Live From THE PLAYERS Championship: PGA TOUR Fleet of Trucks Transforms Setup, Coverage
14/03/2024
Thursday, March 14, 2024 - 9:33 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The 2024 PLAYERS Championship this weekend is simultaneously the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. The new era: the debut of the PGA TOUR fleet at the PLAYERS Championship (the trucks have been on the road for six weeks for both CBS Sports and NBC Sports events). The era ending: operations that have historically been done at the PGA TOUR Entertainment facility in St. Augustine, FL, will be handled down the road at PGA TOUR Studios, a 165,000-sq.-ft. facility scheduled to be up and running next year next to the TPC Sawgrass course.
The front bench area in the PGA TOUR fleet's PCR unit
Eight of the PGA TOUR trucks are onsite (the ninth is in Palm Harbor, FL, helping get fiber runs in place for next week's Valspar Championship). The Production Control Room (PCR) unit houses the main production area. Field Acquisition Units 1 and 2 contain video shading, the A1 area, submix, and the majority of QC for audio. The Record Flex truck is home to EVS operations, ARL operations (with an additional three operators working remotely from New Zealand), and rules review. The other trucks onsite are a main truck, which is now a double-wide; a hauler providing up to 36 RF camera paths; an office trailer; and two BSI trailers.
Owned, constructed, managed, and operated by NEP Broadcasting, the fleet has been operating smoothly since its first event at Torrey Pines in San Diego. The launch was smooth between the two networks, notes Mike Raimondo, VP, broadcast technology, PGA TOUR. The biggest thing was, we ran into the Oh, by the ways' with requests for things like converters. Even the HDR transition between CBS and NBC overall was pretty smooth. They do HDR differently - NBC likes to do shading at 200 nits while CBS uses 180 nits - but the trucks are flexible enough that they can handle either one. And so much went into how the PCR truck was laid out that, even though [NBC and CBS] may sit in different ways, we can change things.
NBC Sports and Golf Channel Producer Tommy Roy was skeptical that the PCR could meet his team's needs, but seeing it at NEP's Pittsburgh facility made him a believer: I was blown away, and I've worked in a lot of spectacular trucks. And this truck will do golf every week, so we won't have to come here and change the monitor wall around [after it does other events].
He adds that the acoustics are perfect. [In other trucks,] sound can echo off the roof, and it can get loud. This truck doesn't have that, he explains. All the technology in here is better than in the previous truck.
As for changes that suit his needs versus those of Sellers Shy, lead golf producer, CBS Sports, Roy cites the removal of a notch of trim around the front bench: I like that because I can sit farther forward, see around the director, and see more of the monitors. The changes can be as silly as that.
Changes Boost Efficiency Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to the PGA TOUR fleet in action. It begins with small things that make it much easier to get the trucks parked, powered, and connected quickly. Color coding, for example, gives each truck its own railing color to identify it.
The sleeve of our fiber is also color-coded, notes Raimondo. When trucks are hooked up every week, color coding tells you where each of the fibers goes. It's just plug-and-play: green to green, red to red, etc.
Another efficiency is credited to the large BSI trailers housing the wireless-camera and -audio operations. First, there is plenty of room in one of the trailers for not only the 240+ radios that have to be deployed across the course but also the batteries that have to be charged. The real time-saver is new custom foam padding for each camera case, which ends the days of having to repeatedly take cameras apart and put them together again.
Custom-made foam inserts allow for cameras to be stored as a package, removing the need to assemble them before every event.
It's a complete package with the cameras and RF gear already attached, says Raimondo. When the crew shows up, they just pull it out of the case and hand it to the cameraperson, and they're off and running. We used to need tables to take everything apart and then put it together, and now they just pull it out of the case. That goes for the radios and chargers as well.
The utility truck is also neatly organized, making it easy to find everything from zip ties to connectors to cables and more.
The whole fleet is IP, using ST 2110, and also runs at 1080p HDR. All signals from the course pass into the Field Acquisition Units and then, via NEP's TFC (Total Facility Control), are available to all the other trucks in the compound.
The two field units are basically duplicates, except that one has two audio rooms and the other has an audio room used for PGA TOUR Radio and a Trackman operation, as well as two Fletcher robot-operator positions.
Both are wired for 36 camera-control units and have six video positions and the exact same patch panel, says Raimondo. All the field fiber runs into Field Unit 1, where we also have all the main interconnects for the other trucks.
NEP Broadcast Services President Glen Levine had his first chance to see the new PLAYERS compound, with not only the PGA TOUR fleet but also NEP ND2, handling NBC Sports production overflow, and Supershooter CBS, producing Every Shot Live. It's an incredible compound with the newest technology across the entire group of NEP trucks, he says, noting, And it's full IP and under full TFC control.
LINK: | https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/03/14/live-from-the-players-pga-tour-... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
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 and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
09/05/2024
Rohde & Schwarz showcases operational efficiency at MPTS
Rohde & Schwarz showcases operational efficiency at MPTS Uncompromised quality and reliability coupled with simplicity and efficiency Rohde & Schwarz will ...
