
Blue sky thinking: Sky Sports' Alex Judd on the challenges of using cloud in sports broadcasting audio By Heather McLean, Editor
Monday, July 18, 2022 - 11:55
Print This Story
Alex Judd, technical specialist and A1 at Sky Sports
After gaining a BA in Music Technology from Thames Valley University in 2005, Alex Judd joined Sky a year later as a sound operator. His career at Sky saw him move into a sound supervisor role, a position which included planning all the audio aspects of production for Sky's 3D broadcasts, and then as a team leader.
This means that Judd has been part of broadcast audio's evolution through a series of tumultuous changes, from 5.1 to 3D to immersive audio, and the switch to IP workflows and remote production. All of this means he is ideally qualified to talk about the next paradigm shift in audio production methods - mixing in the cloud. Here we talk to Judd about what cloud means to him.
_______________________________________________________________________
From a broadcast perspective, what does cloud mean to you?
Personally it means re-imagining signal flows within public-based cloud providers' architecture.
We're talking the internet, not dark fibre here. The ability to potentially move production tech costing to an OPEX model allows for a much more appealing start up value investment. By proving the possibility of this we are allowing more flexible entry points and allowing more live content and productions to get to air.
From a tech perspective it is the evolution of Remi production whereby we separate the processing to a virtualised platform sitting in a public cloud provider.
From a broadcast industry perspective, what are the perceptions of working in the cloud? Is it remote control of a physical processor cloud or does it have to be processed on the public internet? Does remote access of on-prem and edge processing from a PC count?
Cloud is a data centre, whether your company owns it and it's on your premises (on prem), or it's in one of the public cloud providers' data centres. I think what we're really interested in is the virtualisation of production elements such as vision mixers, sound mixers, intercom and MCR functionality for X86 architecture which allows the flexibility to process signal flows in all of the realms above.
Cloud is really something that has been coined to mean x86 based in public cloud.
From an audio perspective, what are the challenges of large scale mixing in the cloud?
The challenges are clear; syncing large quantities of feeds accurately and processing delay.
A lot of this is very manual at the moment. We are yet to see tech solutions working on every element of the chain, from commentator's vison monitors to program TX feeds, and obviously in vision lip sync. There's a huge dearth here to be figured out.
The issue is also that we are currently implementing multiple workarounds to accommodate broadcast specific requirements in typical DAW's.
There are also constraints on bandwidth and audio compression at play in certain parts of the chain. That means that you have to be careful in the planning of the audio chain; using multiple compression codecs managed by different manufacturers, or different settings, may result in chunks of lossy compression at work on your audio.
How much of an issue is latency for cloud, and why?
Latency is a concern for any cloud-based virtualised developer as there are multiple places where it can go wrong.
Let's look at a relatively simple example. Say we take two commentators voicing a feed in separate locations; first, you have the latency of the cloud images from the venue to get to the director who is cutting the images. Then you have the latency of the two commentators talking to one another. The images they are watching also need to be in time with one another so the commentators don't trip over each other. On top of this, they also need to be able to communicate in real time, and we also have the latency of the camera return and communications back the venue crew which need to be factored in so as not to impact on whip pans.
This can all be worked around. But as you scale up, so do the workarounds, and that can make it tough.
Are operators comfortable with mixing on a screen UI or will there always be a need for physical hardware?
It's really down to the individual operators. Currently, we've found touchscreens impossible for mixing. It's very difficult to use them in the same way as a tactile surface such as a fader bank.
I think when you're mixing and you start to do the hundreds of micro adjustments you need to do when mixing, currently a physical fader is just better. Where I see potential for innovation is for the individual screens on a console not being needed as they are virtualised; that could work with a touchscreen.
As the tech improves, I stand to be wowed and corrected, although I'm still waiting for my hoverboard like they had in Back To The Future. Let's see!
Broadcast manufacturers are already going down this path, with audio mixers available in the cloud. How practical is this for live broadcast use?
It really depends on the scale of production you are trying to do. A simple balancing of international sound and announcers could be fine. In some instances, we're actually producing a full Remi via public cloud. This requires additional features you would expect of a more traditional broadcast style console.
Where do you see the adoption of cloud going in the next five years for live broadcast mixing?
I see it only growing and creating additional value services and content for an ever-growing marketplace.
We want to produce and consume in a much faster way than we have previously. Virtualisation in conjunction with cloud allows companies to realise their creative idea
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
24/03/2026
Utah Scientific to Showcase a Variety of Hybrid SDI/IP Innovations at the 2026 N...
24/03/2026
Mediaproxy will showcase an updated version of its LogPlayer interface at NAB Sh...
24/03/2026
C gep de Jonqui re, a public college in Qu bec, has upgraded its TV studio complex with five Calrec Brio consoles and a Dante IP network. The installation was c...
