SVG TranSPORT Event Draws 270 Industry Pros to Network Around the Latest in Live-Sports-Transmission Tech

SVG TranSPORT Event Draws 270 Industry Pros to Network Around the Latest in Live-Sports-Transmission Tech Industry leaders from NBC Sports, ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sincalir Broadcasting Group, and more took the stage in New York City By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 1:33 pm

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The annual SVG TranSPORT event returned to New York City on Tuesday, drawing north of 270 industry professionals to discuss and network around the topic of live-sports-transmission technology.

Developed by Sports Video Group's TranSPORT Advisory Committee and its chair Adam Whitlock, Senior Director, Remote Traffic Operations at ESPN, TranSPORT put in the spotlight the industry's latest developments in contribution and distribution technology, including terrestrial and satellite backhaul, IP- and cloud-based transport solutions, the evolution of 5G and bonded cellular technologies, the latest compression standards and transport protocols, 4K and HDR delivery, connectivity needs for REMI/remote productions, and more.

The 2024 SVG TranSPORT event was highlighted by a Keynote Presentation on NBC Olympics' Paris 2024 transmission scheme from NBC Sports Group's Eric Poellot (left) and Ian Kuchta.

All sessions from the 2024 SVG TranSPORT event will be available to watch on demand at SVG PLAY in the coming weeks.

The event was highlighted by a keynote presentaiton on NBC Olympics' transmission scheme for this past summer's Paris 2024 Games. Attendees were treated to an in-depth look at NBC Sports' transatlantic operation by NBC Sports' VP, BOC and Transmission Operations Ian Kuchta and Senior Manager, Transmission Engineering & Operations Eric Poellot.

The show opened with the annual State of TranSPORT: Broadcaster Perspectives panel discussion where industry leaders and members of the Advisory Committee explored the current state and future of live sports transmission, including the impact of emerging technologies - IP, 5G, the cloud, 4K/HDR, and much more. Contributing to that discussion were Whitlock, Brad Cheney, VP, Field Operations and Engineering at FOX Sports; Scott Davis, VP, Broadcast Operations at CBS Sports; Julie Morrison, Manager, Content Transmissions - Technology & Operations at Warner Bros. Discovery; and Paul Spinelli, AVP, Engineering at Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

TranSPORT 2024 opened with The State of Transport: Broadcaster Perspectives panel discussion featuring (from left) FOX Sports' Brad Cheney, CBS Sports' Scott Davis, Warner Bros. Discovery's Julie Morrison, Sinclair Broadcasting Group's Paul Spinelli, and ESPN's Adam Whitlock. Offering welcoming remarks (at far right) was Astound Business Solutions' Sean Sullivan.

Other panel discussions throughout the busy day drilled on to specific hot topics across the live sports transmission business. That included the opportunities and challenges remaining in video compression standards. For example, JPEG XS offers visually lossless video with minimal latency, making it an ideal choice for REMI productions and other real-time applications. How does JPEG XS factor into today's transmission landscape? That topic was tackled by Kuchta, John Dale, Corporate Director, Chief Marketing Officer at Media Links; Andrew Osmond, Director of Business Development for Media Transport at Evertz; and Andy Rayner, CTO for Appear.

Additionally, as SMPTE ST 2110-based IP broadcast facilities become more pervasive, live studio and event productions are reaping the benefits when it comes to flexibility and scalability. However, the ST 2110 revolution has yet to extend to the transport piece of the broadcast ecosystem on a large scale. Discussing what the future holds was Spinelli, Kevin Callahan, Olympics & Paralympics, Senior Director, System Engineering at NBC Sports; Robin H rin, Director of Standardization, Office of the CTO for Ateme; and Donald Rodd, Principal Consultant at Diversified.

Speaking of REMI (or remote) production, a panel of technology leaders broke down best practices in transmission and connectivity enabling this growing model of live sports production. Offering their advice on the subject were Kuchta, Tom Buffolano, Head of Business Development, College Sports for Tata Communications / The Switch; Ben Hayes, Director of Client Services at BitFire; Dan Pisarski, CTO at LiveU; and Jesse Pitt, Media Engineering Specialists Leader for Deloitte Media Solutions.

The growing role of Internet-based backhaul in live sports contribution was also a centerpiece of discussion at the event. Evaluating the potential risks and rewards including the business case and security concerns in utilizing the public internet were Whitlock; Ghislain Collette, VP, Product Management at Haivision; and Sasha Zivanovic, CEO and Co-Founder of Nextologies.

SVG TranSPORT 2024 closed with a panel discussion entitled Innovation in Transport Technology: 5G, IP the Cloud and Beyond featuring (from left) Red5's Chris Allen, Zixi's Eric Bolten, FOX Sports' Brad Cheney, T-Mobile's Jason Schnellbacher, and Verizon Business Group's Timothy Stevens. The event's program director Jason Dachman (far right) moderates.

The show wrapped with a unique opportunity to hear directly from the innovators and technology providers developing and implementing cutting-edge transport solutions and ultra-high-bandwidth networks. Included in that talk were Cheney; Chris Allen, CEO and Co-Founder of Red5; Eric Bolten, VP, Strategic Accounts at Zixi; Jason Schnellbacher, Technology Innovation for T-Mobile; and Tim Stevens, Global Leader, Strategic Innovation, Media & Entertainment for Verizon Business Group.

This year's SVG TranSPORT was also highlighted by a trio of technology case studies.

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LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/10/10/svg-transport-event-draws-270-i...
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