EVS Servers Picked for Live Broadcast of Asian Games
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As the 16th Asian Games begin Nov. 12 in the South China city of Guangzhou, the host broadcaster will be using EVS media-server playback systems for recording multiple camera feeds, live replays, and editing of highlights packages.
Guangzhou Games Broadcasting (GAB) is working with 22 Chinese broadcasters to provide facilities for coverage of 476 events in 46 sports. These include the expected athletics, swimming, football, and modern pentathlon; Asian specialities like karate and judo; and the more unusual softball, billiards, and chess.
A total of 130 EVS servers will be used for the live broadcasts, with the main Chinese state broadcaster, CCTV, providing 23 XT[2] systems. CCTV OB trucks and production teams will cover the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as 10 events, including athletics, tennis, archery, gymnastics, and basketball.
Football and rugby will be covered by Guangdong TV, which is also working with CCTV on the Opening Ceremony broadcast. Shanghai TV will provide additional facilities for athletics, swimming, and tennis.
In all, 46 OB vans will be used during the Games, 28 of them HD-capable. It is estimated that more than 2,500 hours of HD material will be broadcast over the next two weeks.
The OB vehicles have been provided by broadcasters that already use EVS systems. The XT[2] servers to be used during the Games will be operated from LSM remote controllers for live replays and quick-turnaround editing. IPDirectors will be used for networking and media management of production material, including rough edits and file exchange.
The Asian Games are the biggest sporting event to be held in China since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Luc Doneux, head of big events at EVS, observes that Chinese broadcasters gained significant production and technical experience of live broadcasting from that event and have honed them since then.
“This allows them to provide top-quality live coverage for key sporting events, such as the Asian Games in Guangzhou,” says Doneux. “The host broadcaster’s and Chinese broadcast organisations’ preference for EVS live-production technology for the production of the Games underscores their plan to offer viewers the best live experience possible.”
