Extending the scope of sport

by Mark Chiolis, 02.11.2010

As we are all aware, there are conflicting pressures on broadcasters, at all levels, today. There is an ever-growing number of channels, each requiring relevant content, leading everyone to seek out new and distinctive programming. The rapid rise in the number of large screen plasma and LCD televisions in consumer homes means that there is an assumption that this distinctive programming will be made and transmitted in high definition.

But at the same time there is pressure on costs caused by the recent economic turmoil and the resultant downward pressure on advertising: recent IABM research suggests that 2010 advertising revenues in Europe will be 18% below those of 2006. So we have to find ways of producing programmes, in HD, for less.

Sport has always been seen as a sure-fire way to build an audience, but this is also one of the most expensive forms of content, for two reasons. The first is that rights fees for major sporting events have risen sharply. The second is that audiences now expect sophisticated coverage including a large number of cameras, multiple replays and rich graphics.

The challenge, then, is to find affordable sports rights – second tier events, which can be equally compelling and perhaps of particular interest to local audiences – and then present the sport with sufficient production values to meet the expectations of the audience, within an affordable budget.

Camera

Working step by step through the production chain, we start with the camera. This is an obvious but vital point: quality lost at acquisition can never be regained, so the choice of camera must be appropriate for the intended application. Low cost HD cameras are available, but because of limitations in contrast range, colour fidelity and signal to noise ratio the picture will often be disappointing to the viewer, the very person who eventually pays the bill.

The lighting available at a sporting event will rarely be under the control of the television director, and while, for example, top league football stadia around Europe today have good floodlights, in lower divisions the light level, consistency and spread may not be so good. Low light performance of camera systems is a vital consideration.

This does not mean that you necessarily have to invest in the top of the range camera, though. While top-end cameras, such as the Grass Valley LDK8000 Elite remain the leading choice of HD camera for both studio and remote production, there are alternatives with different features at lower price points.

The first is the LDK4000 camera, which uses the same optical path, sensors and processing as the LDK8000 but is fixed to a single HD video standard. If you are always producing content to the same line and frame rate, this is a viable choice at a more affordable price point.

The second, the LDK 3000, features Grass Valley’s new broadcast quality Xensium CMOS sensors, is available with the highly robust and reliable full-bandwidth Triax transmission (pre-wired in many sports-stadiums around Europe) and is a full featured system camera compatible with all other LDK accessories. The LDK3000 offers comparable low light and signal to noise performance as the other cameras in the family, and the same 34 bit digital video processing.

That processing includes important automated functionality like auto black level and continuous digital white balance, ensuring that with your available crew you will deliver good image quality and matching, whether you are hiring the most experienced operator or one still learning the ropes.

Super slow motion (SSM)

One of the defining characteristics of modern sport coverage is the high quality slow motion replay. This depends on a camera shooting at two or three times normal frame rate, so that it can be slowed down by the same proportion and still retain full quality.

There are two important considerations. The first returns us to the issue of light levels, and the problems of capturing the action under less than perfect floodlighting on a February evening in northern Europe.

If you are shooting at three times the normal frame rate for super slo-mo, then each captured frame is exposed for one-third of the normal time. As the sensor is essentially counting the number of photons which fall on each pixel, in one-third of the time you will collect one-third of the number of photons, so the output voltage will need three times the amplification to achieve the appropriate level.

It is clear, then, that this is one area in which using a low cost solution will not work and is therefore not available. It is because of the outstanding image performance with the best balance between sensitivity and low noise that the Grass Valley LDK8300 camera has become the world standard in 3X HD super slo-mo.

A related issue here – and one which justifies an entire article alone – is that shooting at three times the mains frequency means that you are likely to capture the mains frequency flicker of the lights. The LDK8300 includes advanced anti-flicker processing, AnyLight, which smoothes out the levels without introducing artefacts or smearing.

If coping with available light is the first decision on a super slo-mo camera, the second is how slow you need the motion to be. The LDK8300 is specifically designed for three times frame rate, but a variant of the standard LDK8000, the SportCam, is capable of shooting at twice the frame rate for a 2x slow motion replay. The SportCam also works great as your 1x main camera, meeting multiple requirements at a price point very close to a standard HD camera.

Some sports benefit from 3x replays, but others are played at such a pace – that there would never be time to indulge in such slow motion and 2x is plenty, especially away from top flight matches.

The final point to make on slow motion cameras is that they should also provide a standard output so that they can be used as part of the normal shoot. As well as saving the cost of additional operators, it saves camera positions, set up time and additional weight of equipment and cable, allowing the production company to get the cameras into the right places for optimum coverage only taking as few revenue-earning seats out of the stadium as necessary.

Server

The other half of a super slo-mo system is the server, which must be capable of capturing high frame rate video and then immediately replaying it at variable speed. In the past this has been seen as expensive technology.

Grass Valley has extended its popular K2 media server platform to include live production capabilities. The K2 Summit client offers the option to accept the three parallel HD inputs from the LDK8300 SSM camera, integrate them into a single stream, and make them available for variable speed playback virtually instantly. The K2 Dyno controller works equally as well with acquisitions of 1x, 2x or combinations of all three, depending upon your exact needs for each event.

To complement the K2 Summit, the K2 Dyno controller gives fast and, more important, intuitive access to the content, so managing replays - real time or slow motion - under the pressure of a live sports event is simple. If your production needs multiple replays or multiple points of control, the K2 Dyno Director is a software interface that links the server network with a number of control devices, including Dyno panels, touch screens and automated triggers from the production switcher. This new type of workflow can provide for enhanced viewer experiences without additional production crew.

The cost savings in this area come from capital costs which are significantly lower than the previously accepted price point for slow motion replay servers, and a simplification of control which makes it easier for operators to handle more functionality thanks to the intuitive nature of the operation.

One other practical point to be noted here is that the K2 media server platform is built on open IT standards. It is therefore easy to directly connect editing platforms such as the Grass Valley Aurora or EDIUS editors, or third party tools like Apple Final Cut Pro, giving them direct access to the content to edit in place on the server, allowing highlights packages to be cut and cued for playout immediately as the action finishes. Open connectivity also allows for fast and easy archiving so the truck can be cleared quickly at the end of the event.

Switcher

While the choice of production switcher will usually be made on the level of functionality required – number of inputs, mix/effects banks and pre-programmed moves and mixes called for by the director – there is a way in which the right switcher can significantly reduce both the capital and operational costs of covering an event.

While the live shoot is in HD there may be archive footage which needs to be included which only exists in SD. Action in the current game could be compared with previous plays, for example. Previously, selections had to be made in advance and standards converted to HD.

The Grass Valley Kayenne Video Production Center includes up, down and cross conversion on its I/O ports. Unlike some competitors, this is achieved without using the resources of the switcher itself, so none of the operational flexibility is lost. It means that any content can be played into the switcher, live, without the need for either conversion in advance or for special routing paths to be built through outboard equipment, eliminating set-up time.

Conversion is available on the output as well as input, so the Kayenne can create multiple outputs simultaneously, perhaps to create separate feeds for internet streaming and for screens around the stadium as well as one or more broadcast feeds. Using Dyno Director with Kayenne means different inserts can be added, tailoring the content for the output as well as outputting the right video standard.

Covering sport for television will always be a pressurised, complex and expensive process. Using the latest technology it is now practical to reduce both the capital and operational costs and to provide multiple outputs for different applications and additional revenue streams. The result is that coverage of the standard expected by today’s demanding audiences can be delivered across a wider range of sporting events than ever before.




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