Live From PyeongChang: Enhancements in Store for Viewers Around the Globe OBS has 4,000 staffers on hand to deliver 20 HD multilateral feeds to rightsholders By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Friday, February 9, 2018 - 3:08 am
Print This Story
A week that began with the largest sports event in the U.S. will end with the beginning of the largest winter sports event in the world: the 2018 Winter Olympics. Held in PyeongChang, South Korea, located about a three-hour drive east of Seoul, the 2018 Games are set to be the biggest Winter Games to date, and more than 20 rightsholders are on hand to deliver the action to viewers across the globe. The following is an overview of the ins and outs of the production of this year's event.
The PyeongChang Olympics IBC is abuzz with activity in advance of the Opening Ceremony.
Let's start with the basics. Over the two weeks of competition, the world's attention will focus on seven sports with a total of 15 disciplines (skiing, for example, has six disciplines). The competitions will be held in two clusters: a mountain cluster in PyeongChang with eight venues for the skiing and sliding disciplines and a coastal cluster in Gangneung with five venues for skating, curling, and ice hockey (as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium.
Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) will deliver more than 5,000 total hours of coverage, including 850 hours live from PyeongChang. It will take a team of more than 4,000 OBS staffers to create that content and deliver it to rightsholders via 20 HD multilateral feeds (all with discrete surround sound and stereo audio), 7 UHD multilateral feeds, and nine multiclip feeds (MCFs) that feature highlights, press conferences, and more.
In addition, more than 7,000 accredited rightsholder personnel from 67 countries are in PyeongChang. Forty-five of those rightsholder organizations have a presence in the International Broadcast Center (IBC), the largest being NBC and, new this year, Eurosport.
The IBC not only is home to the operations for those rightsholders but also provides a massive technical hub for OBS. More than 900 km of cable ties everything together and allows the optimal exchange of content between OBS and the rightsholders.
Each of the venues has its own host-feed operation (as well as mixed zones, where rightsholders can interview athletes and coaches) to create the core coverage for the events at that venue. Each venue, in turn, is connected to the OBS facilities in the IBC, where the OBS IBC technical team brings in the content and finalizes it for distribution to rightsholders.
The IBC technical areas include a contribution, distribution, unilateral, and transmission center.
The contribution team receives, monitors, and controls all incoming video feeds from the venues (a faulty signal, for example, will be replaced by a backup). The signals are passed to the distribution area, where they are processed and distributed to the rightsholders via HD-SDI signals. International sound is also embedded into the SDI stream along with black burst and color bars.
The distribution service area in the IBC plays a key role in the explosion of Olympics-content delivery.
Alongside that workflow is a team in the distribution area monitoring unilateral feeds from rightsholders, including feeds to and from remote studios. In addition, a commentary switching center takes all rightsholder and OBS commentary and coordination circuits and either terminates them there or passes them on to rightsholders.
Production Highlights for the 2018 Games
More than 50 high-speed super-motion (HSSM) cameras (more than 450 cameras in total will be used across the 29 sports). And rightsholders will have access to beauty shots from 12 cameras in PyeongChang, Gangneung, and Seoul, offering panoramic views and more.
In a first for the Winter Games, two-point and four-point cable systems will be used at ice hockey, figure skating, and short-track speed skating. Other specialty cameras include POV cameras at freestyle skiing ski cross and snowboard cross; a ref POV for ice hockey; pop-up cam for sliding sports; a cone cam for speed skating; and various rail cams, including an inverted rail cam at bobsleigh and skeleton.
And, yes, drone cameras will be in use to provide a different look.
The Super High Vision Theatre has a screen that measures 350 in. diagonally.
4K and both 4K and 8K with HDR will also be made available to rightsholders. For the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and several key sports, NHK's efforts on 8K HDR coverage will serve as the backbone of a downconverted 4K HDR offering. A theater in the IBC will feature live screenings in HDR and on a 350-in.-diagonal projection screen.
Enhanced graphics will also play a key part in telling the stories of the competitions. Alpine skiing will feature ghost-image comparisons and Stromotion replay analysis, and sliding sports will have Simulcam Replay analysis and sled path for rider comparisons. Cross-country skiing will use GPS for real-time positioning of athletes with distances to go and speed information.
Figure skating and ice hockey, meanwhile, will have a multicam replay to give the viewer a multiview angle in normal speed moving around the skater moving in slow speed.
For freestyle skiing and snowboard sports, enhancements include the use of jump-analysis graphics for cross, slopestyle, halfpipe, and snowboard big air to measure distance, height, hangtime, speed, and rotations.
Four years ago, OBS offered multiclip feeds for alpine events at the Sochi Olympics. This year, MCFs will be available for ice hockey, figure skating, short-track speed skating, ski jumping, freestyle skiing, Nordic combined, snowboard, and sliding.
In addition, MCF service will be expanded to distribution of clips and angles not used in the ho
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Live From PyeongChang: Enhancements in Store for Viewers Around the Globe OBS has 4,000 staffers on hand to deliver 20 HD multilateral feeds to rightsholders By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
