MONTREAL—BT Sport has entered into a new playing field, having recently conducted a 4K/UHD broadcast of a Premier League soccer match on an IP network. The U.K.-based sports broadcaster partnered with Arena Television, a mobile broadcast service provider, who in turn utilized a suite of IP core and broadcast –centric edge devices from Grass Valley.
The OBX truck from Arena features 28 Grass Valley LDX 86N series cameras, four Node real-time IP processing and edge routing platforms with 54 KMX-4911 multiviewer cards, 180 Densité IPG-3901 Gateways and a Kayenne K-Frame production switcher, all of which work together for a glass-to-glass IP workflow.
GV offers direct IP interfaces for all the products in use by the OBX truck, which helps move data across the network and meet the demands of live production. The truck is signal agnostic, with the ability to switch between UHD 2160p50, 3G 1080p50 and HD 1080i50, while also using less cable.
BT Sport utilized the Arena truck during a Sept. 10 Premier League match between Liverpool and Leicester City. Grass Valley’s press release indicates that more all-IP and 4K/UHD productions are scheduled for OBX, and that OBY and OBZ, which feature the same GV products, are expected to be completed in the coming months.
