SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2024: Monday’s News From Las Vegas
The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. To make the flood of announcements easily digestible for our readers, SVG is sending you a daily roundup in SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2024, with all the top stories gathered in one easy-to-read blog.
Today’s edition features Ai-Media EEG, Appear, Arri, ASTRODESIGN, Audinate, Bridge Technologies, Brightcove, Calrec Audio, Dreamwall, Globecast, Grabyo, Ikegami, LucidLink, Magnifi, Maxon, Mobilelinks, Moments Lab, NativeWaves, Nemal Electronics, PSSI Global Services, Riedel Communications, Seagate, SES, Synamedia, Telemetrics, Telos Alliance, Verizon Business, Vizrt, and Zero Density.
CENTRAL HALL
Ikegami (Booth C3819) is celebrating its 60th anniversary and introducing the brand-new HDK-X500 portable camera system, which is designed for 1080p needs and can also do 1080i at 120 fps. It’s the first Ikegami HD camera to have a global shutter sensor (the company’s 4K lineup has that capability). According to Ikegami Director, Sales and Marketing, Terry Zastrow, it can be upconverted to HD with the help of the PSX100.. Two new monitors have also been released: the 24-in. Ikegami HLM-2460WA video monitor has an IPS LCD panel with 1,800:1 contrast ratio and 400-nits peak brightness; the HLM-1860WR features an 18.5-in. IPS LCD panel, larger than its HLM-1760WR predecessor but within the same 19-in.-wide 7RU chassis, and has a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and, with its 500 nits peak brightness, reproduces clear images even in outdoor environments. “There is an HDR option with some scaling,” says Alan Keil, VP/director, engineering, Ikegami. “Part of the 60 series, they have the same engine board and functions.” Also on display, a slim-line OCP-500 operational control panel allows five control panels to fit into the same space as four of the previous versions and offers improved ergonomic feel and support for RS-422 and Ethernet.
Telos Alliance Infinity VIP (Virtual Intercom Platform) software and app for iOS and Android devices
Telos Alliance (Booth C1808) is giving attendees “sneak peeks” at what VP, Business Development, Martin Dyster says are new concepts being applied to its Infinity VIP (Virtual Intercom Platform) software and app for iOS and Android devices. “For example,” he notes, “we are finding that more and more customers are interested in using our virtualized intercom for contribution. So, rather than looking just like an intercom panel, maybe looking something a little bit more like an announcer panel or a commentary panel, the interface is more familiar to the contributor. We’re able to deploy intercom anywhere you happen to be, without having the overhead of a matrix-based system and having to ship hardware around the world. I can put an intercom panel on a computer in front of anybody in seconds.” There is, he emphasizes, both an operational and a business case to be made for this approach to intercom deployment.
ASTRODESIGN (Booth C9325) is showcasing the TR-5004 SRT transmission monitor, equipped with AVC/HEVC hardware codecs to facilitate stable transmission. It supports playback, return, tally, intercom, and camera-control signals for communication, allowing it to be used with existing system cameras. Among the highlights are 3G/HD-SDI signal encode/decode and support of H.264, MPEG-4 AVC, H.265, and MPEG-H HEVC codecs. It also provides transmission support for send back, tally, intercom, and camera-control–signal communication and features a display switch between HD-SDI input signal and received IP-stream signal. It can also connect via USB/WLAN and Wi-Fi.
Telemetrics (Booth C4420) continues to improve its lineup — for example, enabling operators to see a graphical 3D representation of the studio environment on the panel (complete with real-time location of camera pedestals and track systems). The RCCP-2A control panel also now has power-status view, robotic status, and more. Also being showcased is a series of software improvements to reFrame Talent tracking software, which can be accessed from both the control panel and the reFrame Server. Among new features are AI improvements to add more flexibility to subject framing (asymmetric return), incorporating additional movements via Telemetrics Televator, TG-4/TG-5 track and OmniGlide rover capabilities (X, Y, Z priority), and auto retrigger framing when talent is slightly out of frame for prolonged periods.
