Vancouver 2010: Broadcast Sports’ Wireless Transmission System Brings Never-Before-Seen Perspectives of Skiers
Story Highlights
RF transmitters, receive infrastructure, monitoring and distribution facilities from Broadcast Sports, Inc. (BSI) are being used at the Winter Olympic Games. BSI has implemented a marriage of remote controlled gyro-stabilized Cineflex camera systems with flexible receive infrastructure and intelligent diversity receive technology. This is a joint venture between RF Wireless Systems Inc. of Canada, and BSI. BSI has supplied equipment and services to the 1996 Atlanta, 1998 Nagano, and 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Olympic Broadcast Services Vancouver (OBSV) is the host broadcaster for the Vancouver Olympic Games, responsible for producing and distributing audio and video coverage of the Games. To generate an international production, OBSV deploys cameras, develops graphics, and captures audio at each sporting venue. OBSV transmits this international production to all radio and television rights-holding broadcasters, who adapt the signal for transmission on their networks. BSI is providing all of the RF Cameras for the Whistler Olympic Park and Nordic Center for the OBSV.
Olympic Broadcast Services Vancouver is using eleven BSI HD wireless camera links (Link Research L1500) and control systems operational within coverage areas incorporating the cross country, biathlon, and ski jumping venues. Four of the HD RF camera systems were placed on snowmobiles to follow alongside skiers, providing an exciting in-race perspective never before seen in the Olympics. The remaining seven HD RF cameras are being used as hand held and SteadiCams throughout the Nordic Center venues.
BSI’s RF over fiber system and intelligent diversity receive infrastructure creates centralized reception of all RF elements. This technology allows BSI to deploy as many small footprint receive points as required to provide the desired coverage. Final reception and decoding occurs in BSI’s mobile unit. Centralizing this capability results in greater coverage with less equipment and fewer personnel to monitor usage and rapidly respond to issues.
“BSI was thrilled to be approached by RF Wireless to bring a new perspective to the views of the Olympic Nordic events,” adds Clay Underwood, business development manager at BSI.