Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Live From Tokyo Olympics: Chip Adams on Venue Operations and the Move to Fiber

05/08/2021

Live From Tokyo Olympics: Chip Adams on Venue Operations and the Move to Fiber By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Thursday, August 5, 2021 - 12:58 am

Print This Story

NBC Olympics venue operations are always challenged by everything from weather to venue changes and even little things like traveling from the IBC to venues and from venue to venue. This year, those challenges expanded a bit with the arrival of UHD, HDR, and immersive audio. But, fortunately, some changes on the OBS front made those new challenges easier to deal with.

NBC Olympics' Chip Adams says OBS's move to fiber for camera-signal transport is making a big difference.

The biggest infrastructure change has been to our benefit, and that is OBS moving the delivery of audio and video splits to fiber, says Chip Adams, NBC Olympics, VP, venue engineering. That has been very helpful: in the past, we've always struggled with where the trucks are parked in relationship to the OBS TOC, where we pick up the host-provided signals, and the problems that come with trying to move TV signals long distances over coax.

The fiber infrastructure allows OBS to deliver 12-Gbps 4K camera signals optically and provides flexibility where the signals can be terminated.

We can be 1,000 ft. away from the TOC, which we are at the Olympic Stadium, he adds. That has been a great leap forward.

The various NBC venue teams bring together the OBS signals along with NBC's unilateral signals. NBC built venue conversion kits that take the optical fiber signal from OBS, convert it to electrical, and use a Grass Valley Miranda XIP signal processor to turn the 12-Gbps UHD feed into a 1080p 3G signal.

We've also made the move to HDR at several venues, Adams notes. The signals that aren't HDR, like the super-slo-mo splits and high-speed cameras, come over as 1080p SDR. Once [the signal is] converted to electrical 3 Gbps, we run it through a Cobalt processor or AJA FS-HDR converter to do the LUT conversion to get it to 1080p HDR we're working with in the truck.

NBC unilateral cameras, meanwhile, are on SMPTE hybrid fiber. If the cable distance is outside the operation range of SMPTE cable, the broadcaster uses SHEDS with fiber.

There has been plenty of pivoting at the Olympics, given the pandemic and one of the biggest pivots has been around the mixed zone, where reporters interview athletes.

A traditional mixed zone is a 2-meter-sq. box where you have the reporter, cameraperson, A2, stage manager, PA, etc., supporting the interview, says Adams. It has changed in that now we can have only two people - the cameraperson and the reporter - in the mixed zone due to COVID countermeasures. This puts more responsibility on the cameraperson and reporter to have the shot framed, have their earpiece in, mic ready, and be all set for the interview. Also, the athletes are separated from the reporter by 8 ft. This poses a challenge when trying to frame the reporter for the questions and then zooming to the athlete for the response, and we try to frame the shot with the reporter asking the question and then zoom in. Trying to get that shot was difficult, but we worked through it.

A production addition at the venues that may stick around is the Friends & Family effort that allowed U.S. athletes to see and talk with family members from the mixed zone.

LTN helped us put together a Microsoft Teams-like call that we could route back into monitors in the mixed zone, says Adams. We give the athletes a throw-away earpiece to hear the return audio. I think that's going to stick around as it brings people in and involves you with the story of the athlete and their families and [allows you to] participate in those joyous moments.

Historically, one of the big concerns in the run-up to the Olympics is the readiness of the venues. Given the pandemic-related delay, those concerns were nonexistent.

The Japanese did a fabulous job getting the venues ready, says Adams. The biggest challenge was some of the cable paths, but, as far as having the platforms ready, they were done a year ago. They also didn't change too many things inside the venues.

The only changes needed were some of the camera positions as the expected backdrop of crowds have been replaced by empty seats.

Some of the shots that we had envisioned looked pretty empty without the fans, explains Adams. There were some last-minute camera changes to minimize the lack of crowds.

The Tokyo Games have given the broader industry a preview of a future where the challenge will be to manage a variety of deliverable formats, such as UHD HDR, 1080p SDR, 1080i SDR, etc. For example, at the Hilton, where the primetime set is located, signals are shared between the Today show and NBC Olympics.

We had two different sets of deliverables, he says, and we had to be careful about doing 1080p HDR for primetime and then giving the Today show 1080i. All the signals came back to the IBC at 1080p, and then we converted it here to 1080i before sending it to 30 Rock. We also had a 1080i copy at the Hilton that we would feed as a backup. It is really about understanding the deliverables and what people are expecting and what their infrastructure can handle.