Dreamwall (Booth C6028) is gearing up for a bumper year of activity, with the animation and creative production studio that provides virtual and augmented solutions gearing up to work on the impending European elections, Belgian elections, and Euro 2024. For the upcoming Euro 2024 soccer tournament, Dreamwall will once again be working with Belgian broadcaster RTBF, for which it created a virtual set with LED screen with a virtual-set extension and “teleportation” of studio guests for the broadcaster’s Qatar 2022 World Cup coverage. Said Dreamwall Head of Sales, Media Solutions, Isabelle Denis, “Our unique selling point is our integrated design and production studio, which means we can handle everything from the initial concept with resource for each step of the process; the designer at beginning can speak with the person responsible for the integration, which means they can maximise the quality and effectiveness of the project. [For Euro 2024,] we will innovate again and try to push beyond what we have previously done.”
Calrec Audio is showing off vintage gear: its very first mix console, built c. 1970, and original mics
Calrec Audio (Booth C6307) has lots new to show this year, including the next iteration of the Impulse AES67 and SMPTE 2110-compliant audio-processing and -routing engine, due for release in September. But perhaps its most striking display is the company’s very first mix console, a sheet-metal affair c. 1970 built for the BBC, whose faders moved in the reverse direction of modern desks: the way audio consoles from the heyday of Abbey Road Studios were designed, ostensibly to keep the cuffs of the engineers’ lab coats from catching the wrong fader during mixes. Next to it are two of Calrec’s original microphones, part of a product line that came together as they were needed in pro audio’s Pleistocene era. “In true BBC style, they kept wanting changes, so we eventually made our own products that were fit for BBC’s purposes,” says Calrec VP, Sales, Dave Letson. As for the next 60 years, he adds, “The short answer is the cloud and IP. If you look at what’s happening with broadcasters, some are still living in an SDI baseband environment, some have migrated to IP, you have people who are working on cloud solutions, and then people who have a little bit of everything going on at the same time. I think the industry is in a bit of a state of flux, but the building blocks are all there for the future, and that’s the key thing.”This year’s NAB Show is the first since Johan de Nysschen was appointed to his new role as president and chief executive of Arri Americas (Booth C6325). De Nysschen, who served as a consultant for Arri over the past several months, took on the role toward the end of March. He says, “Arri’s product portfolio has inspired creatives in Hollywood and around the world for decades, and Arri still has much to offer, not only for motion pictures but also in live entertainment, virtual production, and beyond.” ARRI EVP, Sales, Glenn Kennel, who supervised the Americas team for many years, reports directly to Johan de Nysschen.
Bridge Technologies (Booth C4939) has enhanced the monitoring features of its VB440 set of production tool with the addition of ST 2110-31 and -41 SADM monitoring. Says Bridge Technologies Chairman Simen Frostad, “Yet again, with the VB440 we are pushing forward the scope of what can be done in the field of live IP production. Our recent focus on audio advancements has seen us incorporate a range of crucial immersive-audio tools, and, currently, no other monitoring solution on the market incorporates ST 2110-31 or -41 monitoring. The development has been driven by a client’s need to deliver immersive audio for the live broadcast of one of the world’s largest global sporting events, coming up later this year, but its potential use will extend to a whole range of broadcasters and events. We’re excited to showcase its full potential at NAB 2024.” This new capability follows on from incorporation of monitoring for Dolby’s full set of audio standards, including Atmos.
Audinate (Booth C3008) is highlighting progress made with Dante Connect. The cloud-based service allows broadcasters to deploy Dante audio devices worldwide over a seamless AWS-enabled cloud network, enabling them to create efficient remote-production workflows directly from the hundreds of thousands of on-premises Dante devices. Audinate CMO Joshua Rush notes an NHL Capitals vs. Hurricanes game on March 22 that underscored the expanded capabilities to give replay operators access to more remote feeds. “What Dante Connect does is take your Dante audio that’s onsite — the actual audio from the action, the commentators, the comm systems — and put that all up into the cloud and allow production in the cloud,” he explains, citing a new collaboration with mixer manufacturer SSL’s cloud-based mixing software. “If you have another facility and want to maximize the usage of that facility, you can be getting feeds from different events and producing that all through one facility, wherever that is in the world.”
