TV4 Group launches new 3D-capable sports channel
Sweden: Swedish commercial broadcaster TV4 Group has put a new 2D/3D sports event channel on the air, run from a purpose-built playout facility at the transmission centre in Stockholm managed by Ericsson Broadcast Services. Both this, and a playout and management area for the SD Guld Norge service, were built by UK systems integrator ATG Broadcast.
The sports event channel is branded Canal+ Extra HD. TV4 owns the Canal+ name in the Nordic region, with Ericsson playing all services out from a dedicated facility. Canal+ Extra HD is also transmitted from this facility and went on air in January. It can be renamed to reflect what event is being shown. This weekend will see Canal+ Extra HD’s first 3D broadcast, with coverage of Spanish La Liga football. More football matches are scheduled to be covered stereoscopically in April.
Facilities for Canal+ Extra HD include Harris ADC play-out automation and Nexio video servers, all stuck together with Axon glue.
“The ATG team has a good understanding of our technical and operational requirements, working reliably, flexibly and on time,” comments Pontus Wahlstedt, systems engineer and chief designer for Ericsson Broadcast Services. “The Guld Norge playout facility will be integrated into our existing master control room for easy operation by our presentation staff.”
The Guld Norge operation will be integrated with an existing facility by adding a Snell Sirius 610 64×64 routing matrix. This can handle 40×40 crosspoints in HD or SD. An Omneon Spectrum HD/SD MPEG output port will also be used in conjunction with Axon equipment.