08/05/2024
Saved! and Rudo y Cursi Among Films With May Anniversaries
Diego Luna's character Beto aims to play professional soccer in Carlos Cuar n's film Rudo y Cursi....
08/05/2024
SGL Carbon: Focus on global growth trends pays off
SGL Carbon had a solid start to the first quarter of 2024. Despite the slight decline in sales of 3.9% to 272.6 million (Q1 2023: 283.7 million), adjusted EBI...
08/05/2024
The results are in from Malm Arena as Semi Final 1 participants move through to the Grand Final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest
The results are in from Malm Arena as Semi Final 1 participants move through to...
08/05/2024
Powerful NITV documentary Kindred to premiere during Reconciliation Week
Powerful NITV documentary Kindred to premiere during Reconciliation Week Media releases A journey of family, friendship and home *Watch the trailer here* ...
08/05/2024
Aerojet Rocketdyne Selected by DoD to Demonstrate Powder-in, Engine-out Hypersonic Propulsion Manufacturing
Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers a broad range of capabilities to support hypersonic ...
08/05/2024
L3Harris is Advancing the Future Fleet by Delivering Integrated Solutions
Selected by Fincantieri Marinette Marine, L3Harris is the shipboard design integrator and a key partner on the Fincantieri team for delivering critical subsyste...
08/05/2024
EditShare Goes Beyond Storage at MPTS
EditShare Goes Beyond Storage at MPTS Workflow, server and delivery solutions from storyboard to screen Stand D40, London Olympia, May 15-16, 2024 - EditShar...
08/05/2024
Tegna, Indiana Fever Expand Broadcast Distribution to 11 Additional Markets
TYSONS, Va. Tegna Inc. and the Indiana Fever have announced they have expanded the broadcast distribution of 17 Fever WNBA games to 11 additional markets....
08/05/2024
Comcast Business Boosts Internet Speeds
PHILADELPHIA Comcast Business has increased Internet speeds for customers, nationwide, at no additional cost and has introduced its fastest Internet plans yet ...
08/05/2024
Clear-Com to Showcase Cutting-Edge Communication Solution...
Clear-Com , a renowned provider of professional real-time communication solutions, is thrilled to announce its participation at InfoComm 2024, the largest profe...
08/05/2024
MRMC Achieves its Second Kings Award for Enterprise
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), a Nikon company, is one of the 252 organisations recognised with a prestigious King's Award for Enterprise. Announced to...
08/05/2024
EditShare goes beyond storage at MPTS
EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screen, is exhibiting ...
08/05/2024
Magnifi and Linius Fuse Live and Archive Content to Redef...
Magnifi by VideoVerse an AI-driven video technology company and powerful video-editing SaaS platform is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Linius ...
08/05/2024
NVIDIA RTX GPU Connects DaVinci Resolve to Power
NVIDIA RTX GPU Connects DaVinci Resolve to Power Brie Clayton May 8, 2024 0 Comments Two of the most important questions that the Creative COW audienc...
08/05/2024
Q&A with Visiting Artist Lei Liang
Q&A with Visiting Artist Lei Liang The acclaimed composer discusses his collaboration with Boston Conservatory, his work as a research artist, and what it mea...
08/05/2024
More Stations in San Antonio Launch NextGen TV Broadcasts
A second group of stations has begun broadcasting NextGen TV signals in San Antonio, Texas....
08/05/2024
NBC Orders More Deal or No Deal Island'
NBC has ordered a second season of unscripted Deal or No Deal Island. Joe Manganiello hosts, and executive produces alongside Howie Mandel. Manganiello will ret...
08/05/2024
Tegna Names Greg Retsinas GM At KGW, Portland, Oregon
Tegna said it named Greg Retsinas as president and general manager of KGW, the NBC affiliate in Portland, Oregon, effective June 3....
08/05/2024
Measurement Company Comscore Posts $5.2 Million Loss in 1st Quarter
Comscore lost money in the first quarter as weak linear ad sales impacted its cross-platform measurement business....
08/05/2024
Funny Business as NBC Orders Happy's Place,' Renews Lopez vs. Lopez'
NBC said it bolstered its comedy slate by renewing Lopez vs. Lopez and ordering Happy's Place, starring Reba McEntire....
08/05/2024
Knuckles' Knocks Fallout' From Top of TVision Power Score Rankings
Paramount Plus's Knuckles knocked Amazon Prime Video's Fallout out of the top spot in TVision's Power Score ranking of the top show on connected TV ...
08/05/2024
Tegna Adds 11 Markets To Lineup for Indiana Fever Games
Tegna, which made a deal to broadcast 17 Indiana Fever games featuring top WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark, said it made deals that will put the games on stations...
08/05/2024
EchoStar Loses 348,000 Pay TV Subs in 1st Quarter
EchoStar said it lost another 348,000 pay TV subscribers so far this year, closing the first quarter with 8.18 million subscribers. That total includes 6.26 mil...
08/05/2024
Fox Has Net Income of $666 Million in 3rd Quarter
Fox reported a profit for its fiscal third quarter....
