Cybersport’s Warface Championship runs action replays with Slomo.tv

Cybersport is winning eyeballs across the globe. Analysts estimate that it will gain parity in viewing audiences with regular sporting events by the end of 2018.

“And no wonder, besides the magnetic attraction of gaming, an average person without outstanding physical abilities can easily become a top cybersport performer,” said Yegor Voronin, General Manager of Moscow-based production company, LiveSignal.Ru. Voronin was speaking after the announcement that his production company has selected Slomo.tv to provide its Blackjack AT/3G replay servers for this summer’s Warface Championship, one of Europe’s leading cybersport events.

Any major sports broadcast needs action replays and cybersport is no exception. However, cybersport broadcasting places special demands on the event producers. Whereas most conventional TV broadcasts utilise interlace scan systems, cybersport works exclusively with progressive scan and requires 3G SDI signals. As a result, broadcasters must use 3G SDI systems or employ additional HDMI or DVI converters to 3G SDI.

LiveSignal.Ru, the broadcaster of the Warface Championships in Moscow, has selected Slomo.tv’s Blackjack AT/3G servers to provide all replays during its programmes. “Slomo.tv was the obvious choice for cybersport replays: powerful, easy to operate and compact, it fulfils all our needs and allows us to make significant savings in equipment and staff costs,” explained Yegor Voronin.

Besides its ability to support progressive scan images, another key factor in LiveSignal’s selection of Blackjack AT/3G is the relatively large number of 3G SDI replay channels that it offers. Blackjack provides 12 replay channels compared with other systems which offer just four 3G SDI replay channels. This capability translates to a need for just one replay operator instead of two or three, which is commonplace with other systems.

Also, a built-in multiviewer function of the Blackjack AT/3G enables the broadcast’s editor to sit alongside the replay operator and monitor in real-time the entire game, quickly and efficiently creating replays.