Fox.com webcasts BCS championship football coverage with Newtek TriCaster
Newtek’s TriCaster Studio, an integrated production system, was used to produce live, multicamera pre- and post-game coverage of this year’s BCS Championship game between Louisiana State University and Ohio State University. The 30-minute webcasts were shot inside the Super Dome in New Orleans before and after Fox’s on-air pre- and post-game shows.
The webcasts were synchronized with that main telecast and featured game highlights, player and coach interviews and expert analysts.
The TriCaster system allows a single operator to produce a live show, switching between as many as six cameras with two VCRs, multichannel effects and NewTek’s virtual sets and keying technology.
For more information, visit http://www.newtek.com/.
Middle Eastern sports channel selects Thomson production gear
Tek Signals, a veteran systems integrator located in the Middle East, has built a portable HD production system for Qatar-based Al-Kass & Al-Dawri Sports Channel that includes a Thomson Grass Valley Indigo AV Mixer, Turbo Intelligent Digital Disk recorder and several Thomson Grass Valley LDK 8000 HD cameras
Part of a continuing relationship between Thomson, Tek Signals and Al-Kass, the sale also represents the first Middle East delivery of the LDK 8000 HD cameras for coverage of the 2006 Asian Games, held in Doha, Qatar, in November and December.
The new portable mobile production studio system is built into a rack and can travel anywhere. The system is used to locally produce major sports events and other stadium functions across the region. In addition to the Indigo AV Mixer and Turbo iDDR, the kit also includes interface products from Thomson to provide a complete studio in a rack.
For more information, visit http://www.thomsongrassvalley.com/.
HD microwave gear to capture aerial shots of China Olympic Games
Nucomm has been selected to supply its HD microwave equipment to China’s national broadcaster, CCTV, for use during the Opening Ceremony outdoor events at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. This is the first HD airborne microwave system sold to a broadcast network in China.
During the Beijing Olympics, Nucomm will equip a helicopter with its CamPac 2 microwave transmitter; a small, lightweight HD/SD COFDM unit designed for wireless camera applications; and a Newscaster DR, the company’s lightweight HD/SD COFDM microwave receiver for portable and mobile video applications. Also included in the package will be a two-axis steered antenna from Troll Systems.
As well as providing overhead shots, the helicopter will serve as an airborne repeater for CCTV during the games. On the ground, two motorcycles will send pictures up to the helicopter where they will be relayed back to a complementary Nucomm portable receiver terminal.
For more information, visit http://www.nucomm.com/.
Alpha Video installs digital control room at University of Central Florida
Alpha Video’s Sports & Entertainment Group, a systems integrator for sports installations, has completed a digital replay control room valued at $700,000 for the newly built Bright House Networks Stadium at the University of Central Florida (UCF).
The multidefinition control room, more than two years in the planning stages, includes Avid editing systems, Panasonic cameras and tape machines, Pro-Bel routing and a Ross Video production switcher. It is currently used for SD production, but will be updated to HD as production needs change.
The design allows the university’s video crew to produce football games on Saturday, coach’s shows and other TV programming during the week, while interconnecting all of the team sports facilities.
For more information, visit http://www.alphavideosports.com/.