08/05/2024
IPG's Kinesso Unit Adds Senior Executives to Lineup
Kinesso, the centralized tech and data unit at media agency IPG Mediabrands, named Tom Amies-Cull as global chief operating officer and Amie Owen as global chie...
08/05/2024
Post production houses adopt Cleanfeed Cinema solution
The solutions in-browser stream focuses on low latency, making it suited to low bandwidth scenarios By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 8, 2024 The solutio...
08/05/2024
TAG unveils subtitling language detection feature
Driven by algorithms, the solution performs a quality analysis informed by language-specific dictionaries By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 8, 2024 Drive...
08/05/2024
Mobilelinks acquires 2 SAT Europe to increase SNG truck fleet
The increase in fleet size will reduce travel distances, aligning with sustainability goals, said Mobilelinks By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 8, 2024 T...
08/05/2024
Arqiva adds Caroline Cardozo and James Lelyveld to technology team
The company said the new arrivals would drive collaboration and technological transformation across key business units By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 8, ...
08/05/2024
Actus Digital Set to Shine at CABSAT and Broadcast Asia
Following a successful NAB Las Vegas 2024 and winning a Best of Show Award, Actus Digital, a leading provider of Intelligent Monitoring Platforms, will bring it...
08/05/2024
TAG Revolutionizes Closed Captions and Subtitles Quality...
TAG Video Systems, a leading force in video monitoring solutions, has developed a new Language Detection feature set to transform how operators ensure quality a...
08/05/2024
Pliant Technologies Unveils New SmartBoom LITE Headset at...
Pliant Technologies, a leading provider of professional wireless intercom solutions,presents its new SmartBoom LITE Headset at InfoComm 2024 (Booth C5116). The ...
08/05/2024
Prism Sound Showcases High-Quality Audio Conversion at MP...
At the Media Production & Technology Show 2024, Prism Sound will showcase high-quality audio conversion products designed to suit the demands of professional us...
08/05/2024
Julian Day Joins FooEngine
Soho stalwart Julian Day has joined FooEngine as Business Development Director after 13 years at ZOO Digital. Julian has been at the heart of the London post pr...
08/05/2024
Cleanfeed Cinema Redefines Audio Post Production Workflow...
Following its successful launch at NAB 2024, Cleanfeed Cinema - the latest remote recording innovation from Emmy Award-winning Cleanfeed - is already helping au...
08/05/2024
DHD to Showcase New Product Line-up at MPTS 2024
DHD's range of digital broadcast equipment, systems and related software will be promoted on stand D22 at the Media Production & Technology Show by UK-regio...
08/05/2024
MSP CloudReso selects Cubbit hyper-resilient DS3 distribu...
Cubbit, the innovator behind Europe's first distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced that CloudReso, a France-based distributor of MSP security so...
08/05/2024
MwareTV boosts Americas presence with Daniel Conde Coto
MwareTV, a prominent cloud-based multi-tenant platform provider, has attracted Daniel Conde Coto to join the company as director, sales operations. This is a si...
08/05/2024
LiveU Demonstrates its Efficient IP-Video Workflows for L...
In a year set to see record-breaking IP-video adoption, with over 70 elections and global sports events, LiveU heads to Broadcast Asia 2024 with a focus on its ...
08/05/2024
nxtedition Showcases a Fully Automated AR Studio Gallery...
Pioneers in microservices-based production environments, nxtedition, will demonstrate the latest advances in storytelling technology at the Media Production & T...
08/05/2024
MPTS 2024 - Leader and PHABRIX to showcase multiple new T...
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced that it will again exhibit at The Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), which tak...
08/05/2024
Livepeer Studio cuts the cost of live streaming and trans...
Livepeer Studio unveils a revolutionary video streaming platform offering an unprecedented combination of quality and cost-efficiency to content creators, media...
08/05/2024
Ikegami to Demonstrate Complete Broadcast Media Productio...
Ikegami Electronics (Europe) will demonstrate a complete broadcast media production system on stand S1-A15 at CABSAT 2024 in Dubai, Tuesday May 21 through Thurs...
08/05/2024
Experience Commerce Bags Digital Agency Mandate for SAVSO...
Experience Commerce (EC), a leading digital agency within the Cheil Network, is pleased to announce that it has won the digital mandate for SAVSOL, the flagship...
08/05/2024
Global Telecom & Pay TV Services Market to Slowdown in 2024
NEEDHAM, Mass. The International Data Corporation is predicting that worldwide spending on telecom services and pay TV services will increase by 1.4% in 2024 to...
08/05/2024
Apple Unveils New iPad Live Multicam Production Studio
CUPERTINO, Calif. In a notable development for news and live video production, Apple has unveiled a number of significant upgrades to its Final Cut Pro software...
08/05/2024
Pliant Technologies to Showcase New Smartboom Lite Headset at InfoComm 2024
Pliant Technologies has announced that it will be presenting its new SmartBoom LITE Headset at InfoComm 2024 (Booth C5116). The latest updates include enhanceme...