TVN upgrades its HDR/SDR live sports capabilities with Sony
TVN Mobile Production has equipped its newly refurbished OB3 vehicle with 10 Sony HDC-5500 camera systems to strengthen its sports and live events production capabilities. Capable of outputting 4K UHD and HDR, the latest-generation cameras are configured with Sony’s HDCU-5000 camera control unit supporting ultra high bitrate transmission and as such enabling 4K 2x slow motion or simultaneous transmission of two 4K pictures.
A key factor behind TVN’s camera choice was Sony’s advanced Global Shutter technology that captures the entire frame in a single instant, eliminating the rolling shutter or ‘jello’ effect that makes rapidly moving subjects look distorted. Currently unique to Sony, this technology featured on the HDC-5500 ensures accurate reproduction of live sports.
The 18-metre long vehicle additionally hosts a Sony XVS-8000 multiformat production switcher at its heart, the same as is also featured in TVN’s OB5 and OB6 vehicles. The UHD native switcher is equipped with Sony’s recently introduced Mix Effect Processing boards that bring even more power to UHD productions and creative flexibility. This combination of HDC-5500/HDCU-5000 and XVS-8000 supports a simultaneous HDR/SDR production workflow developed in collaboration with Sony. This allows TVN to deliver independent High Dynamic Range and SDR signals to meet broadcasters’ distribution needs without requiring dual crews and duplication of production hardware.
“Today we’re seeing strong demand from broadcasters and rights owners for HDR content that delivers more detail, peak brightness, contrast and colour depth for viewers,” said Christoph Moll, technical director, TVN Mobile Production. “Based on Sony technology, we have created a robust, cost-effective HDR/SDR workflow that assures consistently high-quality signals to meet all our customers’ distribution requirements.”
“We’ve had a very good relationship with Sony for many years,” he added. “In addition to the high product reliability, we appreciate the very close co-operation with Sony service, development and engineering, with both the European and Japanese teams. In the end, this helped us a lot with the implementation of efficient new production workflows.”
“We are proud to have supported TVN with a number of live production firsts, including coverage of Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League football matches in 4K HDR for Sportcast (DFL), as well as one of the first live concert productions in 4K HDR for Sky,” said Norbert Paquet, head of media solutions, Sony Professional Solutions. “As one of Europe’s most forward-looking production services specialists, TVN is consistently focused on delivering more compelling viewing experiences for TV audiences. Their investment in our HDC-5500 camera with Global Shutter technology demonstrates TVN’s commitment to expand the possibilities of live production with even better image quality and innovative new workflows.”