Live From the U.S. Open: Mike Davies on the Massive Production Efforts for the Open and World Cup, 5G Tests Two major events occupy teams in Shinnecock Hills, Moscow, and Los Angeles By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Friday, June 15, 2018 - 1:31 pm
Print This Story
This weekend has been circled on the Fox Sports calendar for four years. It's when the production team has two major events on its schedule: the U.S. Open and the FIFA World Cup. And, when Mike Davies, SVP, technical and field operations, Fox Sports, says this is Fox Sport's biggest undertaking ever, it is not hyperbole.
Mike Davies leads the Fox Sports production teams, which are in overdrive with both the U.S. Open and the World Cup.
It has been a long road leading up to this day, and now we're into it, he says. There was a big part of us that just wanted to get started on this, and here we are. It took an immense amount of planning and forethought. You always get bit by one thing or another, but I am impressed with the amount of forethought that went into both projects.
Three years ago, Fox Sports took to the air in its first year of U.S. Open coverage at Chambers Bay outside Seattle, and that effort coincided with the FIFA Women's World Cup, which was based a couple hours up the road in Vancouver.
Three years later, we are doing the same thing but this time in Shinnecock Hills and Moscow, says Davies. And, since then, there has been a tremendous amount of work for Kevin Callahan [VP, World Cup operations], Brad Cheney [VP, field operations and engineering, who is overseeing the U.S. Open], their teams, and all of our vendors.
Today is Day 2 of the World Cup, and there are three matches on the schedule. Tomorrow, the challenge for the Fox Sports production teams intensifies, with four matches plus a full slate of golf coverage.
That is when the system is going to be on full load, says Davies. The people on the road [in Shinnecock Hills and Russia] can focus on their own project, but our broadcast operation [at the Pico facility in Los Angeles] is a point of convergence, and people there need to follow the ball on both events.
The U.S. Open operation, he adds, is run very much independently, with the vast majority of production done onsite to help lighten the load to allow the Los Angeles team to focus more energy on the World Cup, which relies heavily on the broadcast center in Los Angeles.
The editing is done there, our match-control rooms are there, and an awful lot of voiceovers and other integration is done there, Davies points out. The World Cup production is taking place at the IBC in Moscow, the studio in Red Square, and at the venues and in Pico. Getting the overall scheduling for that has been interesting.
For example, World Cup Tonight is shot in a studio at Red Square, but the control room is in Los Angeles, and camera shading takes place at the IBC in Moscow. As in Vancouver, Rod Conti, VP, World Cup operations, Fox Sports, is serving in the role of World Cup studio-set landlord. Callahan is the engineer for the entire project and primary liaison with HBS, the team at the center of the host-broadcast operation for the World Cup.
They are doing really well over there, says Davies, noting the massive effort, planning, and countless trips to Russia it took for Callahan and the team to get in position for this weekend.
Before the World Cup team kicked into overdrive with the actual coverage of the event, it and the rest of the Fox Sports family got an extra jolt of adrenaline when it was announced on Wednesday that the 2026 World Cup will be held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
It was tremendous news, as we have the rights. We can look forward to it being in our backyard, and it gives soccer some upward trajectory, says Davies. Eight years is a long time, but it's hard-coded into the future of the World Cup. To be able to cover that on our first day of being on-air from the World Cup was great.
The current events are the most technologically advanced U.S. Open and World Cup productions ever for a number of reasons. There is coverage in UHD and HDR, new production workflows, new viewer enhancements, and, most notably, the use of 5G technology to deliver 4K HDR camera signals wirelessly. Fox Innovation Lab worked with Intel, Ericsson, and AT&T on the project, which uses two 5G cell sites on Hole 7 (one on the tee, one at the green) to help deliver the signals.
It's helping us get our heads around the opportunities and limitations around 5G and to also give the broadcast industry a seat at the table as this technology is being developed, says Davies. The sky is the limit. I don't think I have run into a technology that is as overarching as 5G.
