Networked Audio Prepares University of Miami for COVID-Safe Production Existing Dante network serves as backbone of remote workflow By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Thursday, February 18, 2021 - 9:57 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Major-league sports' workflows were significantly disrupted last year by the coronavirus pandemic. An extra square foot became valued in control rooms and other shared production spaces, and personnel increasingly found themselves working from isolation space, including their own homes.
The same pressures affected college sports productions. That is true at the University of Miami, although an early commitment to networked audio made the situation less disruptive.
UM's production-services department produces linear and streaming broadcasts on ESPN2, the ACC Network, and other outlets for women's volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer, and track and field. (The lone sport at the University of Miami that the production team doesn't produce is football; the Hurricanes' production is done from nearby Hard Rock Stadium via broadcasters' remote-production trucks.)
Right now, remote broadcasts have proven to be a reliable way of continuing the production, says Anthony Lestochi, director, production services, University of Miami.
With multiple events going on, University of Miami's on-campus control room handles around 100 Dante signals.
Fortunately, UM's production department had already started down the road to remote production, putting all of the department's audio and its control onto an Audinate Dante network.
We don't have a single XLR patch anywhere in our workflow, notes Lestochi. Moving to [networked audio] was clearly the better way to operate. It made building out our production really easy and effective. And, when COVID happened, it made it easy to quickly adapt.
When COVID canceled live sports production there on March 13 last year, the staff initially thought the shutdown would last a matter of weeks. But it wasn't until August that they were able to restart operations. By then, the department had designed and implemented its own health and safety protocols, including testing and socially distancing personnel in production spaces. It collaborated on that with the ACC Network and others in what Lestochi characterized as a conference-wide conversation.
Production functions - EVS replay, the live slow-motion controller - were moved into separate rooms, and Unity Intercom internet-based communications were implemented. The latter also allowed the UM production crew to interface with broadcasters, such as ESPN2, which had also moved to IP-based intercom platforms. Ethernet and fiber cabling was installed.
We totally rearranged the space and put up new physical barriers to allow for effective social distancing in the new control room, says Lestochi, who had to isolate himself and work remotely at one point when a roommate appeared to test positive for the virus. Before this, ESPN would send a director, producer, and an AD and AP here for shows; now they're all working from Bristol.
The existing Dante network, installed in late 2018, proved to be the backbone for this process. A pair of Yamaha CL5 consoles and a Behringer X32 desk provide audio-mixing capabilities for the slew of networked-audio signals. Field and announcer microphones located onsite were made Dante-native using Shure ANI4IN audio network interfaces. Multiple Studio Technologies 45DR Dante-to-2-channel partyline intercom interfaces are used to allow two-way communication, and a Bella 4 confidence monitoring rack provides up to four monitoring points per endpoint. In total, Lestochi says, roughly 60 Dante devices are in use in the production, and, on any given day, multiple productions can take place, with around 100 Dante signals running across the local network.
Because it was a Dante-backed system, he says, we could run all of our new positions for equipment onto the network and know it would work quickly.
Staffers, Talent Work From Home
As men's and women's winter-season basketball starts up, the school's networked audio is being further extended remotely, including into staffers' homes. Glensound Inferno commentator's boxes, which are Dante-native kits built specifically for live announcer commentary, have been sent to announcers for home use. The system interfaces with the user's Mac computer using Dante Virtual Soundcard and Unity Connect software, which facilitates sending a Dante signal over public internet.
That setup allows for bidirectional channels and two-way communication, Lestochi says. The talent can talk to each other as they watch the game, and the director and producer can also talk with the talent. Without that setup, it would be nearly impossible for us to do this. It enables the talent to work the games from their home without much difference in the quality of the broadcast.
Located on the University of Miami campus, the control room brings in the audio signal and provides mixing and audio-to-video embedding, using an Evertz Scorpion-4 media-processing platform, and sends out the final product via direct line to the university's production partner for the event.
We've practiced this quite a few times, Lestochi says. I think what we're feeling right now is confidence.
Networked audio helped prepare UM's production department for the unforeseen calamity that was COVID, and it was an investment that he says paid off in more ways than one. He notes, for example, that he can log in to a university system remotely from his house and quickly make a change on Dante Controller software to ensure that the system is working effectively.
It would definitely be a lot more expensive and require a lot more hardware and cabling, he says.
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...
30/04/2024
By Adam Piron
In anticipation of this edition of the Indigenous Program's Native Lab, it actually dawned on me that this will be our lab's tenth year i...
30/04/2024
Launch of SBS South Asian channel and SBS Spice, a new English language offering...
30/04/2024
LOS ANGELES (April 30, 2024) Light Iron, the post-production creative-services division of Panavision, is excited to announce that lodie Ichter has joined th...
30/04/2024
Now streaming on Netflix, Good Grief marks the feature-film directorial debut of Daniel Levy, well known as the co-creator and costar of the series Schitt's...
30/04/2024
The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy's sweeping portrait of a wealthy British family in 1880s London, is getting its third TV adaptation in less than 60 years....
30/04/2024
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
30/04/2024
CAMPBELL, Calif. Streaming media company Plex and T-Mobile will work together to expand T-Mobile's connected TV (CTV) inventory and advance the connection b...
30/04/2024
SAN JOSE, Calif. & BELLEVUE, Wash. Roku, Inc. has announced an expanded measurement partnership with iSpot.tv, the cross-platform TV measurement company....
