TVU's RPS enables Sky to remotely enhance production of two major sporting events

24/7 coverage of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Beijing Summer Games Sky was executed with RPS technology TVU, a multi-camera remote production system.

In both events, the main coverage of Sky was based on the sources from the host station through the multichannel services (MCS), which were sent to New Zealand using traditional methods, such as satellite, fiber and IP/EPL links. However, Sky needed additional sources for his coverage and, to get them added to his production, he decided to use the remote production system with TVU RPS frame synchronization. Thanks to the use of the Public Internet and to the HEVC encoding of high quality, and using a single RPS encoder six channels in place and a RPS decoder of six channels in New Zealand, television was able to build a solution “economical and efficient”.

For the Beijing Games, Sky used the RPS system to supply six one-sided signals and two studio return signals between the event's international broadcast center and Sky's main studio and broadcast center in Auckland. The broadcasts included longer format delayed replays, tomas beauty and “regional shots from a studio.” The return channels were mainly used for monitoring of studio productions in Auckland. Sky used a very similar setup for coverage of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Kerry Phelvin, director of technical production at Sky, emphasizes the stability of the system, which will be used again in the Olympic Games. OO. of Paris 2024: "Our TVU setup was completely stable for both events. During the Beijing Games, our TVU system was up and running for 16 days, running 24 hours a day. The TVU RPS system worked perfectly, moving more than 30 terabytes in that period. Not only will we be using it again for the Paris Summer Games, but we may get a second RPS. As always, TVU's support was excellent.”

On the other hand, Dave Demmocks, sales director for Australia and New Zealand at TVU Networks, conveys on behalf of the company the satisfaction of being able to “satisfy” the needs “of a company like Sky.” He has also shown his thanks to the team at Digital Video Technologies in Auckland, which “has been instrumental in supporting Sky with this new technology.”