To date, 5G is seen as a next-generation technology for cellular phones, but its potential for delivering camera signals wirelessly cannot be understated. Cheney says that, at the U.S. Open, data rates are 880 Mbps down and 690 Mbps up.
All involved see the workflow in use at the Open evolving and becoming streamlined quickly. Right now, Davies observes, it's a bit like two cans and string.
The 4K cameras are wired into an Ericsson AVP encoder, which sends an IP signal to an Intel 5G MTP (Mobile Trial Platform), which then transmits the signal in millimeter wave spectrum via a 28-GHz link to a 5G cell site, where an Ericsson AVP converts it back to IP and sends it on to the fiber network for delivery to the truck, where it is converted back to 4K.
The other potential use case for 5G, Davies says, is customization of broadcasts and taking some of the cool things we are doing on the OTT service, like featured groups and holes, and make a more customizable offering.
Davies is in Shinnecock Hills for the Open and will head back to Russia for the World Cup in the coming weeks. He sees his
North America Stories
20/04/2024
As part of a push to improve the accessibility of its content, PBS Kids has announced that it has integrated American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations into m...
20/04/2024
SAN JOSE, Calif. Online security solution provider McAfee has released new research exploring the impact artificial intelligence (AI) and the rise of deepfakes ...
20/04/2024
The Federal Communications Commission has announced the agenda for an Open Meeting on Thursday, April 25, 2024 that will include votes on Net Neutrality Rules a...
20/04/2024
Virtual reality and its close relatives, such as extended reality, have been completely accepted into the workflow of high-end productions. Stepping into an LED...
20/04/2024
Video Games Round Out the Entertainment Package
Andy Marken April 19, 2024
0 Comments
By this, I take it you think everybody is who they say they are...
20/04/2024
With the Bears picking first, NBCUniversal Local's properties in Chicago plan extensive coverage of the NFL draft next week....
20/04/2024
Fox Sports said it hired two veteran advertising sales executives, with Jen Durda and Kathy Lydon both named VP....
20/04/2024
Daytime fans got a sneak peek at nominations for the 51st annual Daytime Emmys, with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announcing the...
20/04/2024
DAZN is launching its Run It Up, its first multi-sports original vodcast, or video podcast, and a set of micro-podcasts ahead of the Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia fig...
20/04/2024
David Zaslav, CEO of troubled Warner Bros. Discovery, got a 27% increase in total compensation for 2023....
20/04/2024
New copper-catalyzed C-H activation strategy from Scripps Research Two-mode reactions inspired by human detox enzymes offer powerful new tools for drug discover...
19/04/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 18: (L-R) John Early and Theda Hammel attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Stress Positions premiere at Library Center Theatre on ...
19/04/2024
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
19/04/2024
Pictured: Midnight Family
By Stephanie Ornelas
A great way to get to know a city as culturally unique and rich as Mexico City is to listen to the stories tol...
19/04/2024
St. Louis, MO - April 18, 2024 - Studio Network Solutions (SNS) announced today that MOD won three prestigious industry awards at NAB Show 2024 held this week i...
19/04/2024
MELBOURNE, Fla., April 19, 2024 - The Board of Directors of L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.16 per common share, payab...
19/04/2024
PARIS Intel has announced that its plans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will include using artificial intelligence technology powered by Intel ...
19/04/2024
LAS VEGAS Technologists working on all aspects of the 8K media production chain offered an optimistic update at the 2024 NAB Show on the state of 8K in video pr...
19/04/2024
OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the...
19/04/2024
Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Pla...
19/04/2024
NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton April 19, 2024
0 Comments
Esports' rapid rise to popularity can...
19/04/2024
Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19
Brie Clayton April 19, 2024
0 Comments
Major update adds new DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, new color ...
19/04/2024
Sony Pictures Entertainment is reportedly in talks with Apollo Global Management to make a bid to acquire Paramount which itself is currently discussing a merge...
