Sony Venice transforms ESPN's live multi-camera production

ESPN redefines its live multi-camera television production by opting for several units of the Venice film camera Sony.

ESPN has updated three studios in its Amsterdam “Media Arena” with cameras Venice that are controlled remotely from the broadcasting facilities ESPN in Hilversum, more than 30 km from the Dutch capital.

The chamber of Sony seeks to provide a cinematic look to live sports programs recorded from standard television studios. The sensor full frame 6K The camera captures images with low noise, a latitude of more than 15 stops, a shallow depth of field, and color technology that “exceeds the Rec.2020 color space.”

Key to this desired aspect close to cinema has been the use of high-quality cinema lenses. Canon, which provides that sought-after blurred effect. To take full advantage of the capabilities of the new cameras, ESPN has even hired a new lighting operator study of the world of cinema.

A project of ESPN, Sony and NEP Netherlands

Sony has collaborated closely with NEP Netherlands to integrate Venice into the live production workflow of ESPN, which has provided the chain with additional capabilities to meet its needs.

Henk van Meerkerk, former production director at ESPN, remembers what it was like to integrate this workflow into the network: "In our studio environment we wanted a camera that could be operated by the same equipment we are used to working with. With our installation partner NEP we created a 'black box' for the back of the camera that turns the VENICE into a normal studio camera." This custom docking adapter connects video, audio and remote control signals, providing Hilversum engineers with vision live control via IP del sombreado de la cámara, la carga de archivos de escena y la comunicación interna. Aunque las cámaras cinematográficas no suelen necesitar compatibilidad con tally en directo, la última versión del firmware 6 permite ahora a la Venice aceptar un comando de “llamada” de un ingeniero de Hilversum que ilumina un indicador tally en el visor del operador de cámara.

Entre otras mejoras operativas para la Venice, el equipo de ingeniería tambien incluyó compatibilidad con 3G-SDI de nivel A, lo que permite a la Venice emitir señales 1080/50p limpias and with baja latencia directamente desde el cabezal de la cámara.