Broadcast TECH
Gymnastics: 3D footage will be shot using Panasonic’s AG-3DP1 twin- lens cameras (inset)
3D
London 2012 will be the fi rst Olym- pics to broadcast live HD 3D footage. More than 200 hours of 3D coverage will be available, including the open- ing and closing ceremonies, athletics, gymnastics and swimming. OBS will make a turn-key 3D channel available with English commentary for 16 hours a day starting at 9am local time, and the BBC will present a small percent- age of the total for viewing in the UK. Three dedicated OB vans and six separate ENG crews will be employed, and there will be a 3D operations centre in the Inter national Broadcast Centre. Panasonic will provide AG- 3DP1 twin-lens 3D cameras. The bulk of the standard HD will be cap- tured by Panasonic’s AJ-HPX3100 P2HD camcorder and AG-
HPD24 P2 portable recorder. Panasonic’s DVCPRO HD will be the
Games’ offi cial recording format.
do use the latest and most robust equipment, the Olympic Games is also about ensuring that the tech- nology works fi rst time, every time. So we’re certainly not using bleeding- edge technology.” He emphasises that preparation is
key. “We’re not naïve enough to think that technology will just automati- cally work. You need to have a sup- port structure in place in case any- thing goes wrong. And those support structures are well tested. Everything is done in conjunction with Locog’s centralised technology operations centre, where things are monitored and measured continually and any major problem is dealt with quickly.” Panasonic also has its engineers and experts stationed at the Games and at the IBC to support OBS during Games time. Taylor says that a vital element in making the Olympics broadcast a success is the working relationships between the various sponsors and
www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils
‘The LED screens will be left in place as a legacy
to the UK’ Sean Taylor, Panasonic
partners. “From
a technology standpoint, it’s key that we have collaboration, because a tele vision doesn’t get a signal with- out the infrastructure, and it doesn’t get the broadcast signal without a broadcast company.”
He gives the example of Pana-
sonic’s collaboration with BT on the Games Time TV packages that will be delivered to thousands of Pana- sonic TV sets throughout the Olym- pic Village, press offi ces, and loca- tions around Olympic venues. BT will build the IPTV infrastructure to deliver that content. “Panasonic and BT worked together to ensure that works end to end and it’s designed properly,” says Taylor. One feature that distinguishes London 2012 from past Games is the use of 33.6 sq m LED screens to offer Olympics viewing to the public. “Panasonic has been involved in putting the live sites up and down the country,” says Taylor. “These will be
large LED screens installed in the centres of cities or towns. They’re controlled by the BBC and Locog, and will be showing the Games or Olympics-related content. They will be left in place as a legacy to the UK.” Systems provider EVS will be sup- plying the bulk of the broadcast infrastructure for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, providing equip- ment for the live and near-live production infrastructure, including camera and multiple feed recording, live replays, slow-mo and on-the-fl y editing, advanced content manage- ment and media sharing workfl ows. It will use EVS’s IP Director suites for highlight editing, fi rst-level logging and fast-turnaround media exchange with the IBC production teams. The Games will introduce EVS’s new web-browsing interface, IP Web Browser, which will allow production teams to review and select media hosted on a central server. The media server will comprise 13 XT3 servers,
FEATURE
w March/April 2012 | Broadcast TECH | 19
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