19/04/2024
CBS Stations has launched CBS News California Investigates , with Julie Watts named regional CBS California correspondent. She will uncover and raise awarenes...
19/04/2024
MediaCo Holding, which owns radio stations WQHT (Hot 97) and WBLS in New York, said it acquired Estrella Media's Spanish-language video, audio and digital c...
19/04/2024
Netflix has ordered season five of fantasy drama The Witcher, which will be the final season. Production has recently begun on season four, and the two remainin...
19/04/2024
DirecTV Stream said it added eight more The CW affiliates to its lineup on Thursday....
19/04/2024
CBS has renewed Elsbeth for the 2024-2025 season. The drama, with Carrie Preston in the lead role, debuted February 29....
19/04/2024
With the Bears picking first, NBCUniversal Local's properties in Chicago plan extensive coverage of the NFL draft next week....
19/04/2024
PHILADELPHIA As government subsidies for broadband services come to an end, Comcast has launched NOW, a new product portfolio of lower-cost Internet, mobile and...
19/04/2024
DirecTV Stream has added more local CW stations for its streaming customers in Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford-New Haven Conn., Phoenix, San ...
19/04/2024
NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES MediaCo Holding Inc. has announced that it has acquired all of Estrella Media's network, content, digital, and commercial operations....
19/04/2024
SAN JOSE, Calif. Adobe has announced that the all-new Adobe Express mobile app is available to all users, bringing features powered by Adobe Firefly generative ...
19/04/2024
LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix reported another blockbuster quarter by adding 9.33 million new subscribers in Q1, 2024 as global paid memberships hit 269.6 million, ...
19/04/2024
The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI
Hillary Lewis April 18, 2024
0 Comments
The Entertainment Industry: How did we get here ...
19/04/2024
After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal
Andy Ford April 18, 2024
0 Comments
Here's a way to do a quick blur reveal for your text layer. Start by...
19/04/2024
Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver
Colin Smith April 18, 2024
0 Comments
This tutorial shows the new wireless transmitter rece...
19/04/2024
Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua
Simon Ubsdell April 18, 2024
0 Comments
The answer to the very frequently-asked question: what is the pro...
19/04/2024
B+C and Next TV have announced the winners of Best of Show Awards for the 2024 NAB Show. The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts at the convention...
19/04/2024
Cate Blanchett narrates the Netflix series Our Living World, which premieres April 17. The four-part series looks at the extraordinary creatures around the glob...
19/04/2024
Apple TV Plus has a spinoff of For All Mankind in the works. It is called Star City and details the cosmonauts, engineers and intelligence officers working behi...
19/04/2024
Jacquie Walker, longtime anchor at WIVB Buffalo, will step down from the anchor desk. She has spent over 40 years at WIVB and her last day as an anchor is May 2...
19/04/2024
Bob Hearts Abishola will premiere in broadcast syndication this fall on such station groups as Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair, Hearst Television, Tegna, E.W. Scr...
19/04/2024
Live With Kelly and Mark remains TV's top entertainment talk show as Kelly Ripa and her co-host and husband Mark Consuelo celebrate their one-year anniversa...
19/04/2024
Sean McLaughlin has been named VP of news for Graham Media Group. He had been senior VP of local news at E.W. Scripps. He will will be responsible for developi...
19/04/2024
Netflix has shared the first trailer from One Hundred Years of Solitude, a series based on the esteemed novel by Gabriel Garc a M rquez. The streamer is on boar...
19/04/2024
NAB 2024 in Review: West Hall - SportsTech Buzz From AWS, Appear, Ateme, The Swi...
19/04/2024
NAB 2024 Draws 61,000+ Attendees With More Than Half Attending the Show for the ...
Live From the U.S. Open: Mike Davies on the Massive Production Efforts for the Open and World Cup, 5G Tests Two major events occupy teams in Shinnecock Hills, Moscow, and Los Angeles By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
