Live from WWE SummerSlam: Barclays Center Home for Wrestling Innovations like AR, VR By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, August 21, 2018 - 3:28 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
The WWE SummerSlam is once again calling Brooklyn's Barclays Center home and this year's enhancements include the use of augmented reality graphics during introductions, virtual reality coverage of pregame shows, and the continued evolution of IP technologies thanks to NEP's WWE production units which are IP based and home for the production team.
Duncan Leslie of WWE and his team have called Barclays Center home since the end of last week.
SummerSlam includes a number of events, including the NXT TakeOver, held on Aug. 18, SummerSlam, on August 19, RAW on August 20, and then Smackdown Live tonight on August 21.
We try to be nimble and modular and use the same inventory of hardware and display elements that we use for RAW, but we just reconfigure them, says Duncan Leslie, WWE, SVP, event technical operations.
It was SummerSlam that got the AR treatment as Brainstorm AR technology placed matchup graphics within the arena and, most excitingly, enhanced the talent entrances by replacing the actual venue ceiling with things like swirling storm clouds and roman coliseum architecture. One of the challenges is that there is limited space to incorporate the elements compared to an NFL game or soccer match where there is a large field of play that can serve as anchor for the AR element.
The WWE production team is a busy one as it produces more than 500 events per year. The turnaround for the majority of those events is usually set, shoot, and strike in a single day. IP is helping make those efforts easier although it was not without its own set of challenges.
IP is embedded in our workflow and it has been a huge enhancement, says Leslie. We have a lot of information to be moved and we have the bandwidth. And with IP we can exponentially grow without having to add a lot of additional resources.
Not only is the team focused on the TV production, but they also take over the in-house video facilities like scoreboards and ribbon boards, ensuring that every fan in every seat can follow both the live action and the programmatic action.
We have three times the number of color correctors compared to cameras because every single video display is color corrected so they match, says Leslie.
The show itself only requires 14 cameras (a mix of Sony HDC-4300 and HDC-2500 cameras) but the use of 35 camera drop positions allows for the show to seem much bigger.
We are very creative with where we reposition the handheld cameras as a camera may have five drops, each with a different look, says Leslie.
Twelve-channel EVS XT3 replay servers offer up 84 channels of support and a Grass Valley K Frame production switcher is used for the matches and pre shows.
WWE uses four Calrec consoles for audio mixing of SummerSlam.
The show also requires four Calrec audio desks and the audio submix is a crucial part of the show.
It's a huge opportunity for us to embellish our product with thumper mics under the ring, audience mics, and handheld camera mics used a lot, says Leslie. Like everything else we want to surround the fans and the hotter the crowd the hotter the show and the talent feels that.
An ENCO music library has all the entrance music and the WWE team, whether working at the live event or on a studio show, has access to the same material.
The WWE road warriors are complemented by a team at the home office in Stamford, CT. The use of Aspera for file transfers and satellite services via PSSI allow for the editing facility in Stamford to work on interstitial and graphics packages. The Switch also provided fiber for video and data from Barclays.
Our core is still to provide superlative broadcast technology for our producers and fans but we're also looking at ways to innovate in a cost-effective way, says Leslie. Creatively we are tied at the hip with Stamford and we continually upgrade the connectivity as we are very content heavy and want our fans to understand the scope of what we do.
The Ross Xpression graphics platform, for example, has been successfully deployed to create everything from graphic promos for a tee shirt to graphics for the ribbon boards.
We're in the midst of growth as we have our huge domestic TV deals that start next October and that will provide a refresh and logistical challenge for us, adds Leslie. We have incredibly talented and energetic people and we spend the money to travel a rather large contingent every week because to source locally would mean reinventing every week. It makes more sense to keep the core team of more than 100 people together.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
Live from WWE SummerSlam: Barclays Center Home for Wrestling Innovations like AR, VR By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
