AJA Technology helped the International Paralympic Committee expand coverage of the Sochi Games

Eight AJA Ki Pro Rack recorders, an AJA Kumo 32x32 compact router with a Kumo control panel, an FS2 frame converter and synchronizer and four AJA Hi5-3 mini-converters played a key role in the multi-device coverage of the Paralympic Games.

For the third time, AJA has collaborated with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to provide broadcast solutions for the international live-on-demand distribution of the Games.

The IPC ParalympicSportTV team delivered a total of three hundred hours of high-definition content to audiences around the world using eight AJA Ki Pro Rack recorders, an AJA Kumo 32x32 compact router with a Kumo control panel via web LAN, an FS2 frame converter and synchronizer and four AJA Hi5-3G mini-converters.

Ingo Schneider, director of ParalympicSportTV, acknowledges that "AJA teams played a very important role again in our coverage of the Paralympic Games. We could not have developed the project without their technology. Kumo truly formed the heart of our workflow, allowing us to distribute our internal signal. The Ki Pro Rack also provided seamless recording and playback, speeding up the entire creative process, while the FS2 allowed us to better control our audio settings and be prepared for the demand for satellite connections."

Mobile applications

Facing a new level of complexity, Schneider's team was tasked for the first time with the distribution of live feeds for mobile and desktop applications (available for download through iTunes and Google Play), as well as the simulcasting of four live feeds for Paralympic.org and YouTube with channels dedicated to alpine skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing, ice hockey and wheelchair curling. The signal recordings were later edited and archived to be uploaded to YouTube allowing delayed viewing of the programs.

To facilitate the work, the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS) always had ten links with IPC thanks to Kumo. Schneider's team routed the HD signals provided by OBS to the output channels and eight Ki Pro Racks recorded the live streams to four Kistor SSDs and four Kistor HDDs. Material from the SSDs was quickly transferred to various editing workstations and to serve Paralympic.org and YouTube, while material recorded on the hard drives was archived to a server for future use via Kistors connected to Thunderbolt.

The images of the SSDs were later edited with Apple Final Cut Pro for the creation of highlights and YouTube shows.

Meanwhile, AJA's FS2 ensured a smooth mix of international sound with different audio feedback, and acted as a safety net to down-rate signals from HD to SD when the need arose. To control all output signals, four AJA Hi5-3G mini converters were used to feed a multiviewer, creating four HDMI signals from four SDI source signals.

“It's exciting to be able to share the achievements of these incredible athletes with the entire world, and AJA continues to help make it possible,” Schneider shared. “I can say without a doubt, we couldn't have made a better decision to partner with them again, their equipment is not only easy to use, but truly versatile and reliable.”

“Every two years, the Paralympic Games bring together some of the most experienced athletes representing countries around the world, and we are honored to continue our support to IPC in their efforts to share their inspiring talent,” explained AJA President Nick Rashby.