3G Wireless Selects Nucomm For MLS All-Star Coverage

3G Wireless, utilizing Nucomm equipment, recently served as the national broadcast feed provider covering all of the action taking place on and off the field for the 2008 Pepsi Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star Game, involving the MLS All Stars and the West Ham United of the English Premier League. To capture all of the game highlights for the ESPNHD channel in live HD, 3G Wireless employed two of Nucomm’s CamPac 2 transmitters and two of its Newscaster DR diversity receivers with great results.

One CamPac 2 was used on a steady camera rig that covered the pre- and post-game studio show, as well as followed the action up and down the side lines. A second system was used on the back of a handheld camera that covered the crowd and the field, as well as, the live reports done by on-air talent.

According to Adam Nepp, 3G Wireless marketing director, one of the strongest points of the Nucomm system is its ability to filter out and/or work in conjunction with other signals that are going on at the same time. “In using Nucomm’s Newscaster DR, our picture remained stable and flawless throughout the event without any interference from other digital signals, regardless of how close others were working in adjacent channels,” he says. “By using the CamPac 2, we were able to remain frequency adjile, which is a strong point with the spectrum becoming more crowded.”

Nepp explains that there was an added bonus to using Nucomm’s CamPac 2. “Because of the ultra low delay of the CamPac 2 system, we were able to use hard wired mics with the wireless transmitter and not have any lip sync issue,” he says.

From a production perspective, the CamPac 2 gave camera operators plenty of options in regards to what they we able to achieve for the broadcast. Nepp says, “Having the ability to take really neat shots is what the viewer enjoys, and having two separate camera rigs running freely around the stadium, viewers gain better coverage because they get perspective from different angles, whether it be behind the goal post, on top of the stadium, or from the players’ view while on the field.”

While more than five hours of live feed was broadcast in HD for ESPNHD, 3G Wireless provided HD coverage to the ESPN and Telefutura networks. It also delivered broadcast for Canada’s CBC Television.