Articles tagged #OB
Articles tagged
#OB
Australian Open Overview 2022
This year at the Australian Open, we provided equipment and engineers for a range of clients.
Using your smartphone to create video and streaming content
In this odd time when we are all looking to work differently, people are looking to use their smartphones to create video and streaming content. It may be that you don't have access to your normal equipment or that everybody else has beaten you to the 'hot product' and you are having to think laterally. .
Rode SmartLav+[/caption] 
Rode Wireless Go[/caption] 
Rode SC6-L[/caption] 
Manfrotto Pixi Clamp[/caption] 
Manfrotto Pixi Tabletop Tripod[/caption] 
Or available for purchase as a combo![/caption] 
Aputure Amaran AL-MX LED Light[/caption] 
LEDGO Luxpad E268C Lighting Kit[/caption] Videocraft builds first Esports Production Studio in Australia for Gfinity
The global esports market is booming with revenue predicted to reach US$1.65 billion in 2020. One of the industry’s drivers in this country is Gfinity Esports Australia with their new Elite Series competition which is delivering gamers and fans a clear and structured competitive framework within Australian esports. A key requirement for the Elite Series competition was the creation of Australia’s first, dedicated Gfinity esports production studio which has been designed and built by Videocraft. The Elite Series presented by Alienware sees 6 city-based clubs competing weekly in front of a live audience at Gfinity’s state of the art esports arena within the Hoyts Cinema Complex at Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter and it is here that Videocraft built the new production studio.Clubs compete across iconic game titles: Counter Strike Global Offensive, Street Fighter V and Rocket League, for a share in the some of the largest prize pools in Australian Esports history and each event is broadcast live on Twitch. COO of Gfinity Australia Sam Harris said, “Gfinity are setting the new benchmark for quality in esports in Australia. As such, we looked for experienced partners to help bring our vision to life. Videocraft played a pivotal role in the development of the high quality production capabilities for our first esports arena at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter.” Videocraft’s Nick MacLean added, “Gfinity have produced esports events very successfully in the UK for years and set a very high standard for their productions. It was clear that all of our 45 years of broadcast experience would come into play for this project as the knowledge required to build the studio transfers perfectly into esports.”As well as creating and building a studio to create content for Twitch, Videocraft also had to send content, ready for playout, to TEN’s digital channel, One. MacLean continued, “For this studio we had to produce all the content to a much higher standard than for regular SD television which is usually 1080 50i. However, as the primary delivery and viewing platforms are online and in order to keep up with refresh rates, all of the content from the studio is 1080 60p.”
Videocraft designed and built the new Gfinity esports production studio with one of their highly-acclaimed and well-proven FlyAway kits at the core. The kit also integrates Sony HDC-2400 cameras, HDC-P1 cameras, EVS XT3 video servers, a Sony vision mixer and full Yamaha audio. MacLean added, “We deliver all of the competition match content in 1080 60p live to Twitch who in turn put it out live to their viewers. For One we had to work with Channel TEN to come up with a solution that looked equally as high quality. This meant a workflow which involved sending One the content in 1080 60i - which is the same as a live feed from the USA - and then cross converting that to 1080 50i. From there it all went out via the Telstra DVN and the whole process was flawless.” The mix of broadcast expertise and workflows combined with the new generation of esports’ requirements is an interesting one as the production crew and equipment are all from a traditional TV environment which in turn makes the esports online production values particularly high. Maclean said, “We used all of our broadcast experience and expertise to give Gfinity, Twitch and One the very best quality content possible. We also broke new ground by using the clever new Bird Dog NDI converters for supplying vision feeds to monitors throughout the new facility. This meant we could control the units, get them to accept any material we wanted in 1080 60p and put this up on the screen whenever we wanted to. The Bird Dog converters enabled us to maximise the network infrastructure we built for the new facility and made life particularly easy for operators choosing content from a single screen. There were also complexities involving the project to the cinema location that we needed to overcome. The studio floor was built in the cinema and our CAR and control room built in one of the projection bio boxes on the other side of the complex. We had an extensive fibre install completed to enable us to send signals to various parts of the cinema complex. Utilising Mediornet and a 10gig Ethernet backbone made this very simple.” 