Nemal Electronics is showcasing a custom-built panel built for a customer.
Nemal Electronics (Booth C6616), a manufacturer of professional broadcast and pro-AV connectivity solutions, has substantially expanded its custom-panel–production and –machining capabilities with this month’s installation of a state-of-the-art CO2 high-speed fiber laser and highly precise automated CNC router/cutter capable of handling aluminum, steel, plastic, and other materials. Products include control panels, custom panel assemblies, show control, small racks, and lighting and speaker brackets. Some of its new custom-built panels are on exhibit at its booth.
Riedel Communications (Booth C4907) is highlighting the interoperability between its Bolero wireless and Punqtum wired intercom platforms. The hybrid result, says Marketing Manager Sara Seidel, offers the ability to extend comms infrastructure for large-scale sports productions where, for instance, additional antennas are not available or easily deployable and for second- and third-tier sports broadcasts, such as collegiate sports, whose budget may mandate that most of an intercom system needs to be wired to be affordable. “It’s ideal for small colleges that want to provide a professional workflow for broadcasts,” she says, noting also that those schools use sports’ reach to connect with parents and donors. Riedel’s intercom systems will be on board for the upcoming series of Sail GP races in New York, Bermuda, Halifax, San Francisco, and elsewhere.
SOUTH HALL
Seagate Manager, Solution Sales, Media and Entertainment USA, Mark Anderson with rack of Lyve module systems and enterprise data solutions
Seagate (Booth SL4125) is showcasing its full range of cost-effective and secure data-storage solutions providing support for all aspects of media workflow. The Exos systems offer mass-capacity solutions with storage arrays and feature hard drives powered by such technologies as the new Mozaic 3+, being seen here for the first time at an international trade show. Mozaic3+ incorporates Seagate’s implementation of HAMR to deliver mass-capacity storage of 3 TB per disc and more. The Seagate Lyve suite of products are also on display, including Lyve Mobile, which allows import from any cloud to multiple locations, and Lyve Cloud, which acts as a secure repository for content. Other products include LaCie with the Rugged product line, including the Rugged Mini SS, and Thunderbolt 3 desktop storage solutions and enterprise drives.
In addition to a star-studded lineup of presenters at its booth, Maxon (Booth SL10139, SL4104) is showcasing creativity-boosting upgrades and tools in the Spring 2024 release of Maxon One, including Cinema 4D Particles, NRP rendering in Redshift, and Red Giant Geo. Maxon’s training team will be giving demos of the company’s latest tools and features. Artists will be presenting on a range of topics, including using C4D with Unreal Engine for games, the art of product visualization, creating a sci-fi short with C4D, and using ZBrush to Unreal workflows for toy commercials.
One of the highlights at Vizrt (Booth SL5061) is Viz Libero Go, a specially created software and hardware bundle for compact, flexible “on the go” sports productions without compromising analysis quality. The bundle combines the power of leading sports-analysis tool Viz Libero with AI, NDI, and Viz 3Play relay in a compact HP workstation and puts essential analysis tools at the user’s fingertips. The package also comes with more than 70 annotation tools, plus overlay and on-field graphics and tracking and measurement tools with monetization options through virtual advertising. Vizrt is hosting a live sports-experience show every hour at NAB 2024, demonstrating its solutions in real time.
Moments Lab CMO Laura Petitpont (right) with colleagues William Edwards (left) and Spencer Bing
Moments Lab (Booth SL2113), formerly Newsbridge, is exhibiting its multimodal AI, designed to meet the challenges faced by broadcasters by automatically undertaking video indexing, sequences in natural languages and enabling content professionals to focus on being creative. XT-1.5 automatically analyses live streams and archives, generating descriptions of video content the way a human would. New for NAB 2024 are Sound Bites, whereby MXT-1.5 pinpoints soundbites in your video; Editorial Sequences, which automatically groups all shots into thematic sequences; and Accuracy Revolution, promising 87.5% accuracy in describing each scene of a video. The platform is used worldwide by TV networks, sports rightsholders, production companies, journalists, producers, and archivists to scale content creation workflows and generate new revenue streams. This can be in relation to accessing live recordings, clipping highlights, researching story angles, content retrieval, or content showcasing and licensing. The company rebranded in March 2024 to better reflect its growing client base.
