Mark Davies, director of products and technology at TSL Products, explains how advanced control surfaces can ensure creative production freedom and the highest technical quality for esports applications
By Contributor
Published: September 24, 2020
Mark Davies, director of products and technology at TSL Products, explains how advanced control surfaces can ensure creative production freedom and the highest technical quality for esports applications
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Mark Davies, director of products and technology at TSL Products, explains how advanced control surfaces can ensure creative production freedom and the highest technical quality for esports applications
https://www.tvbeurope.com/live-production/how-advanced-broadcast-control-surfaces-can-advance-live-esports-production title=Share via Email class=share-email>
In fast-paced live production environments, such as esports, the control layer can simplify a broadcast, whilst sharing and managing resources between system locations to save time, space and money. Each company has its own operations, processes, and workflows and by empowering operators and engineers to have complete control of the system, their job becomes much easier. Advanced control surfaces can ensure creative production freedom and the highest technical quality for esports applications.
Esports productions are very similar to traditional sports broadcasts, but the potential for exponentially more inputs and sources to choose from in the production control room creates an even greater need for advanced control. There is also an added workflow challenge when working with game servers and video game consoles acting as inputs. Advanced control and tally systems can help bridge the gap for production personnel in order to achieve a smooth broadcast or live stream. In addition, intuitive control interfaces enable users to establish seamless communication on a single, unified layer. With the ability to perform powerful actions without the need to invest in a system controller, universal control systems and panels can quickly and cost-effectively plug-in to any infrastructure or workflow, providing operators with the control they need over the devices they use. A well-designed control solution offers an intuitive user interface, providing increased flexibility for esports production personnel.
With increasing demands on resources, budgets, and the rapid adoption of IP and remote production, it is more important than ever for control systems to be able to hide underlying system complexities so that operators can remain focused on making great content. For esports applications in particular, it is important for the observer, the person tasked with managing the in-game cameras as well as identifying key moments in the game for replays and highlight reels, to have an advanced tally and control system because its helps to tie in the entire production ecosystem. Through a unified control layer, operators can share technology between multiple locations, simplifying the production process. This also reduces the risk for human error by putting the appropriate amount of control under the hands of a single operator and creates a seamless workflow that minimises training time. Additionally, with advanced broadcast control, users can decrease the number of operational control panels needed by managing the functionality across a controlled system via unified interfaces.
Routing control is another important component for esports applications Users need to be able to manage signal routes throughout a facility. This might include routing video, audio and data signals between the various elements of a network. Users need a system that will send a signal precisely where it's needed while providing the flexibility and control to build an appropriate signal path for esports operations. Instead of the traditional requirement to route one video signal to one destination, ever-increasing video quality and resolution mean one destination is no longer enough. More bandwidth is required to group 3G data inputs to make a 4K source. This can be achieved by routing between blocks of quad inputs and outputs, by condensing four levels' in an association router into one destination. Additionally, with table routing capabilities, a cross point made within a connected matrix can be used to trigger another cross point. When a source is routed to a destination that feeds a source of the switcher, the control system will then use this change as a trigger to route the same source to a corresponding destination. This will allow all the sources routed to a switcher to be displayed on a multi-viewer.
From multi-device streaming requirements for at home-engagement, to more dynamic onsite live production across facilities, projects at venues such as Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas and Freaks 4U Gaming in Berlin, see the value in using advanced control systems to support high-quality eSports productions. For eSports projects such as these, operators are often volunteers, and lack broadcast-level experience. With the right system and set of controls, users can easily learn which buttons trigger specific actions without having to worry about the coding or engineering processes. Additionally, with TSL Products' solutions, customers can achieve interoperability between equipment routed through analog, IP or hybrid networks, regardless of differing manufacturers and format specifications.
Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas needed to establish a broadcast workflow suitable for its modern, 100,000-square-foot event space. They required an advanced and user-friendly system to transition between live hosts and various player cameras to help organise who should be live at each point of an event. To achieve this, the stadium uses TSL's advanced cont
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
15/03/2026
Visit ToolsOnAir at NAB Las Vegas 2026
More Details:From April 19-22, join us at NAB Show Las Vegas in the North Hall, Booth N1258, for an exclusive preview of...
15/03/2026
Latest dark drama, thrillers & tension library announced
The Very Loud Indeed Co.'s latest Kontakt library has just arrived, delivering a third instalme...
14/03/2026
Combines mic, USB interface & wireless IEMs
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, HISONG have announced that their innovative AirStudio S1 device is ...
13/03/2026
Spotify has always been built around your taste. More than 80% of listeners say personalization is what they love most about us. Now we're taking that even ...
13/03/2026
The new Spotify Legends Club has opened its doors. Its members: select German-sp...
13/03/2026
Pushing drum sampler technology into new territories
The latest version of Klevgrand's software drum sampler has just arrived, boasting a newly designe...
13/03/2026
Expanded headphone support & engine improvements
IK Multimedia's recently introduced ARC On-Ear system brings the power of their monitoring-correction s...
