Southern Methodist University Gallops Into ACC With New ST 2110 Production Facility MustangVision to produce nearly 100 live games for ESPN, ACC Network, ACCNX By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 - 2:41 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Spencer Jones never could have imagined this.
When the assistant AD, MustangVision, first arrived on Southern Methodist University's campus in July 2016, he was a one-man band, producing video for an athletic department in its early days in the American Athletic Conference.
Fast forward eight summers, and Jones is heading a team of five putting the finishing touches on one of the most technologically advanced broadcast facilities in all of college sports for an athletic department on its way to join the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
It's enough to make even a video engineer emotional.
It's that birthed-a-baby type of feeling, says Jones, sitting in the neon-red glow of one of four video-production-control rooms in SMU's Armstrong Fieldhouse. There are a few moments when you're, like, I'm not going to tear up. Nope.' I sit there with a big old smile on my face. Then everyone else walked out of [the room], and I just put my head down and think, We did it.'
As part of the move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southern Methodist University has built an IP-based production facility, which houses four live-video-production-control rooms. (All photos: SMU Athletics)
They did it, alright. And they did it fast. Just eight months to be exact. A fully IP-based media facility was built from scratch with two souped-up control rooms dedicated to broadcasting up to a linear ESPN show and two smaller rooms: one of which can handle a streaming show for ACCNX or an in-venue videoboard show; the other reserved for videoboard shows.
To do all of that amidst the pressure of joining a Power Conference was an ambitious goal. Adding in an all-IP infrastructure might have been downright insane.
Two of the four control rooms are capable of linear shows. The other two are smaller rooms that handle live streaming and/or videoboard shows only.
Becoming a member of the ACC already meant stepping up the department's game in live video production, producing games for ESPN, the ACC Network, and the streaming-exclusive ACCNX. Despite the extremely tight timeline, however, Jones wanted to take the opportunity to go big and invest in a fully IP infrastructure, specifically SMPTE ST 2110. Although the standard has come a long way, the leap to IP is a challenging one. For Jones, both the timing of the project and the benefits it promised made the effort worthwhile.
ST 2110 has been deployed for almost a decade now, he notes. I felt, when it first got deployed, it was a slow, painful process. This didn't talk to this, this didn't talk to this, this didn't talk to this. That vendor doesn't have anything. That vendor has something. You either have to go fully isolated with one vendor and hope it all works. Or you can piecemeal it out and get a different package, but, if you did that, these two may not talk. I think [the industry] finally started knocking a lot of those [barriers] down, and, when the concept of this ACC Network move came up, the first thing that came to mind was I'm doing greenfield build. If I'm doing that, why be in baseband anymore?'
I have five venues, he continues. If I put switches and networks in, not only do I have the flexibility to go from any control room to venue, but I have the ability to go from venue to venue through control room without even the control room knowing what's going on. It can go point-to-point.
Each control room is paired with a Calrec Audio Argo S. The two linear control rooms have 48-fader consoles, the streaming/videoboard room has a 36-fader, and the videoboard-only room has a 12-fader.
The department's growth is naturally more than just in technology and facilities. MustangVision Productions has grown to a team of five with plans for adding a full-time engineer soon. The department added Director, MustangVision, Jordan Bettiol and expanded to three Assistant Directors, MustangVision: Sheridon McGrew, Breanna Sorensen, and Charles Young. Together, the crew will produce 80-100 live broadcasts this year (men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, swimming) and a full venue of in-venue videoboard shows.
Jones also credited James Justinic, a freelance engineer for playing a huge role in smoothing over the IP planning and execution. He's been absolutely fantastic in this project. Without him I probably would've pulled out the hair I don't have. If I didn't have him, I probably would've pushed harder on getting a full-time engineer here first. I would've done that almost nine months ago.
Jones has some advice for anyone undergoing a similar IP build: You really do need to immerse yourself in the technology. Once you understand the technology, you can be better informed for the decisions that you're going to have to make at probably a rapid pace, even if it's a multi-year project. And you have to have good administration that can back you.
SMU's new facility is home to a live set for studio shows and other content creation.
One way the project was able to be completed in eight months was employing two integrators to split up the work of the project. ZTransform oversaw control-room design and construction, and Digital Resources took care of athletics venues, fiber connectivity, and lighting.
As for the guts of the facility itself, MustangVision built the IP infrastructure on Evertz's NATX network-based broadcast-distribution solution. Multidyne's HoneyBadger added flexibility to router for venue
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
Southern Methodist University Gallops Into ACC With New ST 2110 Production Facility MustangVision to produce nearly 100 live games for ESPN, ACC Network, ACCNX By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
