NBA Virtual-Reality Broadcasts on Oculus Fueled By Fully Cloud-based Decentralized Workflow Through The Switch and AWS, MediaMonks takes live VR sports production into the cloud By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 - 12:56 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
In a challenging season of evolving COVID-based protocols, limited fan attendance, and national broadcast partners' taking much of their live game production remote, the NBA has managed to uphold its reputation as one of the nation's most progressive professional sports leagues.
That includes leading the way on NFTs (through NBA Top Shot), sports-betting-based alternative streaming broadcasts, and, yes, even virtual reality.
The NBA has partnered with Facebook to deliver a package of live games in virtual reality on the Oculus platform.
Through its partnership with Facebook, the NBA has delivered a package of 10 VR broadcasts of live games on the Oculus Quest platform, the last of which - between the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks - will stream Friday evening.
Consumable on Oculus Quest's Venues app, this season's edition of the NBA's live VR experience brings users (and their dynamic avatars) into a suite-like experience to interact with other fans of their choosing while watching a produced, multi-camera live presentation of the game itself.
Yet, although the consumer side of the production has been advanced significantly by pushing the quality of the video to 4K at 60 fps, perhaps the most radical and impactful changes are behind the scenes, where the entire live experience is being produced via a new decentralized model with the crew working from numerous locations around the globe.
The Key First Mile to the Cloud The NBA and Facebook have entrusted international creative digital-production company MediaMonks to produce the live game coverage and assist with marrying it to the Venues app experience within Oculus.
Camera specialist Alan Bucaria sets up one of four cameras used to shoot the VR broadcast. Bucaria is one of just two-three people required at the arena to make the production possible. (Photo Courtesy: MediaMonks)
MediaMonks' team has logged plenty of reps working NBA VR experiences in the past, but, when it became clear that conditions at NBA arenas were going to be quite different this season given careful resumption of play amid the coronavirus pandemic, it was understood that this slate of productions would be the most challenging yet.
Unable to travel staff and have a large technical presence onsite, MediaMonks had to get creative. Like many broadcasters throughout this pandemic, it would need to find a way to produce from home - literally. The agency would assemble a completely decentralized workflow that would allow the entire production to be done in the cloud.
The key to decentralization came in unlocking the connectivity. MediaMonks turned to The Switch for its high-capacity, low-latency first-mile connectivity into every NBA arena. This enabled The Switch to extend a direct peering with AWS via a private Direct Connect which MediaMonks accessed directly from the NBA Venue panel. The ability to funnel 4K video signals over those pipes (The Switch network) out of the arena and into the cloud was the critical element that enabled the entire show.
A chart of the signal workflow behind the NBA VR experience. (Courtesy: MediaMonks)
The signal workflow is relatively straightforward (see image at right). From AWS Direct Connect, the camera signals are fed through nine softwareSRT decoders into TouchDesigner for 3D mapping and custom projection. From there, it runs into Vizrt's Viz Vectar Plus production-switching system controlled by Central Control where the crew can tap in and work from their respective homes to build the final product, which is transmitted to Oculus headsets through AWS Cloudfront.
This workflow sounds terrifying and bizarre, says Lewis Smithingham, MediaMonks' Director of Creative Solutions, but, once it got up and running, it has been one of the more stable shows that we've ever run.
Minimal Onsite Presence At the arena on a game night, the MediaMonks team has to deploy little more than a collection of five cameras and a small, 12 rack unit rolling case housing a collection of Haivision Makito X4 encoders.
The only gear required on-site for the production are five Sony cameras and a 12 RU rolling case of Haivision Makito X4 encoders. Those encoders leverage The Switch's in-venue network to transport the camera feeds to AWS Direct Connect. (Photo Courtesy: MediaMonks)
With the team looking to stick with more-traditional broadcast elements, these games are not produced with some special VR rig, which previous major VR projects across the industry may have used. Instead, these games are shot using Sony FX6 full-frame cinema cameras outfitted with Canon EF 8-15mm fisheye lenses. They are positioned in four spots in the arena: high center court, low center court, and under each basket.
Only two to three crew members are needed onsite: VR Broadcast Engineer in Charge Ken Stiver and Camera Lead/Live Tech Alan Bucaria, supported by Broadcast Engineer Adam Roth, or a local utility. Everyone else involved in the show works on equipment in their own homes.
Says Smithingham, It's liberating as a manager to be able to recruit the talent that I want for this show, [rather] than be restricted to just who can get to the truck.
Bringing in Talent Far and Wide The show is steered by a crew more than 15 people deep, all working from home in locales ranging from Orlando to New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Arkansas, London, Nottingham, Buenos Aires, and S o Paolo.
Among those behind the scenes were Solutions Architect Lead Jason O'Malley, Broadcast and Films Senior Technica
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...
07/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/07/2026
New appointments to Screen Australia board 7 July 2026
The Albanese Labor Government has made new appointments to the Screen Australia board.
Dr Tania Chamber...
07/07/2026
The right team. The right time.' How The Killings at Parrish Station stuck t...
07/07/2026
Berklee College of Music Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's...
07/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists train the immune system to make antibodies against numerous HIV strains Preclinical findings mark progress toward a long-sought vacc...
06/07/2026
Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...
06/07/2026
The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...
06/07/2026
This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...
06/07/2026
IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...
06/07/2026
Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...
06/07/2026
NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...
06/07/2026
Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...
06/07/2026
DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...
06/07/2026
Bundle gains 100 new synths & more
Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...
06/07/2026
Available now via free firmware update
MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...
06/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...
06/07/2026
The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Open source AI has shown how quickly developers can innovate when models, data a...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
06/07/2026
Monday 6 July 2026
Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
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...
NBA Virtual-Reality Broadcasts on Oculus Fueled By Fully Cloud-based Decentralized Workflow Through The Switch and AWS, MediaMonks takes live VR sports production into the cloud By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
