Viacom deploys Hitomi MatchBox for 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards

Viacom International Media Networks Media and Technology Services (MTS) used Hitomi’s MatchBox audio video alignment for the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards in Seville on 3 November.

Viacom International MTS deployed MatchBox’s sync toolbox for the red carpet, main award show, backstage, and after-show party feeds, televised on 100+ channels worldwide from the FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville. Hosted by American singer, songwriter, and actress, Becky G, the show included a special headline performance, filmed by Viacom International the previous night at the MTV World Stage at Plaza de España in Seville, by ‘Best Rock’ nominee, Green Day.

Viacom International MTS global lead systems engineer for studio and production technology Matt Okotie, said, “Using MatchBox, I can sync signals in under a millisecond to ensure that before we go to air, lip sync is correct. This is crucial for any production, but particularly for a live, globally distributed event, so you have to be absolutely sure you get it right. That’s why I leave it to MatchBox. Basically, if MatchBox reads ‘zero’, you know that lip sync is perfect.”

Viacom International MTS used MatchBox to sync its 4K/UHD feed from Seville to London, and then on for a global sync to all the other MatchBox readers around the world.

According to Okotie, “We send the synced 4K/UHD feed to HQ in London, and then down convert that feed to HD and send both UHD & HD for onward distribution. Our MatchBox readers at Viacom and other global broadcast locations pick up both signals. That process is straightforward because MatchBox is backwards compatible with all of our existing technology; and as far as stability, it’s rock solid.”

MatchBox is a favourite of broadcasters worldwide for ensuring the timing of live news, sports, and events. The toolkit that streamlines live broadcast synchronisation and, in addition to intuitive identing; rapid lip sync measurement; audio coherence; and video timing, MatchBox is also a 4K test pattern generator.