Augmented Crowd Sound Gears Up for New Sports Seasons
Last year, enhanced-crowd-sound systems helped make sports during COVID seem almost normal. This year, they’re poised to do the same — and, perhaps, more. More
Tech Focus: Bodypacks, Part 2 — A Look at the Leaders in Wireless Transmitters
With RF bodypack audio transmitters increasingly important to broadcast sports, here’s a selection of leading current models. More
Tech Focus: Bodypacks, Part 1 — Wireless Transmitters Are Integral to Sports Audio’s Future
Today’s wireless bodypack transmitters are almost nano-small, their battery endurance is reaching Tesla-envy levels, and the RF spectrum disruptions of the past few years have (mostly) settled down. However, that doesn’t mean that their designers and manufacturers don’t face other challenges. Among the continuing challenges is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made A2s’ task of […] More
Audio for the NBA’s New Season Is As Challenging As Last Year’s
Last year’s NBA season debuted the use of “enhanced” ambient crowd sounds by U.S. sports to make games played under COVID-19 lockdown feel more authentic. As challenging as that initiative was, however, it was greatly helped by the fact that the majority of regular-season games and all playoff matches were played in a single location: […] More
SVG Summit:CONNECT — Enhanced Crowd Sound, Next Generation Audio Are Major Topics
As the SVG Summit does every December, SVG Summit:CONNECT brought the world of broadcast sports together over Zoom instead of over cocktails at the New York Hilton. But the effect was the same: a robust exchange of ideas as the industry approached the finale of a remarkable year. Audio was very much on the table. […] More
Leagues’ Approaches to Augmented Crowd Sound Offer Variety of Lessons
With four months of artificial crowd sounds under its collective belt, televised sports looks back at what has been a largely successful experiment under the pressure of a pandemic-driven lockdown. More
Avnu Alliance Announces Pro-AV Entry-Level Membership
Reflecting the ongoing migration to networked infrastructure in the media industries, the Avnu Alliance, the trade organization that promotes the use of the AVB network-bridging protocol, will offer a new Milan Associate membership level, intended to give manufacturers of professional audio/video equipment a lower-cost path to certifying Milan endpoint devices. More
Tech Focus: Sports Radio, Part 3 — Audio Consoles Keep Pace With Tech Advances
Sports broadcasts on the radio have their own special requirements, and manufacturers have kept their broadcast audio consoles up to date. Here are a few of the leading flagship models. More
Tech Focus: Sports Radio, Part 2 — The Future Is Streaming, Multichannel
Sports broadcasting predates television, going back to the beginnings of (media) time, all the way to 1921, when KDKA Pittsburgh broadcast a game between the hometown Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field (although college football beat the major leagues by about a year). It can seem that, when it comes to radio, not […] More
Tech Focus: Sports Radio, Part 1 — ESPN Readies New Radio, Podcasting Facility
ESPN’s radio and podcasting will be integrated into the 19-story, 1.2 million-sq.-ft. media hub that parent company Disney will build in Manhattan’s SoHo district. That complex, scheduled to open in 2024, will be the campus for all New York City-based Disney media companies, including ESPN, Pixar, and Marvel. In the meantime, Disney will open an […] More