13/03/2026
Extra sound collections, more presets & new Keys category
UVI's rhythm and pattern instrument has just received a major update that introduces four new ...
13/03/2026
13 Mar 2026
VEON Delivers Record Digital Growth: 4Q25 Digital Revenues Grow 84%...
13/03/2026
Friday 13 March 2026
Sky Adds Blood on Snow to Original Film Slate in Acquisiti...
13/03/2026
RT has announced today that Rick O'Shea is the new presenter of Arena RT Radio 1's flagship weeknight arts and culture programme. Rick has been pres...
13/03/2026
Lights! Camera! Action! The 98th Oscars set to air live as RT backs the Irish n...
12/03/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 11th March, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dyna...
12/03/2026
In Latin America, women are shaping music and defining its future. To kick off t...
12/03/2026
En Am rica Latina, las mujeres est n moldeando la m sica y definiendo su futuro....
12/03/2026
Let's turn back the clock 20 years: The music landscape was a world away fro...
12/03/2026
Bad Bunny is no stranger to Spotify's Billions Club. In fact, he has a whopp...
12/03/2026
Spotify was at the London Book Fair this week, joining conversations across the publishing industry about how people can make reading part of their daily lives....
12/03/2026
Mastering tool improves mono compatibility
Tokyo Dawn Labs' Ohlhorst Digital range is a series of mastering-focused plug-ins developed by Jan Ohlhorst, ...
12/03/2026
Wave FX processor integrated into four products
Lewitt have teamed up with Elgato to create a new processor for the company's Wave Next product range, i...
12/03/2026
Free tool for annotating audio files
Mix Notes is a new, free iOS App that provides users with a simple way to annotate their audio files. It's been cre...
12/03/2026
Side-chain ducking tool gets an upgrade
Devious Machines' popular side-chaining and envelope-shaping tool has just been kitted out with an improved enve...
12/03/2026
Ceremony to take place on 16 April 2026
The MPG (Music Producers Guild) have revealed the full shortlist for this year's MPG Awards, which will be takin...
12/03/2026
Emulates three classic dbx 160 variants
The latest arrival to Overloud's Gem Series plug-in range faithfully recreates not one, but three versions of th...
12/03/2026
New granular soft synth announced
Said to be their most advanced software synthesizer to date, Baby Audio's latest release has been built on a new granu...
12/03/2026
Latest version now live!
Edit 11 March 2026 - Bitwig Studio 6 is now live, and available for all to download!
The latest version of Bitwig's DAW softwa...
12/03/2026
Latest free eBook now available!
Designed for recording engineers, audio-technology students and technically minded musicians, our latest free eBook deliver...
12/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity expands SITLine network encryptor portfolio - more...
12/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to showcase future-proof EMC testing solutions at EMV 2026 Rohde & Schwarz will participate in EMV 2026, Europe's premier trade fair and c...
12/03/2026
Modern media operations demand a platform that unites automation, orchestration, and human oversight without compromise. In this post, we explore the six key te...
12/03/2026
A deep dive into the platform
Architecture The Blue Lucy platform follows a distributed microservices architecture, meaning the overall operational capability...
12/03/2026
Orchestration platform enables broadcasters to deploy multiple AI models safely with full auditability, rights protection, and regulatory oversight.
LONDON, En...
12/03/2026
Wuppertal March 12, 2026
Riedel Expands Managed Technology Division in the Ame...
12/03/2026
Advanced Media Server Delivers Double the Channel Density at Half the Cost per C...
12/03/2026
The Late Late Show Show St Patrick's Day special
Dancing with the Stars f...
11/03/2026
First Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) deployment of the emergency.lu platform for refugees and their host communities' use provides dependable broadband for humani...
11/03/2026
Following a successful first series, UKTV today announces the commission of two ...
11/03/2026
Wednesday 11 March 2026
Sky and CANAL launch new partnership to develop English-language drama
Sky and CANAL are today announcing a strategic co commissioni...
11/03/2026
NTCA, Cartesian Release New Report on the Business Case for USF
March 11, 2026
Network Economics
News
NTCA - March 11, 2026 - As the FCC and Congr...
11/03/2026
TELL US YOUR (SHORT) STORIES
The 2026 RT Short Story Competition is now open for entries
Recognising and rewarding the best new Irish fiction writing for...
11/03/2026
RT 's The Traitors Ireland is among the nominees for the 2026 Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards for Excellence, announced today....
10/03/2026
10 Mar 2026
VEON's Largest Market Pakistan Almost Triples Mobile Spectrum i...
09/03/2026
Contains all six dual-ensemble libraries
VSL's Duality Strings series offers an intriguing alternative to your average string library, capturing two str...
09/03/2026
Outstanding Contribution To UK Music
Photo: Samuel Bradley
Ahead of their upcoming MPG Awards, the Music Producers Guild (MPG) have revealed the latest win...
Mark Davies, director of products and technology at TSL Products, explains how advanced control surfaces can ensure creative production freedom and the highest technical quality for esports applications