LucidLink (Booth SL2080) has launched a new Adobe After Effects panel on its storage-collaboration platform. This new integration within Adobe’s motion-design platform allows users to pin compositions directly within After Effects for maximum playback performance. According to Matt Schneider, director, product marketing, LucidLink, the new After Effects panel, coupled with LucidLink’s Adobe Premiere Pro panel (launched at Adobe MAX 2023), significantly speeds workflows for LucidLink/Adobe users. Creative artists and designers can now proactively cache just the media needed in their composition directly within the application, creating a faster, more efficient, and seamless experience within Adobe After Effects. Users can pin and unpin composition content, search for both clips and compositions, load footage directly into the viewer, access clip metadata, and copy LucidLink links, all from the LucidLink panel.
Jochem Haverman, product marketing manager, Zero Density, with Las Vegas Formula 1 virtual sports environment
Zero Density (Booth SL2038) has turned its XR Stage into a dynamic and photorealistic sports environment with immersive graphics — a “graphics ecosystem,” says the company. Zero Density is showcasing how sports broadcasts can be transformed into dynamic hyper-realistic environments complete with data-driven virtual elements. On show are products and solutions powered by Unreal Motion Design, including Reality5, a real time VP platform offering a blend of virtual and physical worlds in virtual-studio, AR, and XR productions. Also new is Lino, the company’s real-time motion-graphics platform supporting both on-air and video-wall graphics. Ampere EVO2 is the new render hardware platform for real-time virtual production, and the Traxis tracking platform sets high standards for camera and talent tracking.
WEST HALL
Contribution- and distribution-service provider Mobilelinks has partnered with Appear (Booth W2130) to upgrade its DSNG trucks for the UEFA Champions League. The upgrade includes HEVC encoding, BISS-CA encryption, and DVB-S2X modulation to meet UEFA’s standards. Mobilelinks, a major Northern European media provider for live events, covers premium sports like UEFA Champions League and Ice Hockey. Its Appear-powered trucks will debut during the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Andreas Langell, CEO of Mobilelinks Europe, praised Appear’s reliability and capability to meet customer demands.
PSSI Global Services (Booth W3910) is discussing the expanded capabilities of its PSSI International Teleport, including upgraded HVAC and power, multiplatform streaming, IP multicast, and connectivity with all major domestic and international terrestrial networks (including new connectivity with NEP Connect and IntelsatOne). This year marks PSSI’s first NAB Show under new CEO Derek Blount, who has focused the company on expanding its engineering, event-management, and transmission services into new markets while accelerating growth and expanding service offerings to its loyal customer base.
For content-creation teams looking to enhance the speed and amount of content they can create, stopping by Magnifi (Booth W1159) is a must. A new graphics platform leverages the power of code-based design systems and generative AI to deliver fully automated, data-driven graphics workflows across all digital-media-asset classes. The company’s Design-Systems-as-a-Service (DSaaS) powered by client-brand guidelines and Magnifi’s proprietary botable.io protocol. In addition, the advanced video editor within Magnifi features a transitions library, stock-media access, detailed text editing, and auto subtitles in multiple languages. Also, Adobe extensions streamline project building in Premiere Pro, granting users immediate access to Magnifi-indexed libraries of assets, such as key-moment clips and rule-based compilations, directly within the editing interface.
Ai-Media EEG (Booth W1813) is showcasing the new LEXI DR (Disaster Recovery) product, a solution that the company says ensures uninterrupted captioning delivery even in cloud and connectivity disruptions. With LEXI DR, broadcasters can be sure that captions will remain on-air with minimal interruption, thanks to seamless caption-workflow integration, on-premises redundant servers, and flexible setup options via virtual machines or hardware. AI-Media is also introducing LEXI Recorded, designed to streamline the captioning process for recorded content. The solution features bulk processing, accuracy above 98%, flexible file-output types, and multilingual options; it can be integrated into caption-workflow files, allowing them to be captioned without leaving the media-management system. Also at the booth are previews of advances in generative AI and its application in crafting topic models, also referred to as custom dictionaries. The models enhance accuracy by offering contextually relevant word suggestions and pronunciations based on themes, topics, and subject matter. Additionally, the previews feature such innovations as automated audio description and speaking subtitles or dubbing.
