Camera Corps optimizes live sports production with HDR thanks to AJA

The British Camera Corps is giving broadcasters a better camera experience and innovative HDR workflows. To do this, use tools AJA such as 12G-AMA and ColorBox mini converters for color management and conversion, and 12GM for high-quality audio keying and signal format conversions.

High dynamic range (HDR) has transformed the sports fan experience, allowing broadcasters and OTT providers to offer live events with extraordinarily realistic colors. Despite the popularity of HDR, many production lines continue to use standard dynamic range (SDR) equipment, even for events captured in HDR. This mix of technologies can create complexities in color management throughout the production process.

Camera Corps has worked on several prestigious international sports productions, providing camera equipment rentals, camera customization services, equipment, wired and wireless connectivity products, and comprehensive on-site and remote support services. The company offers unique camera experiences that enhance live broadcasts, among its many achievements including two of the world's largest sporting events in 2024, among countless others.

When servicing live sports productions, the Camera Corps team deploys hundreds of cameras and must tailor each one to the client's specific broadcast requirements.

Andy Sanders, technical director of Camera Corps, says, "Planning for large-scale projects typically begins two years before the event. Last summer, we supplied approximately 450 pallets of equipment and 150 staff members to multiple sports venues in Paris. The level of detail required to ensure that each piece of equipment was seamlessly integrated into the broadcast infrastructure required an incredible amount of resources, from logistics planning to staff training, construction, testing, delivery, on-site deployment, and more."

HDR and SDR conversions

Considering all the SDR and HDR equipment involved in modern sports workflows, it is crucial for Camera Corps to convert signals between both ranges while maintaining signal integrity. Likewise, it is essential the ability to handle multiple LUTs for these conversions with low latency and high quality processing. Last summer in Paris, Sanders and his team deployed ColorBox to enable HDR conversion of high-speed cameras, which offer dual outputs for live and replay and are designed to capture slow-motion shots of dynamic sporting events, such as pole vaulting and high jumping. The lightweight design of the AJA cameras and equipment made it easy to integrate into your setups without being intrusive.

"Our goal was to capture the highest quality images possible and ensure smooth transmission from the cameras to the video switcher in the correct HDR format. We started with the acquisition of the camera signal and used the AJA 12G-AMA and 12GM mini converters to convert the signals. We then turned to ColorBox for the SDR and HDR LUT processing requirements and our converters to handle other technical requirements," explains Sanders. “The high-quality signal conversion provided by our AJA equipment fit perfectly into our workflow, allowing us to support specialty camera deployments at multiple event venues.”

Color management

Camera Corps' use of ColorBox continues to grow, especially with increasing customer demand for HDR formats. “We work on many projects where we have to convert SDR signals from certain small format cameras, maintain the integrity of the signal with 10 bit processing and correct SMPTE 352 payload IDs. ColorBox is a great help in this, as it ensures format consistency and support for the necessary downstream video processing; “It's something you won't find in other solutions,” shares Sanders. “With ColorBox's built-in storage library and preset management, our team can also handle multiple 3D LUTs efficiently, with exceptionally low latency and high-quality output, which is crucial to maintaining streaming standards without technical interruptions.”

ColorBox allows the Camera Corps team preload multiple LUTs, so when on location, the team can simply select the desired LUT in the ColorBox workflow and apply it to each job, making setup faster. The device's RGB color correction and process amplifier functions also help the team color match cameras that lack data telemetry control.

Sanders concludes by highlighting that "ColorBox is a very versatile device. We can use it to modify the output of our existing stock of high-speed cameras that do not natively support HDR and integrate them into modern workflows without needing to dispose of the cameras, saving us money and improving sustainability. It has been a great advantage for our work in general."