Gathered together for the first time in a single bumper edition, each interview addresses a different aspect of live sports production in a bid to find out of where we are in its evolutionary cycle. Parts 1 and 2 discuss key themes like the rise of remote production techniques and how the balance of full OB, full remote, and hybrid production models are changing the game. We also discuss how IP has not eclipsed SDI but is joining it to create increasingly hybrid networking ecosystems.

Elsewhere we look at the ongoing transition from dedicated hardware processing towards flexible COTS compute resource running in pure software ecosystems, and we examine the evolution of the Broadcast Controller as the central command and control interface of modern broadcast environments.

Part 3 gets into the detail of how these production techniques are achieved, as well as the practicalities of deploying the technology required within the various production models, while Part 4 discusses the array of specialist cameras required for sports capture along with the systems required to support them. It also delves into the world of audio, looking at the modern ACR in the context of distributed production models and the fine art of audio acquisition. 

Live Sports Production is made up of four parts:

Part 1. New Sports Production Workflows
Part 2. Network Infrastructure
Part 3. Evolving OB Infrastructure
Part 4. Camera & Audio Systems

All the articles are also available as individual web pages:

Part 1 - New Sports Production Workflows

Article 1 : The Rise Of Remote Hybrid Workflows
A discussion of the rise of remote production, why OB workflows remain first choice in tier one production and the emergence of new hybrid workflows.

Article 2 : Production Control Room Teams & Workflow
Why the composition and workflow of the gallery creative team have remained largely unchanged for many years... and the effort taken by engineering to support creative teams.

Article 3 : Sports Production Infrastructure – Where’s The Compute?
The evolution of IP based production and increased computer processing power have enabled new workflows, so how is compute resource being deployed to create new remote and hybrid approaches?

Part 2. Network Infrastructure

Article 4 - Sports Production Network Infrastructure
A discussion of production network infrastructure and where the industry is in the evolutionary journey from SDI to IP.

Article 5 - Broadcast Controllers & Orchestration In Live Sports Systems
As production infrastructure, processing resources and the underlying networks required become ever more complex, powerful tools are required to plan, deploy and monitor.

Article 6 - Backhaul In Live Sports Production
Getting content reliably and securely from venue to studio remains key to live sports production so here we discuss the technology and services required.

Part 3. Evolving OB Infrastructure

Article 7 : Exploring The Evolving OB
Comparing what technology is required in OBs and other venue systems to support the various approaches to live sports production.

Article 8 : Camera To Truck
Much of the OB production infrastructure has moved to IP, but has the connectivity between the cameras and the OB or backhaul also migrated to IP?

Article 9 : Latency, Monitoring & The Future
Latency has always been a fact of life in broadcast infrastructure. It is something for operators to learn to adjust to and for engineering to effectively manage… but is it more of a challenge in remote production models?

Part 4. Camera & Audio Systems

Article 10 : Specialist Camera Systems
We explore the incredible diversity and quantity of camera technology deployed at global sporting events and the systems required to manage them.

Article 11 : Audio Control Room Systems
Asking what’s in an audio control room (ACR) these days is more of a philosophical question than it is a practical one. What exactly does the ACR look like in a modern broadcast environment? More fundamentally, where on earth is it and how is it accessed?

Article 12 : Audio Acquisition
Achieving the deeply engaging entertainment experience sports fans demand starts all the way back at the source, with a high-quality microphone and a highly skilled audio engineer.