30/04/2024
NEW YORK As Paramount Global wrestled with management turmoil and ongoing negotiations for a proposed merger with Skydance, the company managed to report improv...
30/04/2024
Cobalt Digital Receives Trifecta of Awards at NAB 2024
Company adds two 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year awards and one Best of Show from TV Tech to long list...
30/04/2024
arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions, has announced that its BLADE//runner IP Audio Engine ...
30/04/2024
OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, announced today that it has joined the glob...
30/04/2024
The first norm conform sustainability service dedicated to the needs of the events industry
Easy-to-use, intuitive platform for venues, event organisers and su...
30/04/2024
Dejero GateWay enables Stream7 to create independent internet connectivity at any venue or location, including UK teaching hospital for live streaming of surgic...
30/04/2024
Excitement is building as farmerswife, a leading software provider for resource scheduling, project management, and team collaboration in the media industry, ha...
30/04/2024
XL8, a leading deep-tech startup specializing in AI-powered machine translation technology, proudly announces the successful completion of a System and Organiza...
30/04/2024
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced that it will exhibit at CABSAT, which takes place this year from 21-23 May 2024 at the...
30/04/2024
MRMC Debuts Cinebot Max Camera Robot at NAB 2024
Brie Clayton April 30, 2024
0 Comments
Expands its range of live-action, motion-control camera robots...
30/04/2024
Next Jazz Legacy Announces 2024 Cohort of Women and Nonbinary Awardees The program was created by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender J...
30/04/2024
European telecom satellite company SES announced today that it is acquiring rival Intelsat for $3.1 billion. The deal, unanimously approved by both companies...
30/04/2024
Bob Bakish, chief executive of Paramount stepped down on Monday, effective immediately. Bakish, who was a staunch ally of Shari Redstone, controlling shareholde...
30/04/2024
Hotspring said the breakthrough had been achieved through the acceleration of machine learning technology
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 30, 2024
Ho...
30/04/2024
Speaking about the deal, Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, said: it will bring value-added, efficient, and reliable offerings for both companies media customers
By Je...
30/04/2024
Paramount said the Office of the CEO is working with its board to develop a comp...
30/04/2024
LOUISVILLE, Ky. In another sign that broadcasters are finally using NextGen TV broadcasts to offer viewers new features instead of simply simulcasting existing ...
30/04/2024
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame will induct Blaise Labbe, a group news director for Sinclair Broadcast Group, May 2 at the 54th Anniversary I...
30/04/2024
ATLANTA and ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Cox Media Group and Dish have ended a dispute over retransmission fees that lasted nearly a year and a half with a new multi-year ...
30/04/2024
Video transport solution provider LTN has announced that it is working with TelevisaUnivision to help the Spanish-language media giant migrate to IP-based video...
30/04/2024
ALAMEDA, Calif. Clear-Com has released details about how it played a pivotal role in the seamless coverage of the recent solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 by NBC K...
30/04/2024
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company is adding Seth Walters to its sales leadership team as head of CTV sales, effective April 29....
30/04/2024
The force was strong at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Saturday night, April 27, 2024, as the night netted the ballpark's first official sellout crowd of...
30/04/2024
Revry, a network celebrating queer culture. said its second annual NewFront presentation will be a cabaret-type spectacle showcasing the spirit of the LGBTQ+ co...
30/04/2024
Family Entertainment Television (FETV) said that the Western series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp will be joining the network's afternoon lineup startin...
30/04/2024
Bob Bakish, president and CEO of Paramount Global, will depart the company as Paramount explores a merger, according to numerous published reports. The reports ...
30/04/2024
April 30th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here
TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2024 ANNOUNCES TALKS, REUNIONS, & RETROSPECTIVES
Live Conversations with Judd Apatow, Andy C...
30/04/2024
6 minute read
Share
alt=Alternative descriptive text class=lazyload main main-lazyloaded responsive-image data-v-1a5ebb10>
Telenor showed good momentum...
30/04/2024
SES Acquiring Intelsat to Create New Satellite Giant; Will Offer Improved Reach ...
30/04/2024
Wuppertal April 30, 2024
WDR Filmhaus to Implement Riedel Infrastructure Award-Winning MediorNet HorizoN Hybrid Processing Platform Serves as Bridge to IP
Ri...
30/04/2024
Back to All News
Tilda Swinton Joins Colin Farrell in Edward Bergers The Ballad...
30/04/2024
Back to All News
Netflix Reveals First Look Images and Teaser from Senna, Inspi...
30/04/2024
Back to All News
Top 10 Week of Apr. 22: Baby Reindeer' and Rebel Moon - ...
30/04/2024
Dr. Nicola Hodson, Chief Executive, IBM UK & Ireland introduces the UK findings of an IBM study on female leadership in the age of AI
Advances in Artificial In...
30/04/2024
Channel Expansion, and New Codecs, Compression and Transport Technology Among Latest Updates...
30/04/2024
Accel-KKR Credit Partners today announced that it has provided debt financing to support Dalet in its next chapter of innovation and growth. Accel-KKR Credit Pa...
30/04/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 29 April 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soa...
30/04/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lewatle witnesses an explosive fight between Sthoko and B...
30/04/2024
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of David Murphy as its new Economics & Public Affairs Correspondent. David is currently RT 's Political Cove...
Networked Audio Prepares University of Miami for COVID-Safe Production Existing Dante network serves as backbone of remote workflow By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
