Sky Deutschland Turns to RCS to Streamline Motorsport Remote Production

Gearing up for the 2016 motorsport season, Sky Deutschland (Sky DE) recently rounded out its remote production workflow with a new version of Reality Check Systems’ (RCS) (RCS) UpperCut, marking its third consecutive year the technology will serve as the foundation for Sky DE’s unilateral F1 production.

An evolution of the company’s proven HD production solution, the latest update adds Vizrt Media Sequencer integration, allowing Sky DE’s team to load custom-built graphics directly to a laptop for instant access and playout control from UpperCut’s user interface (UI). With a small footprint, the system fits seamlessly into Sky DE’s OB truck, and will facilitate broadcast of pre-, live, and post-coverage for 21 F1 races this season.

Sky DE’s UpperCut accommodates 10 video sources and includes proprietary RCS software, a dual-channel Vizrt Viz Engine and Trio software, a vision mixer, a laptop, and a touchscreen. The binding agent, RCS’ software powers the entire workflow while minimizing the amount of hardware and manpower typically required to execute similar productions. The system’s intuitive UI ensures loaded designs and templates are automatically assigned to an appropriate playlist, giving the system operator the freedom to select and switch between various video feeds and graphics on-air in real-time.

“UpperCut suits our remote production needs to a tee. It’s the most convenient solution on the market, allowing us to deliver high-end F1 broadcasts at a fraction of the cost and equipment required of similar caliber productions,” says Alessandro Reitano, Sky DE Director of Sports Production. “The new update offers incredible versatility in that we’re not limited to using it for racing broadcasts. We can easily upload any of our other graphics packages to the laptop, plug it into the system, and we’re ready to roll; it’s a game changer.”

“Recent technological advances are reimagining the way the industry approaches live production, making it easier to do more with less. Working alongside Sky DE, we’ve been able to tap into these innovations to deliver a flexible, cost-efficient solution that sports broadcasters around the world could use to streamline remote productions,” says Mike Ward, managing director of EMEA, RCS.