In a nutshell esports is already having a huge impact in Australia and now with dedicated arenas and high end production facilities, that impact stands only to grow further. Nick MacLean concluded, “This project was all about quality and experience. We had to use all of our experience and work closely with Twitch, TEN and One to make sure everyone got the pictures the way they required them, in a seamless fashion and looking amazing. In the world of esports gamers play at 1080 60p therefore the images we give them to watch also have to be of the same ultra-high standard. This creates the very best in engaging content which in esports, is all that’s acceptable.” Season 1 of the Gfinity Esports Australia Elite Series started on 2 June and runs for 7 weeks of competition, featuring Melbourne Avant, Sydney Chiefs, Brisbane Deceptors, Perth Ground Zero, Melbourne Order and Sydney Roar. Each of the Clubs 3 teams compete on Saturdays, CSGO 3-8pm and Sundays, Rocket League 10-1pm and Street Fighter V 4pm-7pm in an action packed 5 week regular season and 2 week Finals.Videocraft builds State Of The Art TV Studios and Production Facilities For RMIT
Recently RMIT University undertook a significant renovation of its Melbourne city faculty specifically to open their campus up by redoing its Swanston Street facade and substantially renovating seven floors across four buildings. This huge undertaking was known as the New Academic Street, or NAS, Project. The existing buildings were where RMIT had its TV studios, originally built in the 1960s, much used and loved but long overdue for an overhaul. The NAS project provided an opportunity for RMIT to replace the old TV Studios with world class, cutting edge facilities to support both current and future trends in media production as well as RMITs research requirements in the digital media realm. To help them with the design and build of the complete project they turned to Videocraft. Before the project could start the university put out a tender for the design, construction and integration of four control rooms (two of which were to be UHD), five studio spaces and a virtual and augmented reality system. The tender also specified some unique components including a fully distributed routing system, UHD record and replay solution and the ability to quickly move any studio to any control room, or multiple control rooms. Technical Services Manager School of Media & Communication College of Design & Social Context at RMIT University David Beesley explained, “We required world class facilities with a futureproof and flexible infrastructure - a big ask - and we required a company who could work with us to enhance our vision of what these facilities would look like and how they could support our specific pedagogical needs. In conjunction with other industry leaders and after extensive research and consultation, RMIT came up with a base design which was subsequently put out to tender. Videocraft's winning point of difference was their ability to add significant value to our vision and turn it into a functioning reality.” Videocraft worked with RMIT end users to finesse the design and ultimately supplied and installed the kit for four TV studios and control rooms, a master control room (MCR), RMIT’s 'Black Box' research studio and multiple fibre-linked OB points throughout the NAS Precinct. [gallery ids="https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5135.jpg.jpeg|Head of ABC News speaking at the RMIT NAS Project opening,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5130.jpg.jpeg|James Taylor in one of the four control rooms designed and installed by Videocraft,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5136.JPG-e1522805026155.jpeg|,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5131.jpg.jpeg|James and Jeanette Taylor at the Opening of the RMIT NAS Project,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5132.jpg.jpeg|Panasonic 4K UHD Studio Cameras,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5129.jpg.jpeg|Checking out the studios on RMIT's Opening night for the NAS Project,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5133.JPG-e1522804985885.jpeg|Panasonic 4K UHD Studio Cameras,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5126.JPG-e1522804965720.jpeg|Installation by Videocraft at RMIT TV Studios,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5125.JPG-e1522804937190.jpeg|Installation by Videocraft at RMIT TV Studios,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5128.JPG-e1522804906693.jpeg|Installation by Videocraft at RMIT TV Studios,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5127.JPG-e1522804881286.jpeg|Installation by Videocraft at RMIT TV Studios"] Videocraft Head of Engineering and Projects Nick Maclean added, “We also designed a Central Apparatus Room for the 4 control rooms and 5 studios, plus supporting spaces such as green rooms, makeup rooms and production offices. Given that this was not a greenfield site, but a retro fit of an existing building, there were considerable constraints with the spaces, but with clever design we were able to come up with a solution that met the brief.” As part of the scope required a ‘distributed’ router Videocraft decided to install a large Riedel Mediornet system as, based on a 10Gig backbone, the system can handle up to 384x384 3G HD signals. For a distributed audio network they implemented a Dante audio network and ensured that all the audio mixers, stage boxes and tie lines were IP connected over a 10GigE IP network with a Cisco Nexus backbone. Videocraft also installed IP KVM systems, IP talkback using Riedel Smart Panels, and IP wireless comms using the new Riedel Bolero AES67 wireless keypanels. To tie all these systems together they used Lawo Virtual Studio Manager, a control solution that removes all the complicated backend components and presents a unified interface for operators. Beesley continued, Videocraft also installed the first UHD EVS system in Australia, which included IP Director and XFile for file-based ingest and delivery of both HD and UHD studio content. Critically they also supplied and installed kit for our temporary TV studios, constructed for the duration of