In Broadcast - June 2019 - 54

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 9 - Issue 6 | June 2019

InMedia

The Art of Live Production
SDI resilience, merging broadcast with virtual graphics and doing more with fewer resources are some
of the key trends in live sports production, reports Contributing Editor Adrian Pennington...

he introduction of IP was meant
to consign coaxial cables to the
dustbin, but old school networks
are alive and kicking. With 4K UHD
increasingly common and 8K coming
down the track, SDI remains the
familiar, trusted means of handling
uncompressed video. What's more,
12G single cables make UHD transport
possible without the complexity of a
Quad-link, and importantly at over
distances of more than a few feet.
So, is it easier to manage a UHD
4K workflow in SDI using 12G single
cable or Quad 3G than using SMPTE IP
standards and kit at this time?

"IP brings huge advances
in flexibility, delivery
and distribution"
John Currie, Gravity Media

"There's no clear winner, hence why
both transport methods are widely
used," says John Currie, Head of
Technology, Gravity Media. "Each has
its advantages and integration can
be seamless. Where IP brings huge
advances in flexibility, delivery and
distribution there is a clear skill deficit
as the role of a broadcast engineer
shifts ever closer to that of more
generic IT personnel. Currently, IP
systems just do not stack up for small
scale productions with high quality
aspirations. In larger systems the key
is flexibility around design and blurring
the lines between what is considered
core and what is edge. Therefore, in
large systems, enforcing 'everything
IP' is certainly not cost effective, but
also a compromise on a lot of edge
equipment due to the reduced product
set."
Among kit with a 12G-SDI option are
EVS' ingest and playout server XS4K
(which has a new on-board IP option);

Future sports - Formula-E is developing innovative coverage

Slomo.TV's Fulcrum AT/12G 4K instant
replay server; For-A's entire range
of switchers, video servers, keyers
and test signal generators
and Blackmagic Design's
new
ATEM
switcher,
Constellation. This features
40 x 12G-SDI inputs, 24
x 12G-SDI outputs and a
convertor to scale HD or UHD
sources into 8K.
"The wider move to IP still leaves
scope for SDI in the medium-term,"
says Mark Hilton, VP, Live Production,
Grass Valley. "We see 12G SDI as
most relevant in flypacks, small
mobile units, smaller houses of
worship and corporate applications,
where the advantages that come
from an IP infrastructure are less
obvious. There is less setup and
configuration required typically with
an SDI infrastructure in comparison to
today's IP networks. This is significant
in cases where the customer does
not want or need scale or agility and
values simplicity and a true 'plug and
play' approach, therefore 12G SDI will
be the preferred option for many of
our customers."

UHD HDR
With consumers now expecting
richer, more captivating content,
broadcasters are being more
ambitious than ever
with live production,
giving audiences an
up-close experience
that is as good - if
not better - than
being there.
Slomo TV Fulcrum AT/12G instant replay server

Sony HDC-5500 offers 4K output

"There is increased consumer
demand for stunning picture quality,
and in a live production environment
this means having camera equipment
that is UHD HDR enabled, or
equipment that is enabled to change
the pixel size between native 4K and
native HD inside CMOS imagers,"
Hilton
says.
"Next-generation
production
formats
combine
resolution, dynamic range and colour
gamut (e.g., 1080p with HDR and
WCG), and this doesn't always require
4K cameras."
With its large camera portfolio Grass
Valley is strongly positioned to serve

Ikegami SHK-810 8K camera system

all the different requirements with
optimised solutions, he adds.
Sony's new HDC-5500 carries a 2/3inch global shutter and is capable of
shooting 4K output over IP via SMPTE
ST2110 and NMOS IS-04/05 as well as
over 12G-SDI baseband. A high frame
rate option can be licensed. NEP
Australia and US OB company Game
Creek Video placed the first orders.
Ikegami is introducing several new
4K, IP and HDR solutions, among
them the UHL-43 Multi-Purpose UHD/
HD camera. This employs the same
4K-native sensors as the UHK-430 and
UHK-435 'Unicam XE' series cameras
but in a compact one-piece form factor
for POV applications such as robotic
studio production, sports, and weather
coverage.
4K signal outputs available from the
Ikegami UHL-43 include 12G-SDI and
optional 3G-SDI Quad Link.
Ikegami is also bringing
out an IP interface for the
CCU-430. This has a 25G
optical
interface
which
allows
transmission
of
uncompressed video. It also
supports the use of 10G on two
ports.

Leader's LV5900 8K waveform monitor

Since many broadcast systems
currently use a mix of SDI and MoIP,
this optional interface delivers a pair
of 12G/3G/1.5G SDI outputs as well as
MoIP, providing flexibility for
video system integration.
For monitoring 8K you
might need Leader's LV5900
8K waveform monitor. The
instrument's feature set
includes an 8K colour bar and
test pattern generation as well
as four-input simultaneous
display of HD video from HD to 3G-SDI
and 4K video.

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