The SES Sports Content Orchestration Enabler (Score) is one highlight on the SES booth (W3301). Aimed at content owners and rightsholders looking to effectively manage and distribute live sports and events to affiliates and takers, Score’s single-user interface provides an easy-to-use centralised platform that creates a simplified content-booking process for delivery via SES’s hybrid infrastructure of satellite, IP, and fibre. Score, along with the Astra 1 Sports platform, is being used by the NFL to deliver the league’s game content to more than 35 broadcast partners across Europe, Asia, and North and South America.
Synamedia (Booth W2801) has unveiled a range of new capabilities for its Quortex Play D2C streaming SaaS solution to securely deliver premium video content at scale while reducing processing and CDN costs. The new features give content owners greater control of the ad-free or ad-supported video-streaming services’ quality of experience with an extended self-service portal to manage image quality and lower latency via Synamedia’s virtual Digital Content Manager (vDCM). This is part of the company’s end-to-end portfolio, which has three key areas of focus, explains Synamedia VP, Product Management, Elke Hungenaert: “We make sure customers get the best optimised solution for their needs, and we continue to evolve these. We also focus on monetisation, adding server-side ad insertion and more personalisation, and we look to solve the challenge of scalability.”
Attendees looking for new ways to create linear channels, monetise their media, and streamline their workflows in one platform should stop by the Brightcove booth (W1429) to see Cloud Playout 2.0. According to the company, it allows users to leverage their existing content catalogue and live streams to build a channel in minutes. This is just one of several new products and enhancements announced in recent months, with more in the pipeline. According to Brightcove CMO Kathy Klingler, this level of innovation “is a philosophy: let’s be more agile, and let’s listen to our customers and respond to their needs.” Adds Director, Communications and Public Relations, Joseph J Nuñez, “We’ve been around for 20 years and have always been a leader in this technology. People have been happy with our product, but, particularly in the past couple of years, there has been a rekindling of how do we innovate to help our customers adapt to how the environment is changing,” Among other recent launches on display is Publisher Insights, which builds on Brightcove’s Audience Insights to provide real-time analytics specifically for news organisations and other real-time–driven–content organisations.
A demo by Synamedia and NativeWaves delivered a live feed from the NHRA race in Las Vegas to the Synamedia booth.
Synamedia (Booth W2801)worked with NativeWaves to deliver a live feed from the weekend’s NHRA race in Las Vegas to the Synamedia booth. The demo, which ran on Sunday, showcased Synamedia encoding and streaming tools and the NativeWaves EXP multiview experience, including multiple camera angles and data integration. The demo boasted an end-to-end latency of just three seconds. The potential of the joint solution to monetise content and engage viewers with both client and server-side ad-insertion options is also being showcased. For example, triggers, such as a goal scored, can prompt an unobtrusive ad to buy the shirt of the goal scorer, taking viewers through to the club shop for purchase. Synamedia server-side ad insertion means that adverts from other vendors can also be introduced. Ad messaging can be hyper-customised, and viewers can interact either via their mobile devices or by scanning a QR code on a TV screen. The solution is already being used by streaming platforms and broadcasters, mainly covering football and racing, although the product is set to be optimised for new sports, including volleyball, in the near future.
“Cloud Your Way” is the theme of the Globecast booth (W1078), with the company keen to talk about its move to a new cloud technical facility in Westlake Village, Los Angeles. “Our business has evolved a lot, especially in North America, when the 5G transition removed so much of the satellite capacity. Our former facility was very heavily satellite-based, which we don’t really need any more. The new facility will be a whole lot more efficient from a space perspective and a whole lot more green,” says Tim Jackson, SVP, sales and marketing, Americas, Globecast. “It’ll also allow us to do more in live sports integration. We’ve been limited with our current facility because of space constraints. We’ve been so tied up doing satellite uplinks, downlinks, and full-time services that we haven’t had the physical capabilities for doing live-sports integration, ad insertion, SCTE markers for advertising, graphics, audio, and so on, but now we’ll be in a position to do that.”