the major build, to ensure business continuity. It really was a first class job and they met our every requirement.” Other kit supplied and installed by Videocraft included Panasonic 4K UHD camera chains, Sony vision mixers, a Zero Density 'Reality' virtual set and MoSys camera tracking, Ross Expression graphics, Yamaha audio desks and ARRI lighting. Beesley continued, “Videocraft took charge of face to face meetings, design workshops, numerous stakeholder and site meetings, design revision, installation, commissioning and testing. Their approach was professional and flawless.” Now complete the new facilities are used for teaching, including live broadcasts, research and more. As a result RMIT students can now learn on the same tools they will encounter in the field to which Beesley added, “These are the first purpose built UHD studios in Australia. They are at the forefront of technology for anybody, but for a teaching facility they are undoubtedly the number one studios in Australia. They are flexible and their unique infrastructure ensures that they'll be fit for purpose well into the future.” David Beesley, clearly incredibly pleased and incredibly proud of RMIT’s new TV and production facilities felt compelled to highlight the real shining lights of the project concluding, “There are many wow factors with the new facilities with their flexibility, extensive use of fibre, VSM, and 4K UHD capabilities but the real standout is the Zero Density Reality system. Videocraft installed a two-camera system with Star Tracker motion tracking which can render full virtual sets and augmented reality elements in realtime with unbelievable realism. The system uses the Unreal Engine for 3D design and rendering and the results are simply stunning. It’s the most realistic virtual system we have ever seen. I cannot speak highly enough about what Videocraft did for RMIT during this project. They were amazing to work with, incredibly patient, understood our unique requirements and worked with us to create something that is truly great, and the envy of many.”
Videocraft gets Mobile for Red Bull Wings for Life Run
Wings for Life World Run is the unique charity event that raises money by running for those who can’t. The twist? Everyone runs worldwide, on the same day, at the same time creating a race of epic proportions with runners chased by Catcher Cars to literally catch the runners not running towards a finish line but away from the finish line and culminating in just one lone runner left at the end. The OB for the Australian run, held in Victoria, was provided by Videocraft. Wings for Life World Run’s Australian production company was the award-winning Screencraft and their Michael Fardell explained some of the challenges involved in this year’s event, “The run kicked off at 1pm in Austria – home of Red Bull – which was 9pm in Melbourne. As the runners set off and try to get as far away as possible the Catcher Cars follow thirty minutes later. Bearing in mind the logistics with this event runners can get up to 80km from the start point so we needed the most flexible and nimble OB solution possible. I’m delighted to say Videocraft gave us just that.” After discussions with Videocraft’s MD James Taylor the company provided not only their fully-loaded, state of the art OB truck for the event but also an ingenious and cost effective mobile broadcasting solution. Fardell continued, “Videocraft had four wired OB cameras at the start line. Then, once the race started they had four mobile cameras on motorbikes following the runners and doing interviews along the way. The key here was that all the links were provided by 4G bonded streaming solutions.” On the ground and on the motorbikes Videocraft deployed four Teradek Bond 2 Encoders that were securely linked to Teradek Sputnik servers in the cloud. The Sputnik servers were in turn downlinked to the Videocraft OB truck and decoded using Teradek Cube decoders. Fardell added, “This was a brilliant, cost effective and efficient solution as we were able to broadcast the OB using 4G on the cameras and didn’t need to use helicopters which would have been tricky at night and very expensive. Once the footage arrived in Videocraft’s truck they switched and dealt with it as they would any normal camera source.” Although the clever OB solution was completely reliant on mobile communication lines Videocraft were still able to factor in redundancy and mobile dead zones by using multiple carriers and extracting the highest possible data rates. Fardell commented, “The data rates Videocraft were able to get were so high that we did the entire broadcast in HD. Quite a feat. Once we’d ingested the footage we then sent it to the Austrian world feed and received back the World Programme so people in Australia would watch the entire worldwide event. Again, quite a logistical feat.” In total there were 34 outside broadcasts worldwide all with no fixed end point and all of which covered a significant amount of terrain. This complicated set of variables meant advanced planning was key. Fardell explained, “Videocraft did their homework beforehand and checked there was mobile coverage with at least one carrier in all areas. The fact that there was enabled the four mobile cameras to be switched live in 4G and for me showed us the future for certain types of OB jobs. As this type of mobile solution becomes more robust it will only improve. This also means companies like Videocraft can offer live links for events at a reasonable cost that previously would have cost thousands and involved helicopters and satellite trucks.” In reality, for what was a very broad event geographically it was only the first 500 metres that were covered by fixed wired cameras. The other 79.5km was all covered by Videocraft’s mobile 4G camera solution and OB truck. Michael Fardell concluded, “I can’t speak highly enough about Videocraft or the mobile OB solution they provided. There were no drop-outs, black-outs or time lost for refueling. The only downtime during the entire event was a two minute battery change on the cameras. The 4G solution they provided us with was slick and efficient and proved to me that a new era in mobile broadcasting has arrived.”
