The opening of AFC Wimbledon marks the future of remote production

The integrator Broadcast Solutions plans and carries out the special program for the opening match at AFC Wimbledon, deploying a team of just three people.

The integrator Broadcast Solutions planned and carried out on November 3 a production of almost two hours before the opening match of the new AFC Wimbledon with a team of only three people.

This first match held at the club's new headquarters located just meters from its historic Plow Lane, marked the culmination of almost two decades of fundraising for the club, which rose like a phoenix from the old Wimbledon, making its way through the ranks of English football to now play in the Premier. For loyal fans, of course, Covid-19 regulations meant no one could see their triumphant return to Plow Lane.

Malcolm Robinson, business development at Broadcast Solutions, acknowledges that "we had to make it a great occasion for the fans. And we had to do it with very little space."

The Wimbledon event director and producer, Charlie Talbot of Talbot Productions, brought together contributions from fans, former coaches and players. Throughout the night, the team added live interviews, while fans continued to contribute video commentary via social media.

"We used Dream Chip cameras feeding a HEVC Dream Chip Barracuda encoder. That gave us four good quality HD streams, plus associated audio, plus SRT communications, secure and reliable transport with an open delivery format, over a 30Mb/s public internet link. For roving reporting, we also had a Sony ENG camera feeding a cellular link linked to Mobile Viewpoint," says Robinson.

Realization in Sweden

With Robinson and Talbot in the stadium, the third member of the team, Adam Leah, creative director at live production technology specialists Nxtedition, was 1,000 kilometers away in Sweden. The Barracuda set-top box and hobbyist Internet feeds and Mobile Viewpoint link also fed the nxtedition cloud. Leah directed a seamless 105-minute show, performing live multi-camera video with pre-packaged elements and new social media content.

“The technology worked perfectly,” says Robinson. "SRT allowed us to maintain a high quality live video, which suited the content well. We were also able to get online feedback, including a multiscreen as well as the summary, so Charlie as producer had complete overview and control. From start to finish it was a very professional production."

As in any broadcast operation, communications were absolutely vital for a perfect production. The communications platform Trilogy It allowed the team to put virtual panels where they were needed, as well as headsets for presenters. There was no latency in communications, allowing for live links. The sound of the program used the wireless microphones of Sennheiser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Sn1TlX1J8&