24/03/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has announced new and r...
24/03/2026
National Telecom Public Company Limited (NT) used Ateme's KYRION platform fo...
24/03/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its relationship with ImSoPROD, the TV production entity of FDJ United, with the deployment of LDX C98 compact cameras across its nati...
24/03/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company is launching Scripps Sports Network (SSN), a free, ad-s...
24/03/2026
NEP Group has launched NEP Platform, a new software orchestration system that un...
24/03/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the Arizona Diamondbacks to design, manufacture and install a new LED video display and three ribbon boards at Chase Field in Phoe...
24/03/2026
Grass Valley has completed an upgrade of University of Pittsburgh Athletics'...
24/03/2026
Daktronics is upgrading eight LED displays at Wrigley Field in Chicago, totaling more than 8,300 square feet, using the Daktronics Renew product line. The upgra...
24/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group has appointed Kevin Poole as Senior Project and Support Manager within the ASG Workflow and Tools practice. The position is newly created...
24/03/2026
In an increasingly streaming-centric world, protecting high-value live sports co...
24/03/2026
Mediaproxy will showcase an updated version of its LogPlayer interface at NAB Show, April 19-22 in Las Vegas, booth W1423. The update includes AI tools, native ...
24/03/2026
The production studio has worked with content juggernauts such as MrBeast, The R...
24/03/2026
The event will also feature a State of the Industry address from sports-media veteran and strategic advisor Patrick Crakes....
24/03/2026
Victory , a free sports streaming service owned by A Parent Media Co. (APMC), has launched its NWSL Sunday Night Soccer franchise. The platform says the launch ...
24/03/2026
Sports content in free streaming is still relatively scant, but it's growing, right along with its monetization capabilities
Streaming-tech company Wurl re...
24/03/2026
Directed by Greg DeHart, the doc will feature Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famers...
24/03/2026
For the first time ever, Tubi - Fox's free streaming service - is working w...
24/03/2026
As the music industry gathers for Canada's Juno Awards, the local edition of...
24/03/2026
Behind every great song is a complex web of people, stories, and inspirations th...
24/03/2026
Few filmmakers have shaped popular cinema as profoundly as Steven Spielberg. So ...
24/03/2026
Latest Eurorack modules revealed
ALM/Busy Circuits have just introduced another two Eurorack modules, delivering a powerful new modulator that builds on the...
24/03/2026
Smallest, most affordable MPC to date
Akai Pro have just introduced their most accessible standalone sampler to date, making the iconic MPC experience avail...
24/03/2026
Create & manage presets on Windows & macOS
Electro-Harmonix have announced that their free Mac/Windows application now allows users of their Oceans Abyss re...
24/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz amplifiers enable high-field immunity testing expansion at IB Le...
24/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
24/03/2026
L3Harris ramps up production of its VAMPIRE C-UxS system....
24/03/2026
For more than 70 years, L3Harris has delivered essential fuzes and safe-and-arm solutions that bring the might to multi-domain battlefields across the globe, ...
24/03/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
24/03/2026
Rick Bernier reflects on a career that has taken him to the very top of live broadcast audio. As a Senior Broadcast Audio A1 Engineer and Music Director, he has...
24/03/2026
Grass Valley has strengthened its long-standing relationship with ImSoPROD, the TV production entity of the FDJ United, with the deployment of Grass Valley LDX ...
24/03/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Utah Scientific will spotlight its expanding portfolio of hybrid SDI/IP routing, conversion, control, and signal management s...
24/03/2026
Fresh off its global reveal at ISE 2026 in Barcelona, the new V410 live 4K encoder/decoder from Miri Technologies Inc. will make its North American debut at the...
24/03/2026
Cinegy GmbH, premier provider of software-defined television technology, will show how its solutions answer the real challenges facing content creators and broa...
24/03/2026
Canberra-based radio and online broadcast network ArtSound FM (https://artsound.fm/) has invested in DHD audio mixing consoles for two new studios at its headqu...
24/03/2026
IBC today announced the nine projects selected for its 2026 Accelerator Media Innovation Programme, bringing together organisations from across broadcast, strea...
24/03/2026
Mediaproxy, the global standard for software-based IP compliance monitoring and multiviewing solutions, will showcase the next generation of its industry-leadin...
24/03/2026
Underscoring its global reputation as one of Canada's most renowned colleges for television production, the C gep de Jonqui re public college in Qu bec has ...
24/03/2026
Leading video software provider Synamedia today announced the launch of the industry's first edge watermarking solution that enables faster disruption of pi...
24/03/2026
Experience Commerce, a leading full-service digital marketing agency and part of the Cheil SWA Group, has secured the annual social media mandate for Fiat Payme...
24/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...