Videocraft Scores Hole-in-One at Oates Victorian Golf
The Oates Victorian Open is one of the premier events on the Australian golf calendar. Both men's and women’s championships are played simultaneously over four days at the beautiful 13th Beach golf course. This year organisers Golf Victoria wanted to raise the standard and level of innovation higher than ever before and include live streaming of the tournament. For that they turned to Sean Mulcahy from Australian Network Productions and Videocraft who provided all the OB and live streaming facilities. Mulcahy explained, “This event has gone from strength to strength and the addition of live streaming really took it to new heights. As a result I wanted an OB company that were innovative and that I could trust. Having dealt with Videocraft for years I knew they would be the perfect OB partner. They are a boutique operation who have great people like Andy Liell and Mark Grooby on their team, stock the very latest in equipment, have great local support and backup and a fantastic work ethic.” Having again been entrusted with the coverage of the Oates Victorian Open, the job of integrating live streaming and knowing golfing superstars including Karrie Webb, Nick Cullen and Richard Green would be taking part Mulcahy knew a great tournament awaited them and for that they needed to provide the very best services to meet expectations. He continued, “We asked Videocraft for a professional, high quality production and live streaming solution that could be backed up and supported by a substantial local presence and be very cost efficient to work within our tight budget. I’m delighted to say they 100% delivered. Most impressive was the way they answered all of our requirements with the utmost dedication and commitment. This meant I could trust them as I always have and knew I could rely on their solution.” Mulcahy and the Videocraft team designed and implemented a flexible and powerful onsite OB setup that included Yamaha audio, six channels of EVS, a Blackmagic 4K switcher, Ross Xpression graphics and RF links all based around Videocraft’s unique FlyPack. With the production day at the Open starting early and the live feed going to air at midday everyone on the team had to be prepared.
Mulcahy added, “Videocraft live switched the coverage whilst also integrating EVS replays and packages. The entire event was then played out to the Open’s official YouTube channel via a Livestream box. The aim was to provide a more intimate and informal coverage that included talking with the players in between shots. This also meant we had to be nimble and agile. We also set up a marquee where a host did player interviews. All in all the production was slick and efficient.” With a tight budget but a requirement for high production values Mulcahy and the Videocraft team in conjunction with the crew produced an end result which spoke volumes for the kind of OB production Videocraft has made such a name for itself in. Sean Mulcahy concluded, “I am extremely proud of our team for the job they did at the Oates Victorian Open. For such a small operation, the product was outstanding and in my view, has revolutionised golf coverage. Golf Victoria were ecstatic with the result and rightfully so as they can now comfortably lay claim to this country's most exciting golf tournament. I must again thank Videocraft who really went above and beyond in terms of service. They were committed, dedicated and professional at all times from prep to tournament to pack up and debrief, striving always to produce a job that everyone would be happy with. I genuinely couldn’t have done it without them.” To view some of the material that was streamed go to http://www.golfvic.org.au/oatesvicopenliveVideocraft brings OB to MotoGP
With a history of delivering the very best that MotoGP has to offer, the 2014 Tissot Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix pushed excitement levels to the limit. The on track broadcast for this year’s Phillip Island event was again managed by Axis Films who for the first time used Videocraft’s new Mobile Production Centre for their big screen coverage. Axis Films owner Tim Maloney explained, “This year we moved from our usual site shed set up to using the Videocraft truck and it was a resounding success. Videocraft provided a significant amount of equipment whilst easily integrating our existing equipment which was a huge plus.” Videocraft provided full OB production facilities for the three day MotoGP event, many of which were a first for the production.
Maloney continued, “Videocraft did a great job. By using the truck as a hub they tied together all the internal and external facilities. They also provided all the comms and audio between all stakeholders some of whom were over half a kilometre away, integrated an EVS system and hooked an edit suite into the EVS. All the connectivity to remote locations was fibre based which provided us with the added bonus of quicker rig and de-rig times and better quality audio which was crystal clear and completely hum free. In fact Dorna Sports SL, the Spanish production company, said it was the best in circuit audio of any MotoGP event.”
