ESPN and the NFL Network will be using Glowpoint’s teleconferencing systems throughout the 2008 NFL Draft.  Glowpoint’s IP-based video services are used to broadcast live interviews with coaches, owners and players from 32 locations placed at various NFL team headquarters. Each of the 32 team sites has a Sony camera along with Glowpoint providing the backhaul communications over T1’s. 

Glowpoint’s services encode at either 1.5 mbps on single T-1 services or 2 mbps on bonded T-1’s . The Draft coverage begins this Saturday at 3:00 pm ET live from Radio City Music Hall and concludes Sunday night. ESPN will broadcast the teleconferencing in SD.

ESPN producer Jay Rothman commented on the new starting time of 3pm. “ We scaled down by design to be more fleet-footed, to do the kind of show we want to do,” he says. Glowpoint will monitor all 32 team sites at their offices in Hillside, New Jersey. “By being more fleet-footed and keeping it moving and tight will make it a much more compelling telecast,” adds Rothman.

Glowpoint introduced an HD solution in 2007 and at this year’s NAB, they introduced 720p/60fields or 1080i/60 fields utilizing 4 bonded T-1s that encode at 4800 Kbps.