Kyodo Television enlists EVS servers for 4K ‘world first’
Japanese outside broadcast production company Kyodo Television recently selected two EVS XT3 servers to power a live 4K production of a J League football match for SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation. In what is billed as a world first, the trial deployment made it possible to provide instant highlights and slow motion replays.
From Kyodo’s OB truck at Japan’s Sendai football stadium, two EVS XT3 servers were used to manage the 4K multi-cam ingest, recording and playout operations, enabling instant replays, highlights packages and slo-mos for the live broadcast of the J League football match over 200 miles away in Odaiba.
The two XT3 servers (in a four in/four out configuration) provided the four 60p synchronized feeds needed for what is said to be the world’s first 4K slo-mo trial. Kyodo Television controlled the 4K slo-mo operations using the XT3’s single link 3G SDI connectivity capabilities for ingest and playout . The two servers were linked through EVS’ live media sharing network and controlled using the EVS Live Slow Motion (LSM) system.
The deployment follows a recent investment by Kyodo Television EVS XT3 server technology for its OB trucks. This enables them to switch seamlessly between SD, HD, 3D, 1080p and 4K live productions with just a simple reconfiguration of the server using the 3G in/out link.
Mr Ishiguro at Kyodo Television remarks: “EVS’ expertise in live sport production technology is the reason we selected their innovative servers for the core of our OB operation. For this high-profile trial we needed to be very confident we could maintain the same speed and reliability despite the huge bandwidth demands of 4K. Having EVS technology at the heart of our end-to-end 4K operation meant we could manage a full live 4K operation and deliver live instant replays, highlight packages and slow-motion functionality. We also have the peace of mind of knowing that the investment is future-proof – a key factor in a rapidly changing technology world.”
Mr Iwawaki, assistant manager, Broadcasting & Production Engineering Division, Engineering & Operations Group at SKY Perfect JSAT, adds: “The Japanese market has always pushed the boundaries of what is possible in high-quality video production. 4K playout is the industry’s next big opportunity as broadcasters look to make sports fans’ experiences ever more engaging. Delivering high-quality content quickly and reliably in ultra-high definition brings with it many challenges but the combination of the talented Kyodo Television team and EVS’ state-of-the-art technology delivered simply stunning results.”