SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2022: Sunday’s Latest From Vegas
The NAB Show has returned to Las Vegas, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are once again chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center and beyond. To make the deluge of announcements easily digestible for our readers, SVG is sending you a daily roundup in SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2022, with all the top stories gathered in one easy-to-read blog.
Today’s edition features Ai-Media, Blackmagic, Canon, Dalet, EditShare, EEG Video, Evertz, EVS, FOR-A, Fujinon, IHSE USA, Leader Instruments, Lumen Technologies, Marshall Electronics, NEP, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations, and Teradek.
NORTH HALL
Dalet (Booth N4423) is introducing two offerings at NAB 2022: Dalet Flex for Teams, offered as-a-service for all teams with digital-media–management and multiplatform-delivery requirements, and Dalet Pyramid solutions to enable modern storytelling and news-production practices with centralized planning, remote editing, and digital-production capabilities.
EditShare (Booth N3008) is unveiling its new FLEX cloud solutions for media-asset–management (MAM) and storage software. FLEX enables organizations to migrate to a “work anywhere” environment by offering access to content wherever the creative staff need to be and also addresses the move toward an opex financial model in which cloud-hosting and storage fees change to reflect the level of business. Leading the new initiatives is FLEX Cloud Edit, which provides MAM, high-performance software-defined storage, and virtual workstations in the AWS cloud — all while allowing use of whatever editing software the user prefers. Other features include FLEX Cloud Edit+ for accelerated file transfer and FLEX Cloud Sync to synchronize content between archive storage and cloud storage.
Blackmagic’s (Booth N302) URSA Broadcast G2 cameras have a new beta version (7.8) designed to make live streaming easier. Users can stream directly to YouTube, Twitter, and other platforms complete with camera control, tally, and talkback sound to the camera via an ATEM Streaming Bridge. When the ATEM Streaming Bridge is connected to an ATEM switcher, customers get full support for camera control, tally, and talkback. This means that, through one streaming link, the camera operator can stream live to the studio while receiving instructions, have their camera color corrected live, and see when they are on-air. And streaming via USB connection to mobile phones or Ethernet adapters has also been added, along with improved RAW recording and Premier Pro performance and stability.
EVS (Booth N2625) MediaCeption Signature 1.0, the company’s latest end-to-end asset-management solution, is debuting at NAB 2022. Web-based interfaces allow users to perform different work functions in live or near-live productions that seamlessly integrate everything from ingest to playout. And appearing for the first time at a major U.S. trade show is the EVS XtraMotion cloud-based replay service. The technology uses cloud and AI-based technologies to create up to 2X or 3X video replays using any 50- or 59.95-fps source as long as it is 720p, 1080i, 1080p, or UHD format. It’s integrated into the LSM-VIA and XT-VIA live-video-production servers.
Evertz Scorpion Smart Media Processing Platform
Networking and CDN provider Lumen Technologies (Booth W4418) has opted for Evertz’s (Booth N5907) Scorpion Smart Media Processing Platform for its next-generation contribution network. Speaking during Evertz’s press conference at NAB 2022, Evertz Senior Director, International Business Development, Mo Goyal said, “It gives Lumen the ability to build a large contribution network that connects multiple stadiums inside the U.S. for major sports.” Lumen selected the Scorpion platform to upgrade its Vyvx offering by enhancing its ability to support customers with multiple UHD and 1080p HDR video signals. Evertz has also announced the availability of the award-winning DreamCatcher BRAVO Studio on Microsoft Azure Marketplace as well as additions to its portfolio of RF solutions and its new Ease Live SaaS GFX platform.
Teradek (Booth N212LMR) is highlighting its 4K HDR workflows for live streaming. Attendees can witness new additions to the RT lens-control family as well as learn how Bolt 4K allows wireless camera control into existing infrastructures. The company is also displaying applications in live event production. On display in this sector are Wave, a 7-in. HD live streaming monitor; Spark 4K, a wireless transmitter and receiver system; and Prism Flex portable 4K HDR encoder/decoder system.
IHSE USA (Booth N6913) is spotlighting the latest trends in KVM, headlined by its Draco MultiView 4K60 — enabling simultaneous operation of four computers displayed on a single display — and tera flex matrix switch. A live demonstration of the Draco ultra 240 series of high-frame-rate extenders features two professional esports athletes going head-to-head. In addition, IHSE USA’s booth is showcasing KVM-over-IP solutions from its acquisition of kvm-tec and VuWall’s TRx 3.1 centralized video-wall–management platform.
EEG Video and Ai-Media (Booth N5509) are appearing at their first NAB Show together since the latter acquisition of the former’s in April 2021. Showcasing advanced and cost-effective captioning, their setup features solutions for a variety of use cases. Among the products on display are the Alta Software caption encoder for live IP video, Lexi automatic captioning service, and the new Smart Lexi, iCap Connect AV650, and AV610 CaptionPort V2.1.0 live captioning display. The two companies are expanding their translation services with iCap Translate to support English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Danish, Maori, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Arabic, Russian, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish.
Evertz (Booth 5907) doesn’t expect to immediately be affected by component shortages. Although issues affecting global supply chains are a concern, said Senior Director, International Business Development, Mo Goyal, Evertz has been “diligent to make sure that everything we have seen today is shipping.” Speaking during Evertz’s press conference on Saturday, he noted, “We have had our teams look at different sources or different parts that we might need to fill the supply chain, and we have done a decent job to maintain customer deliveries. We have done as much as we can to protect ourselves, but, as these issues work their way through, we may be impacted in future, but we have tried to do the best we can to make sure we meet customer obligations.”
