NEW YORK — The 2008 Sports Video Group League Technology Summit is expanding its program in order to better serve the information needs of sports TV production personnel and related vendors

The event-of-the-year for sports TV production senior executives begins at 2 p.m. on Monday, December 15 with the Sports Production Truck Workshop. Co-chaired by Ken Aagaard, SVG chairman and CBS Sports SVP, operations and production services, and Steve Cozort, ESPN Regional senior director of remote operations, the workshop will address the growing industry need for cost-effective smaller-scale HD production vehicles; it will offer a look at technologies that are available from leading equipment makers and how leading mobile production service providers are approaching small truck design.

The League Technology Summit continues on Tuesday, December 16 with five expert panel discussions and a tabletop exhibit area, featuring 40 of the industry’s top manufacturers.

“This year’s Technology Summit program is our best yet and will feature leading sports TV executives from a wide-range of disciplines,” says Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG editorial director. “It addresses the information needs of producers, directors, engineers and production personnel, and that is important because everyone needs to understand how workflow and technology trends will impact their careers.”

Here is the complete schedule of events for the 2008 SVG League Technology Summit:

December 15
New York Hilton Hotel
1 pm - 4:00 pm

The Quest for the Small HD Production Vehicle
As more events make the move to HD, broadcast and cable networks need to find more cost-effective means of producing the events. This special workshop will discuss the challenges and opportunities related to building production vehicles that are designed for HD productions that require less than 8 cameras. What is required in the trucks? How ‘low can you’ go in terms of pricing? And how can manufacturers and truck vendors better address this market? Panelists and Presenters Include: Ken Aagaard, CBS Sports, EVP Operations and Production Services; Steve Cozort, ESPN Regional, Senior Director of Remote Operations; Jerry Gepner, Vitec, CTO; George Hoover, NEP, VP of Engineering

December 16
New York Hilton Hotel
Trianon Ballroom

9:00 am - 10:00 am
The NASCAR Challenge: Gearing Up For the Race
Every week during the NASCAR season more than 35 production trucks, three TV networks, and hundreds of personnel criss-cross the nation in a production that rivals the Super Bowl. This special behind-the-scenes panel will feature leading executives and production professionals from NASCAR Media Group, Fox Sports, ESPN, Turner Sports, SPEED, and DirecTV, providing insights about how one of the industry’s most complex sports productions comes together.

10:00 am -11:00 am
Mobile Truck Engineers-in-Charge Panel Discussion
Today’s HD production trucks are more complex than ever. What are the top trends in the construction and equipment needs for the big-time TV production vehicle? How are they gearing up for next-generation challenges like 1080p or even 3D HD? And how can equipment manufacturers better meet their needs to ensure the mobile TV market continues to be a leader in technical innovation?

Featuring engineers from: Game Creek Video, NEP Supershooters, F&F Production, and more.

11:00 am -11:30 am
Networking Break/Exhibits

11:30 am -12:30 pm
View from the Front Bench: Advancing the Art of Sports TV
The front bench continues to be the hot spot for any sporting event production and director’s are always on the hunt for new toys and techniques to add sizzle that keeps viewers coming back. A panel of top producers and directors discuss how they approach their craft and what techniques and technologies are changing the look of today’s sports broadcasts.

Featuring top directors and producers from CBS, Fox, ESPN, YES Network, NESN, and more.

12:30 pm -1:30 pm
Networking Lunch/Exhibits

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
3D HD: The New Reality, Demo and Panel Discussion
Next-generation broadcast technology to deliver 3D HD sports to homes and theaters continues to gain the attention of top professional leagues and teams. Panelists discuss how to cost-effectively produce an event in 3D HD, how it differs from a 2D production, and what every professional needs to know about the realities of 3D sports TV.

Featuring presentations by: the NBA, Fox Sports, ESPN, Pace 3D, 3eality, and more.

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break/Exhibits

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
NBC Olympics: Raising the Bar for Sports Production
The broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympics by NBC this summer garnered record ratings thanks to top-quality production values and making it easier than ever for sports fans to get their Olympic-sized fix of the action. NBC Olympics executives discuss the new workflows that were deployed, the long journey from concept to reality for broadcasting everything in HD, and the evolving relationship between TV and Internet delivery platforms.

4:30-6:00 p.m.
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