Dixon Sports Utilizes Blackmagic UltraStudio 4K as Part of Media Portal Next-Gen Video Server

Blackmagic Design’s UltraStudio 4K capture and playback devices are being used by Dixon Sports as part of their Media Portal next-generation video server. The Dixon Media Portal was built around the UltraStudio 4K to meet the needs of one of the biggest sports broadcasters in the world, the WWE. The Media Portal’s affordable modular design and flexible architecture remove the constraints of previous first-generation servers to enable workflows that were previously impossible.

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Dixon Sports Computing’s products are used by sports broadcasters and organizations, including Fox Sports, PGA TOUR Entertainment, DirecTV, MSG Network, TVG and SKY New Zealand. Their recently launched Media Portal, by playing directly from and recording directly to editing storage systems such as Avid ISIS, replaces first-generation servers that have been used for capture and playback. This eliminates transfer times, advanced planning about what needs to moved and when and the reliance on expensive servers and their proprietary storage. To provide capture and playback features, Dixon Sports uses Blackmagic Design’s UltraStudio 4K.

UltraStudio 4K provides the Media Portal with rack mount Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 based capture and playback, which includes 4:4:4 and dual channel 3D stereoscopic, Ultra HD and 4K capture and playback. UltraStudio 4K also comes with the latest performance 6G and 12G-SDI video technology, and are ideal for equipment racks, post production suites or flyaway kits. The combination of UltraStudio 4K and Media Portal products give customers the ability to manage the amount of video required for sports broadcasting.

“When we were designing the Media Portal, one of the driving factors was that we wanted to provide great value by bringing down the per channel costs to a fraction of the typical video server set up and at the same time providing more capability” says Michael Dixon, founder, Dixon Sports. One of the most important aspects of this was making sure that the capture and playback features were the absolute best and most flexible. Blackmagic’s UltraStudio 4K fits that need perfectly.”

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Media Portal provides direct capture and playback ports to existing storage, making all the video in the editing SAN or NAS instantly available and edit live during capture and playback anything in the library. The Media Portal also can turn editing storage into hybrid editing sources and recorders adding speed and flexibility to the editing process.

This next-generation video server allows editors to play sequences and edit from original video files without finaliz-ing the edit package and creating new media files which clog storage resources. The Media Portal also allows new workflows, including “live” distribution over the Internet, transcoding with QC playout for quick turn around productions and sync’d playback of multiple channels as if the event were live.

“Dixon’s philosophy is to fit into the customers’ workflows, not make them change to fit ours. Building the Media Portal next-generation server, with Blackmagic Design’s hardware, provides us the power and flexibility to fit into our customers’ most demanding existing workflows, while at the same time creating new workflow opportunities,” says Dixon. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised by all the new workflows the Media Portal makes possible. The Media Portal with UltraStudio 4K handles any format, hardware system or future workflows our customers may throw at us.”