Videocraft also integrated Axis Films’ Tricaster system and supplied the latest RTS Telex ADAM-M intercom system which along with Dante media networking provided the IP-based comms and audio. Alongside these was a Yamaha CL1 audio desk. Maloney added, “There were so many good things about this OB truck and the facilities Videocraft provided. Their audio setup gave us great flexibility and made it easy to create custom audio mixes. The fact that it was all digital also preserved the audio quality irrespective of distance or location. They also used an excellent Lawo VPro8 audio video processor which allowed us to easily marry any audio into the video signals and back out again.” Being responsible for MotoGP Big Screen coverage is a very big responsibility with many challenges, which according to Maloney is why he was very careful in his choice of OB truck and provider.
He added, “I’ve watched Videocraft MD James Taylor build that truck over the last six months and I’ve been very impressed. He has chosen the best equipment available and critically made sure it turned up ready, configured and able to cope with anything we threw at it. The fact that the truck is fibre and IP-based is a big bonus. We use MediorNet Fibre Backbone which James, like all the other parts of the puzzle such as MADI and Lawo, had no problem integrating and overall the truck and its interconnectivity capabilities are very impressive. For MotoGP we have many varied signals that have to be sent to many people and we have to interface with Dorna Sports. This takes much knowledge and expertise, all of which come in bundles with Videocraft and their truck. Dorna have very specific, unique audio embedding requirements which, again, were no problem for Videocraft. In addition we have to meet the incredibly high quality standards set down by the Australian GP Corporation so only the very best will do.” As far as Tim Maloney is concerned not only did he choose the right truck and equipment partner but the whole experience raised the bar again in terms of production values. Maloney concluded, “James Taylor treats every job like it’s his own. He quite clearly cares more about providing the best solution for his clients than anything else. This is rare in this industry and I commend him highly for his approach. MotoGP is the biggest job of the year for Axis Films and as a result of the success of this year’s event I have already booked Videocraft and their OB truck for next year. I can honestly say we now have exactly what we need, a luxurious production environment in a state of the art OB truck that makes the entire production smooth, seamless and look great.” For more on Axis Films go to: http://www.axisfilms.com.au For more on the Australian MotoGP go to: http://www.motogp.com.au#NAB2014 Products to Watch - Post Production
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Videocraft Wins the Federal Election with Channel 7
Approximately six weeks from this year’s original Federal election date of 14 September a new date, 7 September, was announced, reducing the lead time for broadcasters to just five weeks. Coincidentally and rather unfortunately, it also transpired that the new date would be an extremely busy weekend due to many Australian OB companies being occupied with finals’ season commitments, something that was not previously an issue with the original election announcement.
As one of the country’s leading broadcasters the Seven Network immediately sprang into action and according to Technical Services Manager Gary Porter a different strategy was devised. Porter said, “We were fast approaching this deadline and needed to find an alternate source of supply in Sydney that could deliver a custom-built system to expand our facilities for the evening. It became clearly apparent when reviewing the quotes we received from vendors that Videocraft understood the mission critical nature of the task at hand and could provide both the equipment and support staff to meet our requirements.” Seven required three “hubs” consisting of a hybrid MCR/TD Tech position plus a producer position to augment their facilities and relieve the pressure that would be placed upon the Master Control and TD positions for such a challenging evening. 
Porter continued, “The facilities were to be built up external to our existing systems, interconnected as required, with a 72x72 router, multi-viewer monitoring and full technical monitoring. The hubs were each responsible for one of our switchers assign lines ensuring that live remote sources to the studio were preconditioned and ready to go to air. This involved establishing communications with the remote locations, performing quality control checks and making any adjustments required to ensure a flawless transmission. The system needed to be not only technically able to handle the task but also had to be designed and delivered to feel like a natural extension of our facilities, offering the operators a familiar environment and the level of capability that they are accustomed to during a sustained high-pressure period.” Seven also required an additional EVS to be installed to ensure that any critical moments from remote sites would be captured using a six-channel XT3 and available for immediate turnaround. 
Having chosen Videocraft to supply all the additional services they required Porter specifically went on to mention the company’s approach adding, “Videocraft delivered a complete solution tailored specifically to meet our design criteria and therefore the demands of the evening, which provided us with an easy to use platform that our operators were comfortable with. Videocraft also supported us in the lead up to the night ensuring all the gear was performing as to be expected and supplied onsite support for the installation and on the day itself to manage and support the equipment. Finally Videocraft’s attention to detail was evident in the products they delivered to us which reduced the integration time required.”