IBC 2018: Baltimore Ravens upgrade production studio with Evertz DreamCatcher replay, IP router

Evertz Microsystems announces that their DreamCatcher Live Media and Production Solutions were utilized by the Baltimore Ravens to upgrade their production studio.

The Baltimore Ravens are committed to providing an exceptional gameday atmosphere for their fans. Following the 2016 NFL season, the Ravens embarked on a three-year, $120-million self-funded investment to enhance the fan experience at M&T Bank Stadium. As part of those upgrades, the Ravens replaced their video displays with two dramatic, 200 feet wide by 36 feet tall displays that equal the highest resolution and clearest picture of any stadium display in the United States.

To fully enhance the in-stadium video production, they required new equipment to support the new displays, which were each double the previous width and a 50% increase in height, as well as the format change to 4K. The addition of nine 4K cameras along with 14 HD robotic cameras required them to upgrade their router and enhance their replay arsenal. They chose Evertz’ IP Router to ensure that they would have the ability to send and receive large bandwidth audio/video signals to and from all devices in the facility. Additional replay capabilities were also required to give fans an experience that can only be shared at M&T Bank Stadium.

The existing baseband DreamCatcher cluster already utilized by the Ravens was upgraded to an IP (uncompressed) replay cluster which supports simultaneous 4K-UHD and 3G replays. The new cluster features support for 9 channels of 4K-UHD and 12 channels of 3G, along with a logging station, content management station, and zooming and tracking functionality. The cluster hosts 4-5 primary operators and its data-centric design allows them to combine the entire DreamCatcher cluster’s resources to move large amounts of content rapidly.

The Ravens chose Evertz without hesitation because of their track record of innovation and success at M&T Bank Stadium. In 2014, the Ravens were among the first professional sports teams to choose the Evertz DreamCatcher as their replay device.

“Nima Malekmanesh and his team delivered a product with an incredible feature set, the best support available, and at a competitive price. But what really made Evertz stand above the rest was their commitment to developing the product based on our individual needs as a client,” says Jay O’Brien, Vice President, Broadcasting & Gameday Productions at Baltimore Ravens. “There are features in the current DreamCatcher that were developed — and developed quickly — so that we could best entertain and inform our in-stadium audience. As for the Evertz IP router, the choice was obvious. There is nothing on the market that begins to compare.”

During the 2017 season, the Ravens delivered more replays to their fans than ever before. Their unique replay configuration enabled them to capture nine 4K and 12 HD video streams at all times, allowing them to show not only multiple angles of key game action, but also the off-the-ball and ISO angles that football fans crave. Their 4K replays with the ability to zoom in on particular parts of the play, without quality loss, delivered the best angles of the biggest plays.

“The Ravens and M&T Bank Stadium have proved to be great partners over the last 4 years. Our continued partnership was key in successfully launching one of the first uncompressed video over IP venues!” said Nima Malekmanesh, Product Marketing Manager and Sr Engineer — DreamCatcher, Evertz. “DreamCatcher has proven again to be the most dynamic replay platform in the market. The data-centric design and intuitive interface of DreamCatcher™ were essential in seamlessly supporting simultaneous 1080P and 4K-UHD replays in the uncompressed video over IP domain.”

“The Baltimore Ravens and Evertz continue to have a great partnership,” says O’Brien, Vice President, Broadcasting & Gameday Productions at Baltimore Ravens. “We are proud that they are part of the team, and we are excited to continue to innovate the fan experience with them.”