Live From US Open 2022: ESPN's Host, Domestic Broadcasts Go 1080p; Arthur Ashe Feed Upped to UHD ESPN, USTA, and Gravity Media take onsite production into next era By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, September 2, 2022 - 3:05 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The USTA's transformation of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center production compound and capabilities for the US Open took another step forward this year when coverage on Arthur Ashe Stadium made the leap to UHD and 1080p became the standard on all courts. The result is a world feed that can better meet the needs of global rightsholders as well as a domestic ESPN feed that, though ultimately delivered in 720p, begins its journey with a higher- quality signal. And it has been a joint effort of the USTA, ESPN (which produces the host and domestic feeds), Gravity Media, and NEP.
One of ESPN's 40+ cameras inside Arther Ashe Stadium at the US Open (Photo: Gravity Media)
As far back as 2015, we planned to go 1080p, says Sam Olsen, senior remote operations specialist, ESPN. We designed the system and had agreements in place so that we could flip the switch at any moment. However, doing it all in one go across all 16 courts was quite a challenge. Since the system was built to handle it, though, it was more about configuring the cameras and the detailed planning required for the EVS system to [ensure] we had enough channels available.
In addition to implementing 1080p on the show courts and UHD at Ashe, ESPN has upgraded its ACES automated court-production systems to 1080p for outer-court coverage. And, of course, the network has rolled out even more specialty cameras across the grounds to bring the viewer at home closer to the event.
Getting to this point has been a multi-year effort, but it also was a major consideration for the move to IP and the design of the ESPN and Gravity Media technical facility in 2019. As a result, all the primary equipment - switcher, routing infrastructure, monitoring, cameras - was 1080p-ready prior to this year. With that in mind, ESPN also upgraded several EVS XT3 ChannelMax replay servers to XT-VIA servers to maintain the channel density required for the growing number of super-slo-mo cameras and other needs.
ESPN's Joa O'Connor and Larry Wilson on hand at the host-broadcast facility near Arthur Ashe Stadium
As far back as 2015, says Sam Olsen, senior remote operations specialist, ESPN, we planned to go 1080p. We designed the system and had agreements in place so that we could flip the switch at any moment. However, doing it all in one go across all 16 courts was quite a challenge. Since the system was built to handle it, though, it was more about configuring the cameras and the detailed planning required for the EVS system to [ensure] we had enough channels available.
With that in mind, ESPN upgraded several EVS XT3 ChannelMax replay servers to XT-VIA servers to maintain the channel density required for the growing number of super-slo-mo cameras and other needs.
Inside the ESPN's US Open domestic-broadcast production-control room
We planned for everything to be able to move to 1080p at some point, so we've been ready for this since the beginning, says Larry Wilson, associate director, remote production operations, ESPN.
ESPN's IP-based host-broadcast facility is built around a Cisco Nexus 9508 core switcher, with two Nexus 9236C units serving as leaf switches in the TOC and a Lawo VSM IP control system. Gravity installed Grass Valley IQUCP25 gateways at the IP core to provide bridges to the rest of the facility. The Grass Valley Kahuna production switchers (with Maverick panels) and Grass Valley MV-821 multiviewers assigned to the seven production-control rooms at the facility are all IP-native as well.
That core, says Gravity Media Director, Special Projects, Hamish Harris made all the technology leaps possible, including the move to UHD on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
There was quite a bit of reorganization of the IP core needed, making sure that the bandwidth calculations were done correctly and that we had spread the load across the cards properly, he says of the move to 1080p and UHD. Much of the cabling throughout the facility also had to be upgraded to accommodate 1080p, and the primary signal-distribution hub was moved from the end of ESPN's admin building to a more central location.
Gravity Media's John Williams (left) and Hamish Harris inside the equipment room at ESPN's US Open host-broadcast center
Much of the cabling throughout the facility also had to be upgraded to accommodate 1080p, and the primary signal-distribution hub was moved from the end of ESPN's admin building to a more central location.
With the shift to 1080p from 1080i, Olsen explains, we had to change the cabling and the length of that cabling. We decided to move the distribution point within the admin building for monitoring and connectivity from the far end to the center of the building. That gave us the opportunity to move a lot of the network cabling into the middle of the admin building as well, so it was all contained in the same space.
Center Court in UHD: Ashe Gets 4K With record-breaking primetime ratings thus far, thanks to this being Serena Williams's final US Open, ESPN is pulling out all the stops for its coverage from Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, even before Williams's announcement last month, ESPN, Gravity Media, and the USTA were already in the process of upgrading Ashe's broadcast facilities to 4K UHD (UHD is available in the host feed but not ESPN's domestic feeds).
ESPN's host feed from Arthur Ashe Stadium is being produced in 4K UHD for the first time.
We were doing this [UHD upgrade] at the same time we were moving everything to 1080p, says Olsen. It was a lot to handle all at once. It
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 US Open 2022: ESPN's Host, Domestic Broadcasts Go 1080p; Arthur Ashe Feed Upped to UHD ESPN, USTA, and Gravity Media take onsite production into next era By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