Besides demonstrating the latest developments in its live-production platform, Grabyo (Booth W1149) is using NAB 2024 to highlight a number of new partnerships. Most notably, the company has worked with Magnifi to release automated live-stream logging for sports in its live-clipping and publishing service. “Our focus is making sure the tool is human-centred, that we are providing tools for editors,” explains Grabyo CEO Gareth Capon. “It’s not just a series of clips in a library that you have to go and try to understand. It actually has some context of the game that can be combined with human elements. We’re making it seem much more like a production system than just an AI tool.” Because the aim was to be able to apply this approach to any sport at any level, Magnifi proved an ideal partner, he adds: “We needed to use an AI computer-vision system, not a sports data system. Yes, there are challenges in training an AI model, but, once it’s trained, it can be applied consistently to any level of sport.” Also on exhibit is a new integration with Veritone that creates a connected workflow to streamline live digital-content production and leverage AI-driven content-management and -monetisation tools.
Verizon Business (Booth W2042) has partnered with the NHL and Amazon Web Services (Booth SU4109, W1701) on a new 5G-enabled cloud broadcasting solution being demonstrated at NAB 2024. Running on AWS Wavelength Zones, a mobile edge compute service that delivers ultra-low-latency applications for 5G devices, the solution accelerates the time from content capture on ice to broadcast from seconds to milliseconds. AWS, NHL, and Verizon kicked off the show with a Sunday-morning panel delving into the new partnership; AWS and NHL’s production of the league’s first-ever live-to-air cloud broadcast last month.
Advanced Image Robotics’ (Booth W3921EE) mission at the NAB Show is to prioritize streamlined and cost-efficient video capture with its cloud-native platform. Tapping the functionality and capabilities of machine learning, the company is keen on lessening the cost of its operational and support needs without compromising content quality. Its booth is headlining AIR One X, a solution that taps into the company’s remote pan-tilt-zoom, self-leveling head, and plug-and-play setup for a trio of Sony cameras: the FX3, Alpha One, and A9 III. In sports, leagues like the UFC, as well as high-profile events in Augusta, GA; Phoenix; London; and Paris are leveraging the company’s services.
As one of the industry’s top-tier systems integrators, Diversified (Booth W4148) is upping its portfolio in Las Vegas to increase its ability to help clients. To meet the needs of companies working within different workspaces, Diversified is debuting an orchestration solution that folds in advanced technologies across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid settings. It not only will connect the various locations but will also help their teams operate with more efficiency and flexibility. At the show, industry experts are helping visitors to the booth understand Diversified’s wide array of workflows assisting the sports-video–production community and its goal of creating a true end-to-end production environment.
SuiteLife Systems (Booth W2367) is onsite at the Las Vegas Convention Center to discuss its recent alliance with MNC Software to create Leeward Software. The merger is the result of both entities’ mission to enhance monitoring and control of complex networks and infrastructure. At the booth, the main headliner is the GPX Pro Series universal interface, a solution that provides cost-effective input flexibility to connect to a wide range of parallel world devices. Powered by Leeward Software’s proprietary Web Controls embedded software, the GPX Pro product line is fully compatible with Leeward Software’s Axess software and monitoring platform. In the “what’s new” department, a new graphical user interface for Axess is making its NAB Show debut. Improving usability, functionality, and visual appeal, the centralized software tool will help clients manage, monitor, control, and diagnose hardware and transmission infrastructure and facilities.
Promoting IP and cloud-based technologies for efficiency and reliability, TVU Networks (Booth W2101) is showcasing its suite of products on the show floor. The platforms — TVU Producer, Partyline, MediaHub, and TVU Search — will now infuse human-centric AI. The solution has been tapped and adopted by France Televisions for the 2024 Paris Olympics Torch Journey, which has helped demonstrate the platform’s cloud-based management of live content over 5G and Starlink. The solutions are helping the company’s clients further enhance its remote capabilities for live event production and other use cases.