
MLB Postseason 2021: Fox Sports To Televise All Playoff Games in 4K HDR; Megalodon To Make Playoff Debut Each round will see the addition of new technology By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Thursday, October 7, 2021 - 11:42 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Since 2000, every MLB champion has been crowned on Fox's airwaves, and this year will be no different. Full crowds are back in the stands, fanbases of eight teams are eyeing a trophy, and the broadcaster is delivering productions of the American League Division Series, American League Championship Series, and World Series with high-profile technology, including all games in 4K HDR, a new graphics package, and a postseason edition of the Megalodon.
When we talk about the growth of technology that drives our premier events, says Brad Cheney, VP, field operations and engineering, Fox Sports, we're talking about 4K, which we'll bring to this year's ALDS for the first time. We're very excited to have an entire postseason covered and distributed in 4K HDR.
All October Long: Fans Can Enjoy Every Game in 4K HDR Like other marquee MLB games on the Fox schedule - such as the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, MLB at Field of Dreams, and Yankees-Mets on Sept. 11 - the entire playoff schedule on Fox will be presented in 4K HDR. The broadcaster has been bullish on this front, including a 4K Day that saw four consecutive productions in this format.
[4K] is a really big thing for the consumer and the images people are seeing at home, says Cheney. It's also a huge aspect for replay because, when you start capturing at a higher level, you can also replay at a higher level.
This will once again be an upconvert of 1080p HDR, which is Fox Sports' custom approach, but it is still a very significant endeavor. This offering will be made available through the FOX NOW and FOX Sports apps as well as through partners Xfinity, DirecTV, Dish Network, FiOS, Altice (NY), Fubo TV, YouTube TV, and others.
For both editions of the ALDS, the 4K HDR workflows will be shot with a hefty amount of broadcast technology. The 23-camera complement will comprise 13 hard cameras, four robotics, three handhelds and an RF camera with wide-angle lenses, and two Dreamchip cameras. Four of the main cameras will be at 6X speed. Replay will deploy eight operators.
Postseason Debuts: New Graphics Package, Megalodon Grace the Big Stage As with a rookie's first appearance on the field, Fox Sports will pencil-in a handful of technologies new to the postseason. Though not in the first round, the Megalodon - the network's mirrorless Sony A1 camera with shallow-depth-of-field control - will be on the field for the two later rounds. It has been a staple on a majority of the broadcaster's MLB circuit, as well as other properties, but, because the technology was first implemented during the NFL season last December, this will be the first time the device is used in the MLB Postseason.
This early round, though, will see the inclusion of Fox Sports' brand-new graphics package. Developed using Maxon's Cinema 4D and Octane Render, Fox Sports SVP, Design, Michael Dolan and his staff will provide fans with a visually cleaner look and more information presented in an engaging way.
The new package looks absolutely amazing, says Cheney. Not only is it full of rich data that's real-time-derived, but it's also a change from something that we've had for a very long time, which is a look that has been shared amongst a lot of other broadcast parties. The design team knocked it out of the park to create a true MLB-centric look for Fox in the postseason.
California Love: The Vault in Los Angeles To Help With Editing in Later Rounds The Los Angeles-based Vault has become a valuable production asset throughout the sports calendar, but the facility will play a part in the later rounds. Editing will be one of its main functions, with two systems located offsite in the Vault and another located onsite.
Similar to the All-Star Game and Field of Dreams, the Vault will play a critical role in the postseason for us this year, both graphically and replay-wise, says Cheney. We'll also leverage it for studio coverage, and a lot of the models that [VP, Studio Operations] Rod Conti and his team have come up with are going to translate to the postseason.
The Fox Sports MLB Postseason pregame and postgame show will be based in Los Angeles for the first round and shift to onsite during the ALCS and World Series. Host Kevin Burkhardt will be alongside Hall of Famer Frank Thomas and World Series champions Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. 2003 World Series champion Dontrelle Willis will join the team as a pitching analyst for selected games.
Planning for the Unknown: Mobile Units Wait for Deciding Games The four cities participating in the ALDS will have their own mobile production units: Game Creek Video Webby in Houston, NEP NCP 11 in Chicago, Game Creek Video Yogi in Tampa Bay, and, after handling ESPN's production of the AL Wild Card game, NEP EN2 in Boston.
Before finalizing the trucks, Fox Sports had to play a bit of a waiting game. At the end of the regular season, the American League Wild Card was headed down an interesting path, with two possible Game 163s involving the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners. The Rays, White Sox, and Astros having punched their tickets, three of the four mobile units had settled destinations, but the last one was a bit tricky. Once the Wild Card game was decided on the final day of the season this past Sunday, Fox Sports needed to sit tight for an additional two more days to know the fourth and final location.
The moving pieces would have presented logistical challenges for Fox Sports. If the Mariners were to host the play-in game, NEP NCP11
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...