It has been a challenge on a lot of levels, he continues, but I'm very fortunate to have a great bunch of guys and gals that work for us as technical managers and maintenance people at the venues. The core group of Tom Perley, Doug McGee, Levi Phillippe, and Mike Drazen designs the workflows, prepares the equipment, deploys the systems, and supports the technicians onsite and are fabulous. With the support of our Field Shop operation of Billy Gahagan, Dave Person, Rick Ulmer, and Ilan Hamburg, they are tireless in their support getting the equipment out the door and installed in the venues. It's a tot
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/08/05/live-from-tokyo-olympics-chip-a...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

14/03/2025

Avid Appoints New CTO, Adds to Its Executive Leadership Team

BURLINGTON, Mass. Avid has expanded its executive leadership team (ELT) with the appointment of three experienced executives: Tom Sharma as chief technology off...

14/03/2025

TVU Networks Celebrates 20 Years of Innovation at 2025 NAB Show

CUPERTINO, Calif. TVU Networks, a pioneer in live video production and a leader in cloud-based media solutions, is marking its 20th anniversary at the 2025 NAB ...

13/03/2025

You Will Leave Opus Singing the Original Bops Performed by John Malkovich

(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

How Spotify Is Driving Growth, Discovery, and Innovation in the Audiobook Market

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

Spotify Audiobooks Launches a New Publishing Program for Independent Authors

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

Evolving EO/IR Technology For All-Domain Airborne Law Enforcement

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

Craft Interview: Jamie McCombs, Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio

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

Craft Interview: Paul Sandweiss, Production Sound Mixer/Audio Director

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

Riedel To Showcase New StageLink Smart Edge Devices At 2025 NAB Show

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 for VOS360 Streaming Workflows at the 2025 NAB Show

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 Platform that Empowers Video Teams to Scale Effortlessly

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 Life at NAB 2025 Exhibition

FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...

13/03/2025

Ajit Pai Appointed President of CTIA

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

NAB: FCC's 60 Minutes Investigation Is Unconstitutional, Invalid

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

CBS Miami to Launch AR Coverage of Weather and Sports for March Madness

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

Meet the co-founder and chief customer success & innovation officer

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

FCC Chairman Carr Launches Massive Deregulation Initiative

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

SDVI Integrates Rally With Spectra Vail

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

FCC Approves Gray's Acquisition of KXLT

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

NAB Show 2025 Exhibitor Insight: Blackmagic Design

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

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

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 Cross

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 on Completing Customizable Studios for All Clients

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; Add Digital Projects, Initiatives

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 Video Feed, Mascot Mode, and Popular Boss Button

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 Experience for Daytona, The PLAYERS, and March Madness

SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...

13/03/2025

Sky Business Launches Cloud Voice A New Cloud Communication Solution for UK Businesses

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 for F band applications

Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...

13/03/2025

The ICG Marketing Survey 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

Harmonic Amps Up Video Streaming Efficiency with New Origin Capabilities

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 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

FOR-A America Theme Connecting the Present, Building the Future Comes to Life at NAB 2025 Exhibition

Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...

13/03/2025

2025-03-13

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

Italia 90 Republic of Ireland Squad, Riverdance, Cian Ducrot & B*Witched on Friday's Late Late Show

Here is your host, Patrick Kielty! Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...

13/03/2025

RT Celebrating all things Irish this St. Patrick's Weekend

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

GTC 2025 - Announcements and Live Updates

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

T-Mobile, Thales and SIMPL ease IoT deployments with a flexible and secure connectivity solution

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...

13/03/2025

Relive the Magic as GeForce NOW Brings More Blizzard Gaming to the Cloud

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

Gaming Goodness: NVIDIA Reveals Latest Neural Rendering and AI Advancements Supercharging Game Development at GDC 2025

AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...

13/03/2025

Drop It Like It's Mod: Breathing New Life Into Classic Games With AI in NVIDIA RTX Remix

PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...

12/03/2025

Como o Impacto Cultural e Financeiro da Indstria Musical Define Seu Sucesso em 2025

O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...

12/03/2025

Cmo el impacto cultural y financiero de la industria musical define su xito en 2025

Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...

12/03/2025

Nourish Mind, Body, and Soul This Ramadan With Spotify

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

How the Music Industry's Cultural and Financial Impact Define Its Success in 2025

Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...

12/03/2025

FAST now transcends back catalog content

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

Viamedia Adopts ShowSeeker Pilot To Streamline Ad Workflows

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

Mediagenix Appoints Wael Yasin as Sales Director Central Europe

BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....

12/03/2025

Omdia: Global Online Consumer Expenditure to Hit $6.6 Trillion by 2029

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

Comcast Technology Solutions Upgrades to Interra Systems BATON Version 9

CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....