says Pannaman.
There's a lot of glue technology bridging HD-SDI equipment like cameras and production switchers into the IP infrastructure [in DC-2], Pannaman says.
For DC-1, ESPN is starting to request that vendors build Ethernet ports and J2K encoding and decoding directory into their equipment, he says. If we achieve that, even on a modest scale, we'll be reducing that glue technology dramatically in future builds.
ESPN&
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Once again this year, SGL Carbon opened its doors to interested children and young people. On the occasion of the German Girls and Boys Day, which took place on...
26/04/2024
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x
Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century
In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
The Story Collective has gradually repurposed the former Mortlake Brewery to include production offices, workshops and sound stages
By Matthew Corrigan
Publi...
26/04/2024
Perkett joins the company following a 25 year career in product management, product marketing, engineering and user experience (UX) across multiple industries
...
26/04/2024
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
26/04/2024
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & NEW YORK Mattel has announced a deal to launch its first three 24/7 free ad supported streaming (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung...
26/04/2024
PORTLAND, Maine Viewers here can now receive the NextGen TV signals of five local stations with the launch of ATSC 3.0 service from host station WPFO, which is ...
26/04/2024
TORONTO Rogers Communications has signed a 10-year agreement with Comcast to bring the latest Xfinity products and technology to Canadians....
26/04/2024
Calrec is very pleased to announce the benefits of its highly flexible approach to customer service has been recognized with a third award for the Argo range. T...
26/04/2024
New Adobe Photoshop with Advanced Generative Fill and Generate Image Brings New ...
26/04/2024
Trends And Takeaways From NAB Show 2024
Melanie Ciotti April 25, 2024
0 Comments
NAB's Eric Trabb (right) awards SNS with two NAB Show Product of ...
26/04/2024
Sony's Ci Media Cloud Keeps NHRA Moving
Brie Clayton April 25, 2024
0 Comments
Cloud-Based Media Asset Management and Collaboration Platform Accel...
26/04/2024
Capitol Broadcasting & Leadership Triangle Collaborate for Third Year
Capitol B...
26/04/2024
The staff at CBC Radio have been hard at work creating several new features for listeners and viewers. Several debuts are taking place this spring.
I have nev...
26/04/2024
26 Apr 2024
Cricket Finds Its Digital Home in Bangladesh: VEON's Banglalink...
26/04/2024
NBA Playoffs 2024: ESPN Rolls Out Huge Production Operation for Busy First Round Tech deployments include miked on-field personnel, shot-distance tracking, AR g...
26/04/2024
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: ESPN Ops Team Navigates Both Sides of the Border With ...
26/04/2024
Behind the Scenes at the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit (Photo Gallery) After just the first round, the 2024 NFL Draft has already made quite an impression in Detroi...
26/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: Van Wagner Powers Onsite Entertainment Experience for Record Cro...
26/04/2024
Rohde & Schwarz presents spectrum dominance in all domains at AOC Europe Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates the next generation of SIGINT/EW systems and sensor fusi...
26/04/2024
MCine Mauritius is to use Qube Wire for all future DCP deliveries across their e...
26/04/2024
Skeem Saam' May Spoiler: Has Lehasa killed Khwezi?The Skeem Saam' May teasers mention Lehasa being apologetic about killing someone. Is it his baby mam...
26/04/2024
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 25 April 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African s...
26/04/2024
Prison Journalism: Some issues to considerWesley Leong was incarcerated at the age of 15 in 1996 at Pollsmoor Prison. He is currently part of Restore's rese...
26/04/2024
Tonight on Scandal: A line is crossed and a mother starts to lose focusDon't miss Friday, 26 April's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! o...
Looking for a way to move 40,000 signals in and around ESPN, the broadcaster created a cutting edge IP workflow.
