Every year in February, more than 170 of the most formidable Ultra 4 Racing teams assemble in Johnson Valley, CA to battle it out in front of 45,000 spectators for the chance to win the worlds most challenging off-road race The King of Hammers. Sponsored by Nitto Tire and broadcast live to 600,000 online fans, the competition combines every off-road discipline imaginable from desert racing to rock crawling and short course.
When Hammerking Productions Executive Director Dave Cole decided to broadcast the event live for the first time two years ago, he called upon former pro athlete turned freelance producer Dan Campbell-Lloyd. Having collaborated with some of the biggest names in extreme sports production - including Red Bull Media House, Matchstick Productions and Freeride Entertainment - Dan was up for the challenge. 2013 marked the second year that he and his crew helped broadcast the event live in SD on-site via jumbotrons and online. HD footage from the event was repurposed later on to cut TV shows and a DVD.
This years event was shot on a combination of eight Sony NEX-700, NEX-VG20 and EX3 cameras. Leveraging the AJA Ki Pro Mini digital video recorder, Dan recorded segments of the race in the Apple ProRes 422 codec in the field, utilizing an ATV and helicopter. The device also played an integral role in his playback workflow, which included an AJA Io HD, Apple MacBook Pro, Thunderbolt monitor and drive, eSATA drive and Firewire 800 hub. Signals from five satellite microwave dishes in the field, one on the side of an ATV and another in the helicopter were all fed to a TriCaster 850EX multi-camera production system using a combination of 30 AJA Mini-Converters for a large variety of conversion needs.
Dan chose to use AJA technology, because he knew it would give him peace of mind in the field. When broadcasting live from remote locations, having tools from AJA is awesome! The gear is so reliable; it never misses a beat, he shared. If one thing went down, we wouldve been in major trouble, because the whole live broadcast wouldve gone under. Theres no way we couldve done what we did without it.
Using the Ki Pro Mini, Dans team captured footage in the field, brought it back and laid it into an SSD feed straight away. If a racer broke down, the team was able to place the recorder in an ATV or helicopter, travel into the field to capture the footage, return and integrate it into the show just a few minutes after. Dan explained, It was almost like instant replay; because of the Ki Pro Mini, we could put footage into the show like it was live.
Facing high winds, snow and rocky terrain throughout the race, having a rugged digital recorder like the Ki Pro Mini proved essential. You couldnt really ask for a tougher climate, but the durability of the Ki Pro Mini was spot on. It just worked - even when sitting in piles of dust and facing super harsh weather conditions, Dan said. Its also so easy to use; you can put it in almost any vehicle and away you go.
The team also used AJA Mini-Converters extensively to retrieve live feeds from each microwave dish to the TriCaster. The mini converters were the most important part of that process. We were able to easily run DMC cords from our Microwave Dish into the Mini-Converters, so it took just one step from the Microwave Dish and back to the TriCaster, he added. Without them - it couldnt have been done.
When it comes to AJA gear, Id choose it over anything else. I go with what I know works. Theyre really leading the forefront of the technology that we need to do our job, Dan concluded.
Highlights from this years event are available to view here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5ETOoZT54A
All trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
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...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
05/05/2026
SVG is proud to announce Warner Bros. Discovery's Techwood Studios in Atlant...
05/05/2026
With no operator required, AutoMic workflow automates talent identification on U...
05/05/2026
A crash in 2015 set the industry back, but this winter proved that drones are he...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
L3Harris provides communications, electronic warfare, sensors and mission systems that enable Virginia-class submarine crews to operate with confidence in conte...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Every year in February, more than 170 of the most formidable Ultra 4 Racing teams assemble in Johnson Valley, CA to battle it out in front of 45,000 spectators for the chance to win the worlds most challenging off-road race The King of Hammers. Sponsored by Nitto Tire and broadcast live to 600,000 online fans, the competition combines every off-road discipline imaginable from desert racing to rock crawling and short course. 