CENTRAL HALL
Leader Instruments (Booth C6118). is taking part in its first joint demonstration with Phabrix since acquiring the latter in 2019. Says Sales Engineering Manager Kevin Salvidge, “One of the messages we’re trying to get across here is that get IP is now happening. It has been forced upon the industry because of travel restrictions, social distancing, and [more]. I often use as analogy that tsunami that hit Japan: you couldn’t get hold of tape for love nor money, but that was the kick that the industry needed to move on to solid-state media. [People said,] “You know, we’ve been forced to test this new technology, it works, and we’re going to go with it.” And that’s, I think, where a lot of the broadcasters are now. Remote production has come of age. You’ve got the big boys doing this on a global scale, [and everyone is] joining the party. They have realized that this is going to complement their traditional truck business that’s not going to go away.”
Canon (Booth C4432) is offering something totally new this year: the Free Viewpoint Volumetric capture system makes use of more than 100 cameras to render 3D images of the in-game action. It’s definitely worth checking out to get a sense of where volumetric capture and rendering is headed and how it will make a difference for coaching, replays, analysis, and more. Also showcased is a new firmware update for EOS C300 Mark III and EOS C500 Mark II digital cinema cameras: Camera to Cloud (C2C) sends secure high-quality, low-bandwidth H.264 proxies and uncompressed audio files with matching timecode and filenames to the Frame.io. The cutting-edge workflow with Frame.io C2C firmware update saves valuable time in a variety of entertainment and broadcast-production environments.
At Fujinon (Booth C6127), Stosh Durbacz, national sales manager, Optical Devices Division, Fujifilm North America Corp., notes that among the new lenses on display are the UA107x8.4AF (Auto Focus) for fast and accurate subject-tracking performance, which will be shown on a Mo-Sys U50 Remote Head; large-format Premista Series cinema lenses with new Chrosziel drive unit and ZEISS eXtended Data, a technology that creates opportunities to streamline and increase the accuracy of the lens data; and the UA125x8 4K-compatible broadcast lens with a zoom ratio of 125X.
Hawk-Eye Innovations, part of the Sony (Booth C10901) family, is officially getting into the replay-device and -service market with the launch of Hawk-Eye Replay. Hawk-Eye Innovations Senior Product Director Matt Zajicek suggests that a key differentiator from other systems in the market is the ability to leverage Hawk-Eye’s other innovations: “Hawkeye has had success in AR and optical tracking and in our data platform, so there’s tons of world-class and cool technology that we can apply to broadcast-media workflows. And various broadcasters used Hawk-Eye on things like the NFL with remote access and operators working from home.”
FOR-A (Booth C5408) is prioritizing a handful of themes at NAB 2022: 4K and 12G solutions, hardware to handle 4K super-slo-mo, further involvement in in-venue production, the SDI-to-IP transition, and integrating NDI into the live-production ecosystem. These themes are being explored through multiple products, including the debut of the MFR-3100EX router for NDI support, the FA-1616 multichannel signal processor, the MV-1640IP multiviewer, and staple products like the HVS-490 NDI and HVS-6000 ST 2110 production switchers. FOR-A is also boasting multiple partnerships that improve its product line: AMMUX IP Technology, Media Links, and Seiko Solutions.
Marshall Electronics (Booth C1307) is presenting a long line of POV and robotic cameras. On the POV front, CV568/CV368 global-shutter cameras with Genlock and CV566/CV366 rolling-shutter cameras with Genlock are featured. Tapping HD resolutions up to 1920x1080p, 1280x720p, and 1920x1080i with a wide selection of frame rates, both cameras are built around the next-gen Sony 1/2.8-in. CMOS solid-state rolling-shutter image sensor. On the robotic side, the CV730-BHN high-bandwidth NDI, 4K PTZ camera has two simultaneous SDI (BNC) outputs with genlockable 12G SDI and 3G SDI as well as HDMI and USB3.0 options.
WEST HALL
Sinclair Broadcast Group (W7834, Wynn Salon G) announced on Friday that it plans to offer HDR content for its Bally RSNs beginning in the third quarter using SL-HDR1 (part of the ATSC NextGen Broadcast standard). At NAB 2022, the company is providing HDR demonstrations. Deploying a backward-compatible approach, SL-HDR1 enables content producers to deliver a single video stream to new and legacy display devices. As a result, newer devices automatically render the HDR picture, and legacy displays render SDR, allowing efficient bandwidth utilization. Using this small suite of standardized technologies, Bally Sports game productions will provide an enhanced digital signal using HDR for all games beginning in second half 2022.
SVG Europe spoke with NEP (Booth W9032) Chief Executive Brian Sullivan and NEP Broadcast Services Global President Mike Werteen shortly before NAB 2022 and just as NEP Ireland opened a new production center in Dublin. The facility brings to 11 the number of centralized production centers that NEP has opened since 2020. Additional facilities were opened in Amsterdam; Brussels; Singapore; New York; Los Angeles; Bracknell, UK; and London, along with client-owned facilities where NEP provides centralized production solutions in Germany and Italy. Check out the full interview HERE.